The Startup Gathering is being held across Ireland this week, in the country’s most vibrant and active cities. Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway all have their part to play, but Galway is going one step further, playing host to a brand new incubator – StartLab Galway.
StartLab Galway – a Bank of Ireland (BoI) venture designed to support the tech start-up community in Galway city and the surrounding regions – was launched by Richie Boucher, BoI Group CEO, in the city yesterday.
StartLab is designed to incubate high-potential tech start-ups, supporting them through rapid scaling.
Speaking at the launch, Boucher said, “Entrepreneurs and start-up companies will be a major part of our future economic development and need support in the early days. StartLab Galway will offer that support, giving early-stage companies access to a range of supports to help them succeed and grow from Galway”.
Far-reaching supports
The six-month programme offers entrepreneurs access to mentors, the Bank of Ireland Innovation team – David Tighe, Head of Innovation, and Gene Murphy, Entrepreneur in Residence – tech sector specialists, technology and, perhaps most importantly, seed fund venture capital investors.
Participants in the incubation programme will also have access to a dedicated workspace and an education programme.
Participating start-ups will be selected from a range of early-stage companies across fintech, agri-tech, ICT and other fast-paced areas.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, supports the initiative, saying, “It further strengthens the local infrastructure and supports available to entrepreneurs at the critical early stages of establishing a company, and Enterprise Ireland looks forward to working closely with Bank of Ireland in support of those entrepreneurs”.
Located in Eyre Square, StartLab will complement Bank of Ireland’s Workbenches – one in Galway and another in Dublin – which provide hot desking, meeting and event spaces for start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Applications are now open for StartLab Galway, and can be made via the incubator’s website, www.startlabhq.com. The site even has a fun Easter egg built in.
Further details are available from BoI Startups’ Twitter account.
Updated 7 October 2015 at 1.42pm to include a link to the StartLab Galway website.
Main image via Stephanie Leung/Flickr