Free conference for start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs at DCU next week

8 Feb 2013

The Helix at DCU

DCU Business School will be hosting a free conference next week targeted at start-ups, small business owners and those interested in the area of social entrepreneurship.

The Get Started event, which will take place at the Helix at DCU on 12 February from 2-6pm, has been organised by the university’s Techspectations initiative. This is a digital participation project to help people participate in the information society.

It will be the third year that Techspectations has run the conference. This year, the event will hone in on social entrepreneurship and start-ups.

Get Started will feature presentations and panel discussions targeted at aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Topics that will be covered at the event will include how start-ups can go about building the right team and identifying funding opportunities.

Entrepreneurs, new start-ups and those from the social entrepreneurship field will also be sharing their insights.

Speakers will include Seán Coughlan, the co-founder of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and John Fitzsimons, CEO of Camara Education, the charity that refurbishes used computers to help with digital education in disadvantaged communities.

Other speakers will include George Boyle, the founder of Fumbally Exchange, the not-for-profit creative hub for designers and other innovators, and Gary Leyden, who runs the LaunchPad start-up programme at the NDRC.

John Dennehy, who heads up the Cork-based recruitment software company Zartis, will be speaking on the day, as will Anne Butterly, the founder of Easydry, a company that has invented disposable, eco-friendly towels for salons.

Those from the start-up space who will be speaking will include Peter Connor, the co-founder of Bullet, a new venture that has come up with online accounting and payroll software targeted at SMEs.

While the event will be free to attend, DCU is advising people to register in advance.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com