I’ve just read an interesting post on Damien Mulley asking whether or not Enterprise Ireland are helpful in fostering start-ups in Ireland in the long run. I think they probably are a necessary part of the process but may not be suitable for every type of venture. By going with enterprise Ireland entrepreneurs are certainly exposing themselves to a greater amount of monitoring activity by EI, however this is not necessarily a bad thing. By having a set of metrics or criteria to conform to an entrepreneur might retain a better sense of realism that might abandon him if unchecked.
For start-ups who want more freedom there are several options such as the incubation centers in Cork, Killarney, and at UCD. There are also a number of venture capitalists who are keen to hear from Irish entrepreneurs, Benchmark capital particularly spring to mind. I attended a talk by Barry Maloney who surprising said that he would easily invest in a person with nothing more than an idea and some self belief.
I don’t think EI are affecting the rate of new firm formation over here, I think why silicon valley is so successful is due to the proximity of the VC’s to the entrepreneurs and the confined nature of the entire process, making it all more tangible to the aspiring entrepreneur.
August 14, 2007 at 11:37 pm |
Given that 90% of businesses are never likely to employ more than 10 people the logical first agency to contact is your local CEB [County or City Enterprise Board]. The specific remit of CEBs is to support micro-enterprises and they have a capacity to offer a variety of supports flexibly tailored to the smaller start-up. EI at the start-up stage are focused on HPSUs – High Potential Start Ups – which will always constitute a minority of start-ups.