Archive January 2019
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Kells Tech Hub Co-working Competition Winner
CoWorking Space in Kells
- All-inclusive cost that minimizes overheads
- A prestigious business address
- A modern and dynamic working environment
- Access to mentoring on areas such as key aspects of business development, market research, and finance
- Peer-to-peer learning from other ambitious start-ups located in our enterprise centre
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free car parking
- Meeting room facilities
- Networking Opportunities
- Printing / copying / scanning facilities
- Canteen facilities, providing the opportunity to meet other businesses
- A chance to share ideas, opportunities and problems with fellow entrepreneurs
- Business training, coaching mentoring services in conjunction with the Local Enterprise Office
- Linkages to support bodies that can assist companies to grow their idea from concept to marketplace
Why the Mid-East Region of Ireland is a Fast-Emerging Startup Hub
Why the Mid-East Region of Ireland is a Fast-Emerging Startup Hub
In ancient Irish lore, the Hill of Tara was the place kings were anointed and from where, in some tellings, they ruled. Today, the area surrounding the Hill of Tara—the Mid-East Region—is looking to anoint the next generation of Irish scaleups. The region, comprised of Counties Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow, is teeming with entrepreneurial energy and efforts to help startups grow.
The Mid-East Region may still be considered by some to be a bedroom community of Dublin, where costs of living have risen rapidly since the housing bust a decade ago. Dublin is also the startup ecosystem best known outside Ireland. Yet the Mid-East Region offers more than a high standard of living and easy access to Dublin: it boasts a startup ecosystem that the rest of the world should know about.
We are delighted to include the Mid-East Region as a new Member of Startup Genome’s global ecosystem network.
If you’re a founder or startup executive in the Mid-East Region, you can help us tell the story by completing our survey, which is only live for a few more days.
So why is the Mid-East Region a great place to do a startup? And what makes it an attractive place for founders and startups from elsewhere?
Talent: I’m biased, because I was fortunate enough to spend a semester at Maynooth University in County Kildare, but the region offers ample talent, both young and experienced. Maynooth University itself hosts the Hamilton Institute, a world-leading research unit with a focus on drones, A.I. and robotics.
Nearby, in the lovely community of Leixlip, is one of Intel’s largest facilities. The company collaborates with Maynooth University on the Innovation Value Institute, and more generally serves as a large collection of talent for regional startups. Other multinationals, including Facebook, have large operations in Meath and Wicklow.
Food and Drink: All of these talented people need sustenance, and lucky for them the Mid-East Region excels in high-quality innovation on this front. Not only did one of the largest European food manufacturers (Tayto) start in Meath but also successful entrepreneurs have re-invested in the region. The entrepreneurs behind the Gleeson Group (since purchased) have established the Boann Distillery (also in Meath), which I had the pleasure of touring a few years ago.
More generally, the Boyne Valley Food Innovation District (BVFID) was created to help local food companies start and expand to global markets. The food sector in Ireland is already globally leading, and while the Mid-East Region is a hub, the BVFID aims to fully capitalize on local strengths. We expect there to be many more scaleups as a result of this effort.
Strategy and Support: Lots of places have strong collections of talent and, perhaps, delicious food and drink options. What really distinguishes the Mid-East Region is the local and regional leadership dedicated to making its startup ecosystem vibrant. Nobody is resting on the laurels of the multinationals that have been here for several years. No one is satisfied with simply being the Dublin suburbs.
Led by Gary O’Meara, Damien English, and too many others to mention, public and private leaders in the Mid-East Region know that the jobs of the future will be created by new companies started today. And, that there is not a moment to lose in investing in a support system for those startups.
You can help, too, by taking our survey. Why? Because that provides the information by which we are able to tell your ecosystem’s story in the 2019 Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
We will be able to compare the Mid-East Region to dozens of other startup ecosystems. This type of information will further help public and private leaders in their efforts to strengthen the ecosystem. For survey takers, upon completion you will receive an individualized assessment benchmarking your startup locally and against those in over 45 other ecosystems across the world. (Plus you’ll get discounts and special access to software and services.)
