Founder of SeeMe

Top Five Finalist, WE Innovate

A Journey Rooted in Memory and Meaning

The idea for SeeMe began with a moment Mary Blake didn’t expect to change her life. While clearing out her Godfather Vincent’s home, she found boxes of family letters, diaries and photographs that revealed a rich, intimate history spanning generations. Having spent decades working in National Museums and Galleries, as well as serving as Tourism Manager and working in Economic Development at Derry City & Strabane District Council, she had always valued personal archives. However, seeing these memories up close brought that interest sharply into focus.

Mary kept her own archive of letters, diaries and photos stored in the attic. But when she finally took the time to revisit them, she discovered a sudden gap. Her personal history seemed to vanish the moment she moved to cloud-based storage. This realisation prompted deeper questions: what happens to memories when they are swallowed by digital dumps? How will future generations navigate millions of unlabelled images? And what does it mean if our most significant moments are lost to subscription lapses or storage limits?

These questions became the foundation of SeeMe, a platform designed to put meaning, story and humanity back into our image collections.

Seeing the Gap and Building the Solution

As Mary researched, she found profound challenges in how digital images are stored. Most photos are never viewed again, and very few contain the back story that gives them emotional weight. Her work with the Royal Academy of Engineering, Innovate UK and Techstart revealed that people are reluctant to share personal memories on social platforms due to fears around privacy and oversharing. The result is a digital footprint stripped of meaning.

Determined to change this, Mary set out to create a platform that allows people to capture not just images, but the stories behind them. SeeMe became a way to build a secure, private and meaningful digital record, a true story of a lifetime.

Stepping Into WE Innovate

Mary heard about WE Innovate through a last-minute reminder email from the Ulster Bank Accelerator. Though unsure whether she would fit in - she had decades of senior leadership experience and was older than most applicants, she submitted her application that same evening.

She hoped the programme would help her refine her pathway to market, strengthen her personal brand and bring her into a community of ambitious women founders. It delivered all of that and more. WE Innovate became a powerful space to test assumptions, build confidence and explore the emotional impact behind SeeMe.

Finding Clarity, Confidence and Community

When Mary joined the programme, SeeMe already had strong research foundations and much of the platform built. But she wanted to sharpen her messaging, strengthen her pitch and better understand her customers. Through workshops, coaching and reflective practice, she developed a clearer, more compelling narrative, one that focused not on features, but on the emotional value of preserving memories.

Pitch-prep sessions with Venture Folk, Queen’s and Imperial helped her simplify her message and deliver it with greater confidence. Access to design specialists encouraged her to strip away unnecessary detail and focus on what truly matters. Early pitch sessions created a sense of shared growth among the cohort, turning nerves into laughter and camaraderie.

Being part of a women-led cohort was one of the programme’s most impactful elements. The group supported each other wholeheartedly, sharing challenges, networks and encouragement. A self-care retreat provided a much-needed reset, acknowledging the emotional load many founders carry. The relationships formed during WE Innovate continue long after the programme, with the cohort celebrating one another’s milestones.

Reaching the Top Five

Mary’s place in the top five finalists was a moment of enormous pride. Pitching on stage at Imperial College, London showcased both the professionalism of SeeMe and the resilience she had built throughout the programme. Seeing her work profiled by Queen’s and Imperial, and later displayed in the Grand Hall, underscored the momentum SeeMe had gained.

The visibility opened new doors to investors, partners and potential customers. While winning a trophy and prize money was meaningful, the most powerful aspect of the evening was the genuine admiration the finalists shared for each other.

Building Momentum Beyond the Programme

Since WE Innovate, Mary has refined SeeMe’s commercial model and tested the platform across cultural, care and diaspora sectors. She completed the Founder Labs pre-accelerator, began R&D discussions with Invest NI, and secured additional IP in both the UK and US. Her work has been shortlisted for multiple awards, and she has advanced in major competitions such as Catalyst Invent and Seedcorn.

A significant milestone came when she won the Regional Final of The Ultimate Pitch delivered by Go Succeed. She has also been selected to exhibit at the international Tech Tides Conference in Derry and has secured support from the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre to develop AI tools for customer engagement. Additional funding through the Business Innovation and Growth Programme has allowed SeeMe to develop key elements of the platform.

WE Innovate also helped Mary grow more comfortable asking for support, recognising that her network is a strength, not a last resort.

A Stronger Sense of Purpose

For Mary, the programme’s most transformative outcome was a deeper understanding of SeeMe’s “why.” WE Innovate helped her articulate the emotional core of the business and focus on the difference SeeMe makes in people’s lives. Before the programme, she believed SeeMe might be a high-potential start-up. Now she knows it is, and that it has the potential for global impact.

A Programme That Sees the Whole Founder

What sets WE Innovate apart, Mary says, is its holistic approach. The programme treats founders as experienced, capable entrepreneurs from day one while also recognising the personal realities they navigate. It acknowledges the mental load, champions wellbeing and encourages women to value themselves as much as their businesses.

She believes initiatives like this are essential in building a stronger innovation ecosystem for women. WE Innovate gave participants space to shine, a platform to share their stories and the confidence to step into leadership with conviction.

Looking Ahead

Mary calls her WE Innovate experience transformative, catalytic and nurturing - three words that reflect the clarity, confidence and purpose she brings into the next stage of SeeMe’s journey.

She joined the programme with strong foundations. She left with belief: in the platform she is building, in the global need it answers and in her own leadership as she guides SeeMe forward.

Connect with Mary