Second National Deep Tech Partner Opportunity Platform Focused on Creating Start-Up Teams
Good news for Ireland’s burgeoning Deep Tech start-up economy as the second national deep tech partner opportunity platform (POP), took place recently in Cork to create top class start-up teams.
At this exclusive invite-only event, dubbed Ireland’s “Davos for Deep Tech”, Ireland’s State-funded deep tech research institutes pooled their top venture scientists to meet with Ireland’s most seasoned executives and entrepreneurs.
Tyndall National Institute based at UCC, hosted the event, following the successful inaugural event which took place in Dublin last May. At this event 16 life science spin-out teams met 50 handpicked entrepreneurs and executives from around the country, in a joint university event hosted by the Pioneer Group.
The 20 teams from research institutes in Belfast, Cork, Galway and Dublin who participated in the POP2 event, are developing a range of diverse technologies including next generation communications, photonics, AI solutions, power systems, early childhood learning, environmental and agricultural technologies amongst others. Sixty (60) of Ireland’s top entrepreneurs and executives also took part in the event.
Researchers from research institutes in Belfast, Cork, Galway and Dublin who participated in the second partner opportunity platform focused on creating top class start-up teams. (Credit: Emma MacCarthy, GMC Photography).
The POP format has been developed by staff members of Ireland’s university technology transfer offices, as a grassroots, needs-driven initiative to solve a pressing global problem in deep tech, finding entrepreneurial talent to join research teams.
Míchéal Collins, Spin-out Manager, UCC Innovation, said, “From Silicon Valley to Cork to Singapore, I’ve experienced the same feedback, the primary bottleneck in creating deep tech start-ups is finding and matching the right entrepreneurial talent to venture scientist teams. The POP format is built to precisely solve this problem. Each event develops our growing database of connected, powerful entrepreneurs and executives who are key to bringing our deep tech innovations to the world.”
Simon Factor, Head of New Ventures and Investments, NovaUCD said, “Universities throughout Ireland are full of great ideas, to turn these great ideas into unicorns we need exceptional people and smart money. This event seeks to connect talented technologists with experienced entrepreneurs to build propositions that will captivate investors. At NovaUCD 25% of the spin-out companies we have launched in the last 5 years have CEOs who joined teams of UCD researchers to build high potential start-up companies. Universities work closely with Enterprise Ireland to support these activities.”
Peter Finnegan, Head of New Ventures, Tyndall National Institute and event host said, “As Ireland’s largest Research and Technology Organisation specialising in both electronics and photonics, Tyndall was delighted to host this important all-island event aimed at supporting the next generation of cutting-edge deep tech companies that will compete on the global stage. This event presents a fantastic opportunity for commercialisation researchers to build new business relationships that could dramatically impact their respective business propositions.”
The POP2 event consisted of rapid team and technology presentations, with breaks for structured networking and pre-arranged introduction appointments.
The Universities which participated in the event were; UCC (Tyndall), UCD, DCU, MTU, Ulster University, University of Galway and TCD.
Attendee entrepreneurs and executives included the Irish alumni chapter of the INSEAD Business School, alumni of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and NovaUCD.
ENDS
8 February 2024
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or Peter Finnegan, Tyndall National Institute, e: peter.finnegan@tyndall.ie or Simon Factor, NovaUCD, e: simon.factor@ucd.ie or Míchéal Collins, UCC, e: micheal.collins@ucc.ie.
Editors Notes
For further information about Tyndall National Institute visit: https://www.tyndall.ie/
For further information about UCC Innovation visit: https://www.ucc.ie/en/innovation/
For further information about NovaUCD visit: www.novaucd.ie