Fifteen Irish companies have been selected out of 27 UK and Ireland companies that will access more than 60 international investors as part of the UK and Ireland Tech Tour on 17 September.
More than 100 companies from across the technology spectrum based in Ireland and the UK have applied. The identities of the lucky 15 Irish and 12 UK companies will be revealed on 17 September.
The Tech Tour runs from 17-10 September, with opening presentations to take place at the technology centres of Digital Hub and Wayra in Dublin.
The tour then travels to Glasgow, Scotland, where participants will be greeted by Amor Group and The Glasgow City Chambers for closing presentations.
The presenters, who are privately held companies, will be introduced to key investors and professionals who can assist in their global expansion.
The companies, broken down by industry segment, are as follows: seven in internet and new media, five in software, four in med tech, four in clean tech, two in software applications, two in wireless networking, one in IT infrastructure, one in new materials and processes, and one in electronic systems and optical components.
Among the Irish companies that took part in previous Tech Tours were Aepona, Kana Software and Mobile Interactive Group. Intel acquired Aepona this year for €92.7m, Kana Software acquired Lagan Technologies in 2010, and Velti bought Mobile Interactive Group for €45m.
David Farquhar, venture partner at Rock Spring Ventures, is president of the 2013 UK and Ireland Tech Tour and Brian Caulfield, partner at DFJ Esprit, is VP of the selection committee that was tasked with selecting the top 27 companies.
The Digital Island
“We are fast becoming known as the Digital Island, a hub for the European tech industry, so we are delighted that such a prestigious event is coming to Dublin this year and will provide our technology companies with an excellent platform to pitch to an audience of global investors and media,” Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD said, welcoming the Tech Tour to Ireland.
“Over many years, Ireland has built up an unrivalled ecosystem for high-potential start-ups with world-class incubators, like Dogpatch and LaunchPad, international venture capitalists and a vibrant domestic support infrastructure including Enterprise Ireland, domestic VCs and entrepreneur bootcamps and training.
“Coupled with our skilled workforce and the presence of leading multinational operations like Twitter, LinkedIn, Google and Facebook, this makes Ireland one of the best places in the world to start a technology business,” Kenny said.
Start-up presenter image via Shutterstock
