Start-up programme gets backing from IT experts and entrepreneurs

28 May 2012

A new type of start-up programme that is aiming to bring techies, creatives, designers and those with business knowledge together to form teams and work on creating digital start-ups at the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) has just got the backing of IT experts and entrepreneurs who will be providing free mentoring.

Swequity Exchange will run for five weeks at Inventorium in the NDRC, which is based on Thomas Street in Dublin.

The way the Swequity Exchange model will work is that it will bring people with business ideas together to form teams and match them to a team of voluntary experts and mentors.

The team will get equity in the business if it manages to launch.

Mentors will include tech entrepreneur Raomal Perera, the co-founder of network365; Mary Cronin, the co-founder of Thousandseeds; and Nicola Byrne, the founder and CEO of 11890 and Stenics Media.

Sean Blanchfield of Demonware, Joe Drumgoole of Cloudsplit, Neil Stone Wigg of Trilogy Technologies, and Susan Spence of Softco are some of the other mentors.

Meanwhile, Swequity will also have the support of experts from other start-up accelerators in Dublin, including Noel Ruane from Dogpatch Labs, Terence Bowden from Propeller at DCU Ryan Academy, Bernadette O’Reilly from DIT Hothouse, and Eoghan Jennings from Startupbootcamp.

Diane Roberts from Colman Equity and Darren Mulvihil from Lucey Investment Fund will also be sharing their investing insights.

Mark Kearns, who runs Inventorium at the NDRC, said that between six and 10 start-ups will get on Swequity Exchange once all of the applications have been assessed.

People have until 1 June to apply for a place on the programme.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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