YEARBOOK 2020 Crisis Drives
Creativity
Meet our start-ups
Welcome
We are proud to have worked with some of Ireland’s most successful founders SilverCloud Health
Glofox
LearnUpon
Founder: Ken Cahill
Founder: Conor O’Loughlin
Founder: Brendan Noud
€30m
Raised in funding
Iconic Translation Machines Founders: Dr John Tinsley and Dr Páraic Sheridan
Acquired for
€18m
€24m
Raised in funding
€56m
Raised in 2020
Clevamama
ProVerum Medical
Founders: Suzanne Browne & Martina Craine
Founder: Conor Harkin
20% growth year on year
Raised
€18m in funding
Innerstrength
Phorest
VideoElephant
Founder: Avril Copeland
Founder: Ronan Perceval
Founder: Stephen O’Shaughnessy
Acquired by Uniphar for
€8m
Employs over
200 people globally
€9.7m
Raised since 2012
Entrepreneurship in a pandemic At no time in recent history has the business community been so profoundly impacted by something outside its control. While many start-ups were hit hard by the pandemic, many businesses were quick to respond to the new and urgent needs of governments, businesses and individuals. At a global level, the likes of Zoom, Hopin and Amazon were classed as ‘winners’. Closer to home some grasped the big opportunities. NearForm, LetsGetChecked, Buymie and Glofox come to mind. Now with some degree of hindsight we can say that entrepreneurship in Ireland not only survived the Covid-19 pandemic but, in many cases, thrived. This was driven in part by decisive government intervention in terms of both financial supports and investment - Enterprise Ireland invested more than €48m, the highest level of funding invested in early-stage companies in any given year. The pages within this publication will highlight many of the goodnews start-up stories of 2020. We congratulate all the founding teams on the resilience and innovative thinking that allowed them to see off the unprecedented challenges facing them in March 2020. The board also congratulates the team at Dublin BIC, under the dynamic leadership of CEO Michael Culligan, for an impressive
performance in 2020 – 180 start-ups assisted, 58 companies funded and substantial progress on the major capital investment project – the redevelopment of the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC). As well as keeping the show on the road, the team created several new highly effective engagement initiatives to ensure ongoing access to critical opportunities for entrepreneurs. I would like to welcome the work being done by the SME and Entrepreneurship Taskforce. We expect that the result of this will be increased support for SME businesses which will further enhance Ireland’s strong start-up economy. Finally I would like to thank my board colleagues for their commitment and dedication in the most challenging of times. We can be proud of the way that those involved in the Irish entrepreneurial ecosystem came together in 2020 in a spirit of commitment, cooperation and collaboration. We look forward to better days and more success in 2021 and beyond. Clive Brownlee Chairman
Meet the board OpenJaw Technologies
Pharmapod
Blueface
Co-founders: John McQuillan, John Lambe & Sean MacRoibeaird
Founder: Leonora O’Brien
Founder: Feargal Brady
Acquired for
€33m
Raised €5m & employs 18 people
$500m
merger with US rival in 2018
Decawave
BriteBill
iCabbi
Founder: Ciaran Connell
Founder: Alan Coleman
Founder: Gavan Walsh
Acquired by Qorvo for
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€362m
Acquired for
€60m+
75k vehicles in over 90 cities worldwide Powers
Clive Brownlee (Chairman)
Frank Roche
Teri Smith
Michael Moriarty
Ronan King
David O’Meara
Deirdre Smith
Dublin BIC is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Its operations are governed by the Board of Directors who provide their time on a voluntary basis.
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A year in review A time for resilience and innovation Empowering Entrepreneurs to START & SCALE Empowering Entrepreneurs Empowering Entrepreneurs Dublin BIC provides the most comprehensive range of practical
to START and SCALE
supports available to entrepreneurs in Ireland.
Two representations of Irish entrepreneurial success on the global stage in the year were the Brendan Noud-led learning management technology platform, LearnUpon, which secured $56m fundraise in Oct 2020 and Ciaran Connell’s wireless technology company, Decawave, which had significant funding from HBAN Business Angels over the years, was acquired for $400m in Jan 2020.
