Three emerging Irish entrepreneurs:
During their trip the companies have been meeting with some of the region’s highest profile technology companies, including Google and Sun Microsystems and have pitched their businesses to some of the Valley's most respected venture capitalists. A key objective for all three companies was to forge strong links with potential partners and customers with a view to establishing a base in the Bay area in the coming months.
Phil McNamara: "We have both business and learning objectives for the week. We've several client and investor meetings that relate to our individual businesses. And we've also arranged meetings with local entrepreneurs , VC's and legal advisors to educate ourselves on how business works in the Valley."
A great option for Irish companies looking to establish a base in Silicon Valley is the Plug and Play Tech Center. Described as the most ambitious building in the country, the centre is home to over 280 start-ups and venture capitalists. John Dineen described it as "an incubation centre for start-ups but not like you might imagine. Rock music greets visitors in reception, cubicles are draped in the national flags of the founders who have travelled to Silicon Valley from all over the world to build their businesses. You can almost touch the energy in the building".
The key meets and sessions for the week included:
Venture Capitalists:
Trident Venture Capital, Howard Zeprun
Battery Ventures
Legal:
WSGR, Steve Bernard
Palo Alto Innovation Advisors LLC, Daniel A. Pitt, PhD, President,
Entrepreneurs
Andrew Roberts, CEO Ephox
Suranga Chantrillake, CEO Blinkx
Corporates
Google, Fibre to home, Mark Andrews
Sun Microsystems
Enterprise Ireland's Palo Alto office played a key role in helping us to connect with the right people. Phil McNamara: "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the EI team and in particular, Jack Kissane. They really helped us to get the most from our time in Silicon Valley"
