Dragon Barry O’Sullivan to share insights at start-up event in Galway
Entrepreneur and one of the Dragons on RTÉ’s Dragons’ Den Barry O’Sullivan is to share his secrets to success with start-ups and small businesses as part of the Vodafone Smart StartUp Network series. Having previously led some large divisions for Cisco, this month O’Sullivan launched tech start-up Altocloud as co-founder and CEO. With teams in place in Galway and California, it is creating a cloud-based communications platform that uses data analytics and machine learning to produce more effective customer-to-company interactions. “Our vision is to revolutionise customer communications by delivering personalised experiences, smarter interactions, faster resolution and satisfied customers to your business – without brands having to invest more money in…
Read MoreChina’s share of Irish exports expected to double to 4pc by 2030
China is expected to be the most dynamic emerging market for Irish exports, with its share of total exports forecast to double from around 2pc currently to 4pc by 2030, according to HSBC’s bi-annual trade forecast. It predicts a sustained upward trend for trade generally of 6pc growth a year and an improving demand for Irish goods and services over the next few years thanks mainly to gathering momentum from the US and eurozone. The composition of Ireland’s trade flows is forecast to remain relatively stable, with the US, UK and eurozone core sustaining their position as the most important export markets. The chemicals sector dominates the export outlook for…
Read MoreGreat Wall To Go Green for St Patrick’s Day
The Great Wall of China has joined the list of more than 100 global landmarks that will go green this weekend to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. The installation of green lights on the wall for the first ever has been negotiated through the combined efforts of the Irish Embassy and the Tourism Ireland team in China, as well as the Foreign Affairs Office in China. “The Great Wall of China is joining the biggest Global Greening to date, involving iconic sites in countries around the world, including Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and the Great Pyramid of Giza,” said Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon…
Read MoreDecoded Fashion hosts first ‘meetup’ in Dublin
Decoded Fashion, a global event series and networking community that encourages entrepreneurship and advances technology innovation in fashion and retail, is hosting its first Irish ‘meetup’ in Dublin. Taking place in the Wayra Academy on 19 March, Decoded Fashion has been brought to Dublin by Sonya Lennon, a designer and stylist, and co-founder of Frockadvisor, a social commerce fashion platform that supports the independent retail sector by connecting and communicating with existing and new offline and online fashion fans. The theme of the first Decoded Fashion Dublin ‘Globalisation versus Localisation’ and the panel of speakers will include Rory Caren of IBM; Fidelman Healy, Gilt Groupe; and Renate McIntyre, Etsy. The…
Read MoreNama redeems a further €3bn in senior bonds
The National Asset Management Agency (Nama) said today that it has redeemed €3bn in senior bonds. The bonds were issued as consideration for the original loans acquired from the five participating institutions – AIB, Bank of Ireland, Anglo Irish Bank, Irish Nationwide Building Society and EBS. Nama said this redemption – its third to date – means that it has redeemed a total of €10.5 billion in senior bonds so far. Nama paid €31.8bn to the participating institutions when it acquired their loans in 2010 and 2011. Ninety-five percent of that amount (€30.2bn) was in the form of senior bonds guaranteed by the Minister for Finance and the remaining 5pc…
Read MoreAccess to finance and skilled talent key challenges facing Irish entrepreneurs – EY EOY Entrepreneurship Barometer
Access to finance and skilled talent are the key challenges facing Irish entrepreneurs, according to the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) Entrepreneurship Barometer. These findings stemmed from the collective feedback gathered from 350 of Ireland’s leading entrepreneurs, all of whom are previous EY EOY finalists. “It is vital for Government, industry and academia to understand the specific challenges facing entrepreneurs and collaborate to solve problems, address legislative and cultural barriers to success, and together shape the future of entrepreneurship in Ireland,” said partner-in-charge of EY EOY Frank O’Keeffe on the release of the EOY Entrepreneurship Barometer. Talent and funding emerged neck and neck as the main challenges facing Ireland’s…
Read MoreTopaz is official fuel supplier to GoCar car sharing initiative
Fuels and convenience retailer Topaz has become the official fuel supplier to GoCar, Ireland’s only car sharing initiative. The car club, which currently operates in both Dublin and Cork, now has up to 70 vehicles equipped with Topaz Fuel Cards for members to refuel on their trips. Launched in June 2012, GoCar works on a pay-per-trip basis which allows users the freedom to access a vehicle when and as they need it and now has over 2,000 members. One of its advantages is that members aren’t charged for parking at any pay and display parking spaces in the Dublin City Council area. As a result of this new partnership,…
Read MoreBreaking new ground with hands-free working in the oil and gas industry – OHS
While working as an electrician on oil rigs in the North Sea, founder of Offshore Handling Systems in Shannon, Co Clare Eugene Earley recognised the need for a solution to the problem of hand injuries caused by lifting. “At the time the notion of hands-free working on rigs was a novel concept and only primitive products existed. I came up with the idea of making more useful tools designed for different applications such as moving deck cargo and materials and put together a few designs,” he recalls. While continuing to work as chief rig electrician for Ensco – the second biggest driller in the world – in 2009 Earley incorporated…
Read MoreIrish company Instant Opinion’s real-time engagement product goes global
Irish company Instant Opinion’s QnA product, which offers a private and secure way to capture event interaction in real-time, has gone international with contracts secured for the Canadian government, the NUI Maynooth Innovation Value Institute (IVI) Spring Summit in New York and the forthcoming International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (CIETT) World Employment Conference in Brussels. CEO Aidan Kenny said that reaction to QnA in the global conference sector has been hugely positive. “Using QnA does away with the need for roving mikes, putting your hand up to ask a question and the potential legal problems posed by using a Twitter wall for feedback and comments,” he explained. The QnA…
Read MoreGlobal banking CEOs optimistic about revenues but see technology and regulation as key threats to growth – PwC research
Ninety percent of global banking and capital markets CEOs are confident that their revenues will increase over the next three years, according to PwC’s 17th annual CEO Survey, which includes responses from 133 banking CEOs in 50 countries. It was also found that the number who believe that the global economy will improve over the next 12 months has almost tripled since last year – 56pc now compared with 19pc last year. This buoyant outlook is reflected in the fact that more than half plan to take on more staff over the coming year, with most of those anticipating headcount increases of at least 5pc. However, limited availability of talent…
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