Mark Dowds

I am deeply saddened and, frankly, disheartened by the government's decision to withdraw funding from the NDRC, Ireland's most established tech accelerator. At a time when countries around the world are accelerating their efforts to compete in the global AI race, this move feels like we're not even making an effort to reach the starting line. The NDRC has played a pivotal role in supporting early-stage startups, helping them get off the ground and scale, while also providing invaluable resources to others further along in their journey. The accelerator has fostered a vibrant community, thanks in no small part to the passionate leadership of Patrick Walsh, Ian Browne, Menno Axt, and Lorraine E. Curham, who have created a strong network for startups across Ireland. By cutting this essential support, we send a concerning message about Ireland’s long-term commitment to innovation and competitiveness on a global stage. How can we expect to retain talent and foster innovation without resources like the NDRC? I strongly urge the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to carefully reconsider the long-term impact of this decision and how it will inevitably force many startups to find supports elsewhere. We need to invest in the future, not retreat from it. #AI #TechInnovation #Ireland #Startups #NDRC #GovernmentPolicy #USBrainDrain

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🌟 Featured Domain of the Day 🌟 👨‍💻 Unlock Your Tech Potential with devs.ie! 👩‍💻 Are you launching a new #tech venture or building the next innovative software solution? The right #domain name can set the stage for your success. Introducing devs.ie – a domain that speaks directly to the heart of the tech world! 🌟 Why devs.ie is Perfect for Your Tech Business 🌟 - Devs for Developers: Whether you’re starting a development agency, an online coding bootcamp, or a community for software engineers, devs.ie is the ideal digital address. It’s short, memorable, and instantly communicates your focus on development. - Future-Proof Your Brand: In the fast-paced world of technology, having a domain that’s easy to remember and clearly linked to the #developer community is a huge advantage. devs.ie positions your brand at the forefront of innovation. - Ireland’s Tech Hub: With #Ireland being a thriving tech hub, having a .ie domain connects you to a network of local and international tech talent and businesses. Show your commitment to excellence with a domain that’s as dynamic as your aspirations. Why Work with Us? 🔍 Tailored Guidance: We’re here to help you find the domain that perfectly aligns with your tech vision. 💸 Affiliate Rewards: Know someone who needs a domain? Refer them to us and earn a 20% affiliate reward! 💻 Affordable Excellence: Starting a new venture can be costly. That’s why we offer competitive pricing to help you secure a premium domain like devs.ie without breaking the bank. Ready to Code Your Future? Don’t let this opportunity pass by! Secure devs.ie today and code your way to success. 🔗 Explore Our Domains: https://lnkd.in/eGPZ7_DE Feel free to connect with me directly if you have any questions or need assistance.

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Cambridge Future Tech builds DeepTech ventures and last week we hit another milestone; we're co-founding our 15th venture 🤘 It's awesome building new ventures from the ground up. It's why we started CFT in the first place. It always feels great to be at the start of the build phase, helping founders articulate a new venture’s tech and potential, building a strong narrative. We’re collaborating closely with founders to transform groundbreaking ideas into companies. 🚀🚀🚀 More to come on this. I'm hyped to share what we're building 🤘 #venturebuilder #deeptech #startups #cambridge

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Jack Dorsey has left the Bluesky board, reflecting on his regret over the sale of Twitter. This pivotal moment highlights the ever-evolving landscape of social media and tech leadership. As the founder of two influential platforms, Dorsey's journey is a testament to the complexities and challenges of the tech industry. His departure from Bluesky raises questions about the future direction of decentralized social media and the impact of leadership changes. Dive into the full story and explore what this means for the tech world. https://lnkd.in/gGHU_T-3 #TechLeadership #JackDorsey #Bluesky #Twitter #TechSherpa #SocialMedia #AIInnovation #FutureTech #Entrepreneurship

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Over the past few months, I’ve been collecting my thoughts on how important it is to support small software startups, just as it is to support small physical businesses ✨ If you’re building a startup, or subscribe to software, have a read 👇 https://lnkd.in/eKCgADaT

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As public software companies got hammered over the last week, David Peterson explores what that means in our latest edition of The Angle. Are we witnessing the end of software? Where did all the growth go? Software isn’t dead, but it’s evolving. And building great companies is no longer about riding the wave of the cloud and building products that are a bit better than the incumbent. Founders who want to build great public companies need ideas that break the mold. And we’re excited to partner with such founders. To read David’s column and explore other exciting tech news, please access and subscribe to our newsletter using the links in the comments. 