INVESTOR INVESTOR READY READY PREPARATION PREPARATION ACCESS ACCESS TO TO FINANCE FINANCE
∂ For those earlier in their start-up journey, the Dublin BIC Investor-Ready Programme team worked tirelessly with Enterprise Ireland on getting companies ready for High Potential Start-Up and private investment during 2020. As well as our core Investor-Ready Programme, this activity included programmes such as ‘Sprint’ and the female entrepreneurship ‘Innovate’ programme. In the year, Dublin BIC worked with 180 early-stage companies accelerating them to their next milestone.
WORLD WORLD CLASS CLASS INCUBATION INCUBATION
∂ DBIC Ventures’ new fund, the Ireland Smart Tech Fund, which launched with a first close of €23m in October 2019, has been very strongly supported in its second close and will reach over €30m. Thanks are due to the 25 private investors and Enterprise Ireland who believe in the critical importance of early-stage funding for start-ups in Ireland. Congratulations to Evercam, the first company to achieve investment from the Ireland Smart Tech Fund during 2020.
COMMUNITY COMMUNITY & & COLLABORATION COLLABORATION
82%
of Dublin BIC supported companies survive their critical first five years
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People starting new businesses have always had the challenge of creating something new from scratch or reinventing the wheel, both of which are difficult. Thus by their very nature entrepreneurs tend to be highly innovative and opportunistic. While some businesses understandably suffered because of the Covid pandemic, many others thrived as digital transformation accelerated rapidly in a world where new problems required new solutions.
85%
of Dublin BIC investor-ready start-ups have secured third party finance
500+
start-ups have raised funding through Dublin BIC managed programmes
€144m
direct equity investment enabled by Dublin BIC & €300m leveraged funding
to play a critical role in Ireland’s economic recovery as a global superhub for entrepreneurship from its location in the heart of Dublin 8. ∂ Dublin BIC’s events calendar has become a fundamental part of the start-up ecosystem and our quarterly Funding & Scaling event attracted over 580 attendees to the first virtual version of the longstanding event. Demand has been very high for Dublin BIC’s new quarterly initiative ‘Ask the Investors’, which was introduced to ensure engagement between investors and founders continued throughout lockdown. Dublin BIC’s annual flagship event, FutureScope, scheduled for 1st April 2020, was postponed and we look forward to resuming this event as soon as it is safe to do so in person. ∂ As always, Dublin BIC believes in the power of partnership and collaboration. I’m very pleased to report continued strong results with our programmes run in partnership with Skillnet Ireland, including the flagship Animation Skillnet. In addition, Dublin BIC has developed a new Breakthrough Innovation Programme in partnership with the Dublin area Local Enterprise Office which is achieving good outcomes for participating SME companies. I would like to thank the Dublin BIC team for their outstanding dedication during a difficult year. The team responded to the changing requirements of our clients by finding new ways to engage and make impact; in particular ThePanel@DublinBIC, the move of Start & Scale to weekly publication, Ask the Investors and our successful CSF online workshops. I’d also like to extend a big thank you to our public stakeholders, including the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Enterprise Ireland and Dublin City Council.
∂ The Dublin BIC managed HBAN angel network completed 59 deals and €14.5m of direct angel investing in 2020. This was an excellent outcome and close to pre-Covid targets. This performance represents €246k angel money per deal slightly ahead of the overall multi-year average of €217k per deal.
In the year ahead, the team at Dublin BIC looks forward to working with both our stakeholders and the founders of ambitious start-ups to drive economic wealth creation in Ireland by providing the critical supports to entrepreneurs.
∂ The Dublin BIC managed Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) continued to progress its ambitious €10m expansion during the year. Operationally the pandemic has understandably meant a very challenging environment for the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC); nevertheless it is now ideally placed
Yours in entrepreneurship, Michael Culligan CEO, Dublin BIC
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Crisis Drives Creativity Cyber Risk Aware & Sytorus
Entrepreneurs who made a difference during the pandemic If there was ever a time when start-ups had to rely on their entrepreneurial spirit, and the characteristics that enabled them to create a business, it was in 2020. As well as being optimistic and resilient, entrepreneurs by their nature are highly innovative, creative and risk taking. These are important traits in a time of crisis. The unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 crisis, in terms of its suddenness, severity and uncertainty, impacted almost all businesses to a greater or lesser degree. For start-ups and scaleups in the process of building, there were fewer buffers – by way of cash, customers, team, experience. But on the flip side, and as we witnessed, a start-up or scale-up has the agility to respond to opportunities and challenges quickly. Here’s a look at some innovators in action during 2020.
