‘Make entrepreneurs into celebrities,’ tech event chaired by U2’s The Edge tells founders

Endeavor Ireland, a non-profit organisation with senior technology entrepreneurs and investors, is kicking off a three-day series of events around Dublin

Entrepreneurs need to be “put on a pedestal” and ”treated like celebrities”, a gathering of high-powered investors and entrepreneurs was told in Dublin today.

Endeavor Ireland, a non-profit start-up growth organisation which is chaired by U2 guitarist The Edge, kicked off a three-day series of events that will see hundreds of entrepreneurs descend on Dublin to network and discuss growth strategies.

Senior Irish tech figures at the event included Manna CEO Bobby Healy, Cubic Telecom CEO Barry Napier and Ding founder Mark Roden.

“We highlight incredible musicians and others as celebrities, but how do we make entrepreneurs celebrities?” asked Joanna Rees, executive chair of US marketing firm West Global, at the event.

“We need to put them on a pedestal and make them celebrities here.”

Other panellists contributing to the event included Martin Escobari, head of global growth and managing director at General Atlantic, the giant venture capital firm founded by the late Irish-American philanthropist Chuck Feeney.

The event, held in Dublin’s Euronext exchange building beside Trinity College, was also addressed by junior enterprise minister Dara Calleary and Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland.

Endeavor Ireland, an offshoot of the global non-profit organisation Endeavor, was set up in 2019 with The Edge as its founding chairman.

It provides advice, networking, marketing and investment support to founders. In its five years operating in Ireland, it has worked with 14 founders from 10 Irish companies, including Cubic Telecom, Strong Roots, LearnUpon, Wayflyer, Gym+Coffee, XOcean, Keelvar, Thérapie Group, Sculpted by Aimee, and Overhaul.

Collectively, the firms employ over 3,000 staff and generate revenues of over €600m.

“I first became involved in bringing Endeavor to Ireland because I saw the benefits that this non-profit organisation could bring to founders here,” said The Edge.

“I believe in the network’s ability to support founders to reach their fullest potential from here at home, with experience and expertise from around the globe allowing Irish companies to grow and develop to a global scale from the island of Ireland.

"I’ve seen this first hand in Endeavor Ireland’s first five years, and I’m delighted to welcome our local founders along with members of the global Endeavour network to my hometown of Dublin this week.”

Globally, the organisation admits 80 founders into its ‘international selection panel’ process every year. Since Endeavor was founded in 1997, around 2,600 founders have been selected through this process.

A total of 34 founders from 19 companies and 16 countries will be pitching to be accepted into the global Endeavor network at the international selection panel even in Dublin this week.

Karl Gilbert, co-founder and CEO of Raylo, a consumer device leasing and circular economy business based in Belfast, is the Endeavor Ireland candidate.

Endeavor Ireland board member Elaine Coughlan, of Atlantic Bridge, will represent Ireland on the selection panel.

Reporting on:independent.ie