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🚨big news from Emperia 🚨 Virtual worlds are notoriously hard to build - especially when it comes to running a high-fidelity experience on the web. They require a lot of asset optimisation, compromising on quality. Custom coding for interactions and commercial functionalities. And large teams involved in deploying each experience, which often takes months to create and deliver. Over the last 5 years, we’ve solved all those problems for our own 3D teams. We’ve built the underlying technology that enabled Emperia design, build and publish virtual experiences at scale. We always focused on visual quality and performance, and built the platform with the end user in mind. Today we’re officially opening our tools up for the creative community to build on Emperia platform. Built on UE5, Creator Tools enable: ✨Render and publish cross-device virtual experiences straight from Unreal Engine with no asset optimisation required ✨Plug-and-play UI, enabling any 3D artist to create a fully functional experience with no dev support required ✨ Procedural generation tools and lighting presets to create stunning environments in minutes ✨Commerce modules to support e-comm integration for sales & marketing experiences ✨Customizable interactions from gamification to token-gated rooms with an SDK to expand functionality even further …and so much more! Shoutout to my Emperia team for making this happen, and our partners at Sawhorse Productions, Cominted Labs, Polycount.io, virtuall and many others who helped us refine our creator platform in beta over the past few months 🙏🏻 Simonas Holcmann Emma Preti Charlie Adams Jadir Lino Tomas Tamulenas Tomas Gavelis Zunaib Imtiaz Stephen Cherla Shahzaib Asim Marcelina Slabuszewska #UE5 #EmperiaCreatorTools #builtwithEmperia #3D #unrealengine #AWE2024

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How do the best entrepreneurs see a future you can’t? Alexa von Tobel, Founder and Managing Partner of Inspired Capital, shares her fascinating journey and insights into venture capital in the latest episode of The Full Ratchet. Alexa, a serial entrepreneur and the visionary behind LearnVest, is now at the helm of Inspired Capital, a $900M AUM venture firm. In our conversation, Alexa reveals what makes a great founder, why some markets are ripe for innovation, and how AI is transforming industries. She also dives into the importance of EQ, strategic thinking, and the future of FinTech. This episode is packed with valuable lessons for investors and entrepreneurs alike. Don’t miss out on hearing from one of the most influential voices in venture capital today. Listen to Episode 441 of The Full Ratchet now! Link to the full episode is in the comment section below.

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There is a certain level of risk in putting your startup on a crowdfunding platform to raise equity. Not only does it take significant effort (although traditional VC fundraising is hardly a walk in the park), but there's also the very real risk of falling short of your target in front of everyone. It can definitely be a double-edged sword: while a successful campaign can create tremendous momentum, an unsuccessful one might put your whole venture at risk. Given the increasing number of startups opting for this funding route - meaning significantly increased competition - it is important that startups are aware of this. As an investor, a startup in your portfolio letting you know that they plan to go down this route can be quite a nerve wracking experience. Thankfully, the team at Sandbox VR UK & Ireland didn't give me too much to worry about because their crowdfunding efforts overfunded almost immediately! Obviously, it is encouraging to see so many people believe in the potential of this company. #Crowdfunding #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #StartupLife #Fundraising #BusinessGrowth #InvestInStartups #TechStartups #CrowdEconomy #GlobalFunding #DisruptiveInnovation Andy Scanlon Jake Wilmot-Sitwell Eric Wilkinson https://lnkd.in/dFivh-uB

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Founders, improve your future by letting the experts know your challenges so they can build the solutions you need. Long-standing friend Christina Richardson (and VenturePath partner) is researching founder resilience issues to help founders (just like and likely including you). It's an important cause and 10 mins of your input today will be useful for all founders. Please do it 🙏

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In the latest special edition of The Difference Engine tech podcast we feature Nigel Verdon, three times tech business founder, unicorn builder, outdoorsman, musician and free thinker. He’s founded three pioneering and Category creating tech firms - Evolution (sold to BAE Systems), Currencycloud (sold to Visa) and Railsbank (now called Railsr). He is now a co-founder of the API Foundry business WulfStack, advisor to multiple startups and was previously a director of investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. Born in Germany to an Army family, he studied at University of Warwick, where he was a contemporary of a previous guest on The Difference Engine, 1E’s founder, Sumir Karayi. A brief career in the automotive industry working for EDS followed before he found his way into financial services at Nomura and, the rest, as they say is history. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to learn from one of Europe's leading financial software entrepreneurs and visionaries about: why fintech is `over`; why asking SFW matters when you are building a Category leader; why customers don’t buy features but will buy the right value proposition; why it’s important always to have the right people around you; why single feature business from artisan tech builders now matter; why there is a need for the MSTDAP Category and much more. Also some chat about guitars and guitarists. Click the link in the comments to listen to Episode 35 of The Difference Engine and all previous episodes 👇 #fintech #podcast #techpodcast #evolution #currencycloud #railsr #SaaS #software #railsbank #fintech #banking #1E #investment #leadership #management #founder #unicorn #valueproposition #category #categorydesign #strategy #marketing #automotive #nomura #wulfstack #api #startups #scaleups #VC #venturecapital #tech #technology