As the move to remote working gave rise to many challenges around employee device safety and security, it was vital that organisations have the necessary cybersecurity protections in place. Two of Ireland’s leading security software firms reacted quickly to this issue. Cyber Risk Aware offered a free COVID-19 phishing test and training tool and Sytorus offered a free trial of its privacy engine tool.
Taoglas Irish next-gen IoT leader, Taoglas, played its part for the public and private sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping organisations to manage crowd sizes and social distancing with CROWD Insights. This is a cloudbased analytics platform that measures, monitors and predicts public gatherings and breaches to social distancing.
Abodoo With remote working an undeniable feature of our world in 2020, Abodoo connected over 23,000 members across more than 60 countries. Abodoo’s SaaS platform uses smart matching technology powered by data analytics to match people to roles, allowing companies to build teams quickly and cost-effectively.
Davra
Vanessa Tierney & Ben Wainwright Cofounders of Abodoo
With the increasing numbers of healthcare workers contracting COVID-19 in 2020 researchers in Cork developed a new early warning system that detected symptoms of Coronavirus among frontline medical staff. This technology was developed through joint effort on the part of UCC, CUH, and others, with technical and hardware support from DBIC Ventures company, Davra.
Davra
“…entrepreneurs by their nature are highly innovative, creative and risk taking.” Michael Culligan, CEO, Dublin BIC
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With the increasing numbers of healthcare workers contracting COVID-19 it is a welcome relief that researchers in Cork NewsWhip have developed a new early warning system Keeping on top of real news was a real which aims to detect symptoms of the challenge in 2020. NewsWhip, Dublin based Coronavirus among frontline medical staff. news analytics platform and the ‘go-to’ This technology has been developed over the resource for media organisations, saw a 25% last three weeks through joint effort on the increase in users of its analytics platform, part of UCC, CUH, and others, with technical driven by its use by government officials and hardware support from Dublin BIC around the world to debunk myths around Ventures company, Davra. COVID-19.
MedModus Dublin BIC Investor-Ready company, MedModus, provides business intelligence services to hospitals and other healthcare organisations through its CareAnalytics platform. During the Covid-19 pandemic, MedModus gave free access to its Bed Model and Situation Report, helping hospitals and care homes prepare for surges in cases.
Wellola With healthcare systems experiencing huge pressure during the peak of the crisis, optimising care capacity was crucial. Wellola collaborated with the HSE to launch an online portal that enables GP and healthcare providers to treat people remotely.
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Crisis Drives Creativity Soapbox Labs Following its €5.8m funding round in 2020, SoapBox labs announced that its speech recognition API would be free of charge for developers to use over three months. With access to digital content becoming more important as parents sought remote learning tools, this offer allowed companies to quickly and securely integrate voice technology when developing educational and entertainment tools.
LoyLap LoyLap, the Irish start-up that provides digital gift cards, partnered with Facebook during the pandemic to give SMEs the ability to maintain a revenue stream while their doors were closed. The incentive allowed retailers sell gift cards to clients within a 10km radius of their premises. With retail and hospitality industries heavily impacted by Covid-19, this was a very welcome digital offering.
VRAI Enterprise Ireland backed virtual reality start-up, VRAI, has developed ‘HEAT’, a remote training platform for employers who are operating in high hazard sectors such as aviation and manufacturing. The company plans to raise €850k to fast track development.
FoodCloud
Glofox
Social entrepreneurs played a vital role during the Covid-19 pandemic and that included FoodCloud, the multi-award-winning social enterprise that redistributes surplus food to communities in need. With a five-fold increase in demand, FoodCloud worked around the clock to allocate additional stock to ensure demand was met.
Dublin BIC Investor-Ready company, Glofox, raised an additional €10m to add to its €23m Series A funding round in 2020. Glofox’s newly developed software provided gyms with the capability to live stream classes and offer on-demand content during lockdown.
Following its €14.7m investment round announced in March 2020, Dublin BIC Ventures, SilverCloud Health, made the very welcome announcement that programmes designed to deal with stress, anxiety, low mood and depression would be available for free to over 150 million people worldwide during the Covid-19 crisis.
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Many Irish companies turned their attention to addressing the shortage of PPE for healthcare workers in 2020. CALT Dynamics, one of Ireland’s largest 3D printing companies, designed and distributed a 3D printable protective visor. The company also shared the design with US manufacturer, Stanley Black and Decker.