Win a free Co-working desk in Kells Tech Hub for 6 months!!
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Calling all Tech Startups!
Complete this 10-15 minute survey and be in with a chance to win a FREE Co-working desk in the new Kells Tech Hub (Details Below)
Link to Survey - http://survey.startupgenome.com/gser2019?partner=meathenterpriseie
Meath Enterprise have partnered with Startup Genome to carry out a Startup Ecosystem Assessment of the Mid-East Region (Meath, Kildare & Wicklow).
This project will assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the region and help us to develop a framework to improve how we support enterprise more efficiently and effectively going forward. It will also provide exposure for the region on a global scale through its inclusion in the 2019 Global Startup Ecosystem Report which will be published in April.
Your voice here is critical.
We want the Mid-East Region ecosystem represented well in this popular report. Also, your input will help highlight aspects of our ecosystem that need to be addressed and improved. This is an opportunity for you to provide feedback to local leaders and stakeholders on what else the ecosystem can do to support startups.
Your help and support is much appreciated.
Meath Enterprise
In Partnership with Startup Genome.
Startup Genome keeps the responses strictly confidential and only publishes aggregate results, using the most secure technologies to protect founder data.
Scaling ambition: EO Accelerator comes to Kells Tech Hub
Scaling ambition: EO Accelerator comes to Kells Tech Hub
World-renowned accelerator puts entrepreneurs through their paces.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO) Accelerator has launched in Ireland as part of a partnership with Meath Enterprise at Kells Tech Hub.
The first of its training events took place last October where international EO Accelerator trainer Mirik Castro delivered a strategy masterclass to 22 entrepreneurs from across Ireland.
‘This is collaboration at its very best and when people really engage in such a process, the benefits can be powerful’
– GARY O’MEARA
This was complemented by the inaugural Scalable by Design Series where entrepreneurs and other enterprise champions from education and government discussed key strategic elements of building profitable companies.
Over the course of a day of training and evening events, more than 80 people immersed themselves in the lore of entrepreneurship.
EO is a global network for entrepreneurs that supports learning and personal growth through peer-to-peer learning, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and connection to experts. With more than 14,000 members across 65 countries, EO Ireland was established in 2013 and now has 50 members.
The accelerator is a successful EO programme that has more than 1,400 participants in 35 countries worldwide. The average number of employees in applicant companies is 3.3 and the average turnover is €450,000. Female participation is 29pc globally and the average age of all participants is 38 years.
Kells angels
Not-for-profit organisation Meath Enterprise is a local Government enterprise development body with a mission to drive regional and national enterprise development, including start-up and SME accelerators, investor networks, and scaling and incubation services.
One of these projects, the Boyne Valley Food Innovation District, aims to create a food cluster that will facilitate the scalable expansion of qualified food start-ups and SMEs into global market opportunities.
In May, the Kells Tech Hub was launched to foster a culture of entrepreneurship in the north-east of Ireland.
Gary O’Meara, CEO of Meath Enterprise, explained that EO Accelerator is a unique programme that encourages entrepreneurs to share experiences and knowledge in a structured way so that others can benefit from shared learning.
“This is collaboration at its very best and when people really engage in such a process, the benefits can be powerful. We are delighted to be partnering with EO Ireland to deliver EO Accelerator, and we look forward to further developing this relationship and building on the huge success of today’s training day and evening sessions, which were attended by over 80 people,” he added.
The next EO Accelerator training day, which will focus on people, will take place on 7 February in the Kells Tech Hub. In the meantime, accelerators will participate in monthly meetings with their accountability coaches (EO members) in regional hubs in Wexford, Limerick, Galway, Belfast, Dublin and Meath.
“This is a wonderful initiative and I would like to thank EO Ireland and their partners, Meath Enterprise, for all their hard work and commitment to supporting regional enterprises through the delivery of this world-class accelerator programme here in the Kells Tech Hub,” said Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Damien English, TD, who attended the event last week.