Bryan Hurley, founder of Digedu, outside the Ludgate Digital Hub. Image: Emma Jervis Photography
The Ludgate Digital Hub in West Cork – the first rural hub of its kind in Ireland – is making one of its biggest investments so far, with €45,000 being made available to the online education start-up, Digedu.
Opened only last July, the Ludgate Digital Hub recently announced a €450,000 investment package, the Ludgate Seed Capital Fund, to help start-ups develop and scale their business, attract new talent or develop their product or service.
Now it has decided to offer 10pc of this to the Dublin-based start-up Digedu, which will move its operations to West Cork to establish a 10,000 sq ft office at the hub.
An online provider of courses aimed at teaching skills for the digital age to a global audience, Digedu was founded by 27-year-old Bryan Hurley, a Dublin-based technology graduate from Waterford who has experience as a teacher of web design at Shaw Academy.
The announcement coincided with the second National Digital Week organised by the Ludgate Hub, held between 10 and 12 November in Skibbereen, with the aim of developing entrepreneurship by making digital accessible for all.
Will help rapidly grow the company
Speaking at the announcement, Hurley said of the move: “This substantial investment in our business at this early stage gives us the platform to develop and grow at a much quicker and efficient pace than otherwise might have been possible.
“Skibbereen’s Ludgate Digital Hub provides us with everything we need, from high-speed connectivity to mentorship, in an exciting start-up environment and is a unique opportunity for a small tech company to participate in a truly unique and inspiring initiative.”
Sean O’Driscoll, a founding board member of Ludgate Digital Hub, and chairperson and chief executive of Glen Dimplex said: “On meeting Bryan and the Digedu team, we were impressed by their energy and drive to develop a global educational platform.
“This ambition, coupled with the business’s potential for scale gives us the confidence that Digedu can bring high value, sustainable jobs to Skibbereen; a key objective of the Ludgate Digital Hub initiative.”