Davra
patientMpower SilverCloud Health
CALT Dynamics
Digital health technology came to the fore in protecting vulnerable people against Covid-19. Irish digital healthcare company, PatientMPower, developed a remote monitoring software for people with lung conditions, enabling the replacement of hospital visits with home digital monitor.
With the increasing numbers of healthcare workers contracting COVID-19 it is a welcome relief that researchers in Cork have developed a new early warning system which aims to detect symptoms of the Output CoronavirusSports among frontline medical staff. FutureScope One2Watch finalist 2019, over Output This technology has been developed the Sports, helped athletes andjoint coaches stay last three weeks through effort on on the top of their remote sessions using the part of UCC, CUH, training and others, with technical ‘Output Capture’support wearable devices. and hardware from Dublin BIC
Odyssey Validation HPSU company, Odyssey Validation, expanded its SaaS platform into the US. The Kildare based start-up launched CompliantCloud.com, a fixed fee solution that gives manufacturers in the pharma and biomedical sectors access to an automated process to respond to strict industry regulations.
Ventures company, Davra.
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Investor-Ready Preparation
2020 Dublin BIC worked with 58 companies that raised a combined total of €6.4 million In
TripAdmit
Fast-tracking start-ups to scale The Dublin BIC Investor-Ready Programme is a customised accelerator that helps ambitious founders to secure investment to scale. Four out of five start-ups that complete the programme go on to attract funding. The 50 or so start-ups that participate each year tend to be scalable businesses with an international focus, that are preparing to raise seed funding, or have ambition to achieve Enterprise Ireland HPSU funding.
TripAdmit is a B2B integration solution for tour and activity providers. Using easy to implement coding on an existing website, the integration allows service providers to maximise revenue without the need for heavy investment.
Did you know: START-UPS GO FREE:
The Dublin BIC Investor-Ready programme gets public funding. There’s no cost, no equity, no cut!
85%
Understanding that improved organisational performance starts at board level, The Governance Company combines technology and experience to lay the foundations of improved governance and performance across an organisation.
PacSana
Bowsy
PacSana has developed a range of tech products that supports enabled care. Using industrial knowledge and expertise to deliver an endto-end suite of products, it allows users to live longer and happier lives in their own homes.
Bowsy is revolutionising the traditional graduate acquisition process. It is disrupting how students access the job market by providing them with work experience allowing businesses to access talent from a more diverse pool.
FlexLabs
Hygiene Audits
FlexLabs is working with organisations like An Post, William Fry and Intercom to develop high quality digital learning experiences.
Hygiene Audits provides digital software for managing the prevention and control of infection in healthcare facilities.
of Dublin BIC Investor-Ready clients secure third-party funding
Some of Ireland’s most successful start-ups have been through the Dublin BIC Investor-Ready Programme, including: Glofox | Storyful | Hidramed Solutions | iCabbi | VRAI | Davra | Blueface | Firmwave | FoodMarble | ProVerum Medical | Video Elephant | Iconic Translation Machines | BriteBill | Tickerfit | Aphix Software 10
The Governance Company
Tim Jones and Dr Michelle Tierney, co-founders of SymPhysis Medical, 2020 One2Watch finalists
ShopBox AI
CR Robotics
Galenband
My Gut Solution
ShopBox AI has created an artificial intelligence software that converts anonymous website traffic into committed engaged customers.
CR Robotics has designed Mylo a robotic companion and personal home assistant that supports independence for people living with dementia and Alzheimers with features like medication reminders, video calls and remote monitoring.
Galenband has developed a wristband that screens for Atrial Fibrillation, the leading cause of heart failure and stroke. Galenband is an AI powered wristband providing clinicians with the data they need to treat patients effectively and work out a treatment plan in 90 days.
My Gut Solution is a digital health tracker for IBS. Based on experience and scientific research, My Gut Solution offers direct access to IBS friendly recipes and dietitians.
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Investor-Ready Preparation
180 companies supported at pre-product and development stage in 2020 Over
Working with global start-ups in partnership with Enterprise Ireland
Assisting female innovators build, grow and scale their businesses Innovate, the accelerator for female-led start-ups delivered by Dublin BIC on behalf of Enterprise Ireland, went virtual in 2020. 15 founders participated in the intensive 12-week programme which is designed to help start-ups to scale their business and to become investorready. Innovate involves interactive workshops, intensive mentoring, peer-to-peer and experimental learning, together with curated online learning content and structured networking.
