Supports for start-ups in the spotlight

Entrepreneurs from across the business spectrum gathered at Republic of Work in Cork on Thursday last (June 27th) to hear about new and existing opportunities that could help boost their companies’ growth. In the first event of its kind, ‘Connecting The Irish Startup Ecosystem’ aimed to unite Ireland’s top start-up programmes under one roof to showcase the number of supports currently available.

Representatives from programmes at the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC), the Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN) and business incubator, IGNITE were joined by members of the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme, to outline the range of funding options that are available to founders at every stage of their business journey.

“Ireland is rightly hailed for the support it offers to early-stage startups and here at Republic of Work, we want to make sure that entrepreneurs are aware of all the opportunities they can access to help their businesses grow,” Programme Associate at Republic of Work, Andy McManagan said, in advance of the event.

“And founders don’t have to limit themselves to one partner – different agencies offer different supports, whose relevance will change as companies grow. For example, the NDRC can help with the ideation phase of a project then HBAN can step in when it is investor-ready. It’s important to forge relationships with a number of different stakeholders who can then offer guidance to help startups navigate every step of their business journey.”

Georgie Browne, Senior Start-up Consultant at AxisBIC, when asked why she attended the event, said: “I ultimately want to become more involved with Cork-based entrepreneurs – this is the place to find them I believe. It’s great to connect with other start-up supporters and get a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial sector and how it’s developing in our local area.”