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My apologies to all the entrepreneurs to whom I told that they could not address (institutional) investors before having at least an MVP, an incorporated company, and the beginning of some traction, i.e., the pre-seed stage. I was wrong, and I just discovered it. Boldstart Ventures founder Ed Sim, one of the top ten seed investors in 2024 according to the Forbes Midas list, has introduced a new category for VC investing called 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. "𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭." "𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘗𝘳𝘦-𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨." Inception investing highlights the increasing competition among investors to find good deals at the earliest stages - and consequently, "the race to be first". If this approach gains traction, it may redefine the role of VCs and BAs, risk-taking, company valuation methods, and exit strategies. Let's see! #Inception #First #Investors

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Can you spot me on the list? 😉 Even if not you'll find me next week at SaaStock This is actually my first time there so, if you're going as well, tell me: Where's the best afterparty, which panel is not to be missed and which booth should I definitely check out? .. Oh and of course let me know if you want to grab a coffee & chat #SaaStock #SaaS

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Your feedback keeps us going! 🚀 This is feedback from a recent workshop we ran for Hatch Enterprise UK on funding strategy.  Our mission with GuessWorks is centered around demystifying the entrepreneurship journey. It's incredibly fulfilling to provide that stepping stone and cheat sheet for others that are inspired to start the journey. Now, gearing up for our next workshop! And if you're a founder looking to join a programme like this - Hatch actually have another Incubator coming soon - applications close end of Monday 29th April... Gain the tools, knowledge, and network you need to market effectively, access crucial funding, and grow your business sustainably. Don't miss this chance to stay accountable, connect with fellow entrepreneurs, and achieve clarity on your business growth strategies. Apply now but be quick, applications close on Tuesday 7th May (link in comments 👇🏻). #Founderskills #startuptraining #accelerators #innovationskills #entrepreneurshipeducation #feedback

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To double click on my post about controlling costs, you’d enjoy the introduction section of this Founders podcast episode on Sam Zell: https://lnkd.in/d5Hw_5xd All the way from Andrew Carnegie, some of the most successful business builders have stressed controlling costs as critical to long term success. It is crucial to understand that controlling costs and spending less are wildly different things. ps: David Senra of the Founders podcast has a number of examples of leaders who made cost control a key part of how they built their businesses. Just listen to the intro section of the recent 10 episodes for it. Also, if by any chance, you’ve never listened to Founders podcast before, you may have just discovered gold, or something even more valuable :)

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What's been happening in Mental Health innovation this week? ⭕ Virtual Therapeutics and Akili announce a merger. Akili were in big trouble, losing about $10m a quarter after failing to generate revenue for their digital therapeutics products. ⭕ Seven Starling, a maternal mental healthcare startup, raises $12.6m ⭕ Irish startup Spectrum.Life raises €17m in a round led by Act Venture Capital ⭕ Orygen receives an additional $6.4m of funding from the Victorian Sate Goverment for their youth digital mental health service MOST ⭕ Workplace wellbeing provider Habit Health is acquired by Five V Capital for over $200m ⭕ Optum acquires outpatient mental health providers Refresh Mental Health and CARE Counseling ⭕ Acadia Healthcare appoints Nasser Khan, MD as COO to expand their comprehensive treatment centres, grow their outpatient segment and improve quality of clinical care __ Want more insights and trends on mental health innovation? Feel free to follow myself and The Hemingway Report.

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In this week’s episode Phuong Ireland and I dive into the essentials of early-stage startup fundraising, exploring the diverse options available to founders. We discuss everything from leveraging friends and family when possible to connecting with angel investors, accelerators, and venture capitalists, as well as alternative funding methods like non-dilutive capital and crowdfunding. Our goal here was to share practical advice on building relationships with investors, tailoring your approach to your business type, and strategically positioning your startup for success. Whether you're just starting out or refining your fundraising strategy, this episode provides actionable insights for securing the right kind of capital. https://lnkd.in/ehch-ss4

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Survival of the Fittest in a Shifting Funding Landscape Founders are adopting a low-key approach, focusing their energy on internal growth. Armed with capital secured in 2021, many are strategically revitalising their businesses. But the big question remains: What will the dealmaking landscape look like in 2024? "Overall, capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies than in all. The private capital raising landscape is anticipated to be robust, showcasing significant improvement from 2022. However, the capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies compared to the prolific scene of 2021." Read More: https://lnkd.in/d3536qvA In the meantime, share your thoughts! Are you a founder facing a funding crunch? How are you adapting your strategy? #StartupFunding #Founders #Growth #DealMaking #SibaPanda

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Scale-up business guide to getting investor-ready: THE MARKETPLACE (5/7) When heading into a pitch or conversation with an investor you need to know the relationship your business has with the marketplace like the back of your hand. You need to know the answers to the questions in this article to be investor-ready. #businessgrowth #business #marketplace

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