Dublin BIC works closely with Enterprise Ireland to deliver programmes to support and offer guidance to early-stage and developing companies building a strong pipeline of future start-ups and scale-ups. For many entrepreneurs, one of the most daunting first steps is to fully commit to a new business. For some, this might mean leaving a secure career or investing savings. 2020 was a year with a unique set of challenges, however, Dublin BIC still actively supported over 180 companies building a pipeline of entrepreneurs in Ireland.
Enterprise Start 2 (ES2)
Sprint
In 2020, Dublin BIC worked with 23 companies on the Enterprise Start 2 (ES2) programme, offering entrepreneurs an opportunity to challenge the early-stage idea from a commercial perspective, with a focus on defining the customer problem and clarifying the value proposition. Participants get an opportunity to pitch their business idea in a supportive environment and benefit from expert as well as peer-to-peer feedback.
Sprint is an accelerator programme supporting pre-investment start-ups to become investor-ready. In October 2020, Sprint was held virtually for the first time, welcoming 36 companies.
Competitive Start Fund
The online version included e-learning, interactive presentations, guest speakers and an online Investor Pitch Bootcamp. Participants acquired an understanding of how to develop a compelling customer value proposition, a deep understanding of the sales process, the importance of customer validation and the development of an investor-ready financial model.
Dublin BIC offers a half day workshop for early-stage Competitive Start Fund applicants. Over 127 companies attended CSF application support days in 2020, from a range of sectors including, retail, medtech, VR and food. The workshop provides each participant with an interactive presenter-led overview of the CSF application process, including a detailed examination of the application form and the video pitch.
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PARTICIPANTS:
49 companies over four years
Amount of CSF: €2.4 million
15 companies in 2020
€9 million raised over four years
Positive Carbon - Aisling Kirwan, co-founder I Bwell.ai - Debjani Roy, co-founder I Buyerpix - Niamh & Cyril Byrne, co-founders I Colourtec - Breda Kelliher, founder I AVOW - Dr. Jane O’Sullivan, founder & CEO I Rogue Collective - Cassie Delaney, Aisling Keenan, Liadan Hynes, founders I Below Horizon Ltd - Emer Gilmartin, founder & CEO I Orb Media - Ciara Sheahan, CEO & founder I Bee Arona Ltd - Nora Irwin, founder & CEO I Mettacomms Ellen Gunning, CEO I Planet Hologram Studios Ltd - Aisling Hurley I PluAlto Ltd - Cliona Murray, founder & CEO I OneStepCloser.to Ltd Joanna Mulkeen, founder & CEO I Automated Regulatory Monitoring - Raquel Ruiz Arias, founder I My Gut Solution - Aoife Hanna, CEO
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Access to Finance
Dublin BIC managed HBAN funds start-ups to the tune of €15m Given the circumstances of 2020, angel investment appetite was surprisingly healthy. There were notable investments in companies such as Cerebreon and Ronspot, as well as a number of exits in HBANs portfolio of companies, including Payslip and Effective Software.
HBAN HIGHLIGHTS IN 2020: ∂ HBAN 2020 Conference: John Harbison from Tech Coast
Angels (one of the most prominent angel networks in the US) was the keynote speaker at this year’s HBAN Conference, presenting on the investment activity of Techangels in 2019 ($19m in 53 deals). This compares favourably to the performance of HBAN 2019 (€17m in 66 deals). ∂ Ronspot Solutions: secured €650k in total from four
HBAN groups - London, WXNW, Bloom and Singapore. This marks the first time four syndicates have come together for an investment, showcasing the evolution of HBAN and the value that it offers to entrepreneurs raising capital.
∂ Webinar Series: HBAN’s new webinar initiative focuses on
angel education using top calibre speakers. The content is available at the HBAN Angel Academy - a resource library for current and new HBAN members.
DEALS DONE IN 2020: ∂ Ronspot – €650k from HBAN Groups including London, WXNW, Bloom and Singapore ∂ Cerebreon – follow on investment as part of a €1.6m total funding from HBAN Bloom syndicate ∂ Content Llama – €125k secured through HBAN to secure EI HPSU matched funding
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The Ireland Smart Tech Fund, DBIC Ventures’ new €30m fund investing in highly scalable early-stage companies, completed two investments in 2020, its first year of operation.
Investments in 2020
The fund is planning to complete eight to nine new investments per annum, with the key target areas being B2B SaaS and medtech. Top sectors by deal flow volume include fintech, healthcare, travel and transport tech, proptech and HR tech.
∂ Gudog (House my Dog) – raised an additional €250k of HBAN funding to add to a total €1m in funding ∂ Buymie – Secured a 4th round of funding from the Bloom investors following phenomenal growth in 2020
EXITS IN 2020: Mayo-based fintech company Payslip raised an additional €2.9 million allowing some investors to exit A noteworthy exit for
Effective Software HBAN is an all-island joint initiative of Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest Northern Ireland, managed by Dublin BIC in partnership with the Irish BIC’s and Clarendon Fund Managers. These organisations are dedicated to the promotion of business angel investment and actively work to increase the number of angel investors investing in early-stage companies.
Investing in the next generation of global tech companies
acquired by Eco Online giving a return to the
Bloom investors
Decawave acquired by Qorvo for
The €600,000 co-investment led by The Ireland Smart Tech Fund has allowed Evercam, the AI powered construction software company, to support its overseas expansion, roll-out its construction analytics services, advance its machine learning capabilities and strengthen its research, development, sales and operations teams.
€362 million
DCU spin-out Iconic Translation Machines acquired by RWS Holdings for an initial consideration of
$10 million
Total of six exits from the Bloom Syndicate group and two acquisitions for HBAN investee companies: Decawave and Gudog
The Ireland Smart Tech Fund is backed by Enterprise Ireland together with a number of leading Irish technology entrepreneurs and is strongly positioned as a leading seed and early-stage fund for highly scalable tech start-ups across the Republic of Ireland.
‘A fund for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs’
The motor insurance start-up, Spire SSL, is the second investment by the Ireland Smart Tech Fund. Spire SSL has developed a critical incident management system that is built in modules that can be expanded across the insurance claims handling sector. With the vehicle recovery market worth more than €7 billion, Spire SSL is developing technology to optimise service delivery by small and medium operators.
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World Class Incubation
Ireland’s most connected office space for scaling companies The GEC is Ireland’s springboard for ambitious and globally focused start-ups and a soft landing for overseas companies looking for a home in Ireland. In 2019, Dublin BIC along with Diageo, Dublin City Council, Dublin City Leo, Enterprise Ireland, The Guinness Workers Employment Fund and the Irish Strategic Investment Fund embarked on a €10 million expansion of the Guinness Enterprise Centre located in Dublin 8.
Dedicated to start-ups, increasing collaboration and offering a productive learning environment In 2020, Dublin BIC opened the second Space@Dublin BIC location, following the success of Space@Dublin BIC Dawson Street. Space at Bride Street opened its doors in February 2020. With the challenges of the pandemic notwithstanding Space is transforming modern working interactions in a community of like-minded entrepreneurs where business development supports can be readily accessed.
The GEC will be home to ∂ 160 start-ups ∂ 750 employees ∂ 220 co-working companies The new build commenced in November 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in early 2021.
Business advice & support
Flexible terms
24hr access
€ Productive environment
Affordable rates
Room to grow
SPACE CLIENTS: Gym+Coffee | Volunteer Ireland | Lantech | AllGo | Centrecom | Inishtech | WKN | Be Green | BioPharm Excel
#1
Europe Private Business Incubator (Collaborating with University)
GEC's deep connections
giving you access to:
Europe / UK / EMEA
Talent – making recruitment easy
Start-up ecosystem
Innovation – staying ahead
R&D community
Customers – always growing
Industry & MNC
Markets – always expanding
University network
Collaboration - new possibilities
Investment community
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Ireland’s #1 innovation event
#FS20
Community & Collaboration
A quarterly event that explores approaches to fundraising for start-ups and scale-ups
FutureScope 2020, Dublin BIC’s flagship event which attracts 1200+ attendees to the Convention Centre each year, was postponed due to the pandemic. We are delighted that FutureScope is now scheduled to take place on 29th March 2022. We hope to see you there!
Funding & Scaling moved from an in-person event to streaming online on October 27th, 2020. For the first virtual offering of the event, we welcomed a huge turnout of 580 attendees.
FutureScope: exploring impacts of emerging tech:
This event looked at topics concerning start-ups and scale-ups with special consideration to issues arising as a result of the pandemic. We welcomed guest speakers: Devan Hughes, Founder of Buymie | Charlie Gleeson, Founder of Zipp Mobility | Angel Investor Barry Brennan | Enterprise Ireland Manager of HPSU, Jenny Melia | DBIC Ventures Fund Manager, Richard Watson
∂ The Future of Connectivity – convergence of IoT and AI
propelled by 5G
∂ The Business of Health – the healthcare shift ∂ The Reality of an AI Future – the all-pervasive impact of AI ∂ A Secure Future – technology’s big job ∂ A Future Shaped by Climate – the big carbon challenge ∂ Future Business – scaling in a world of innovation and
disruption
FUTURESCOPE IS RE TURNING!
29th March 2022 Dublin Convention Centre
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Ask The Investors was developed by Dublin BIC as an additional support to start-ups and founders during the 2020 lockdown. Launched on April 21st, 2020, Ask The Investors is growing in popularity with over 150 attendees per call at six events in 2020. The 60 minute session allows start-ups to engage directly with active investors in the ecosystem, get the answers that will help founders’ fundraising campaigns.
Ask the Investors Guest Speakers 2020: ∂ David Bowles of The Yield Lab ∂ Debbie Rennick of Act Venture Capital ∂ Chris Burge of Spark Crowdfunding ∂ John Phelan of HBAN (Halo Business Angel Network)
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Rising to the challenge Inspired by entrepreneurship
The team Emma Curran, Dublin BIC
In 2020 the Dublin BIC team, like so many others, faced a new set of challenges. We supported our clients and our team by developing several new initiatives, including: Heidi Corr, Dublin BIC
Julian Seymour, Dublin BIC/HBAN
Colm O’Sullivan, DBIC Ventures
Claire Devine, Dublin BIC
Generous with knowledge, expertise & networks Laura Ahern, Dublin BIC
Leonie Kinsella, Dublin BIC
Paula Finnan, Dublin BIC
Eugene Smyth, DBIC Ventures
Siobhan Killen, HBAN
Ronan Jennings, Dublin BIC
Oonagh Fox, Dublin BIC
Conor Carmody, Dublin BIC
∂ Weekly editions of Start & Scale – advising on the big issues and informing founders of relevant supports ∂ ThePanel@DublinBIC (Dublin BIC TV) was launched to produce weekly episodes on the topics that challenged start-ups during the crisis ∂ The Dublin BIC Social and Wellness project was launched to support staff by rolling out wellness initiatives while we worked remotely ∂ Production of The Dublin BIC Good Food Cookbook, a Social and Wellness initiative, that the full Dublin BIC team got behind to raise over €400 for Depaul Ireland
Collaborative community builders Michael Culligan, Dublin BIC
∂ Free virtual Dublin BIC clinic days - to support existing and new founders in a time of crisis
Shauna Honan, Space@DublinBIC
Mortimer Cullinan, Dublin BIC
Authentic, honest & trusted Majella Murphy, Dublin BIC
Donna Byrne, Dublin BIC
Grainne Tallon, Dublin BIC
Julianne O’Leary, GEC
Emer Flynn, HBAN
Ronan Donnelly, GEC
Linda Mooney, GEC
Resilient & determined Eamonn Sayers, GEC
Saurabh Kumar, DBIC Ventures
Richard Watson, DBIC Ventures
Niamh Sterling, HBAN
Alex Hobbs, DBIC Ventures
Saurabh Kumar, DBIC Ventures
Lisa Doyle, Space@DublinBIC
Enabling & empowering Madison Roche, GEC
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John Phelan, HBAN
Vicky Rush, GEC
Martin Murray, Dublin BIC
Alicia Greene, GEC
Companies involved in ThePanel@DublinBIC MANNA SAFEFOOD 360 DAVRA KINZEN WELLOLA ZIPP MOBILITY AVTRAIN BUYMIE THE CX ACADEMY SCIENCE FOUNDATION IRELAND VISIBLE THREAD TERMINAL 4 SILVERCLOUD HEALTH 21
Entrepreneurship is alive and well! Thanks to all our virtual guests in 2020
Jenny Melia, Enterprise Ireland
Paul Glynn, Davra
Bobby Healy, Manna
Ronan Quinlan, Taoglas
Ken Cahill, SilverCloud Health
Ruth Freeman, Science Foundation Ireland
Julie Garland, Avtrain
Will Parker, Safefood 360
Devan Hughes, Buymie
Mark Little, Kinzen
Sonia Neary, Wellola
Get in touch, email startup@dublinbic.ie or call us on 01 671 3111 www.dublinbic.ie