Paul Walsh, the Irish Opportunist

I’ve previously grumbled about the lack of support in Ireland for Web based companies. Heck, Enterprise Ireland doesn’t even have the word ‘Internet’ in the ‘Industry sector’ section of their application forms for grants etc. What does that tell you?

[Update, the point I'm making is that 'Internet' 'digital based companies aren't getting the independent support they deserve in Ireland. This has nothing to do with Enterprise Ireland]

If you’re interested in helping me improve the ecosystem for the Digital Industry in Ireland, please join me for dinner in January. This is not just about having a conversation over dinner, people will need to contribute in some way, even if only to help open doors.

This won’t be a bitching session for individuals with gripes. It’ll be a proactive and positive discussion to move things in the right direction.

I intend to setup a new non-profit independent association. I will propose 12 Executive Directors, 1 Chair and up to 5 Advisors. I will not automatically qualify for any of the seats. Everything will be open and transparent. I will of course, put myself forward for the position as Chair, so if you like what I do for BIMA then you’ll give me your vote
We can only fit so many people around one table where everyone can have an equal say. So I will be forced to restrict the final invitations to something manageable. I’ll consult the people I know and trust to ensure we get good representation at the table.

The invitation is open to Academia, Government, Investors, Lawyers, Entrepreneurs, Corporations such as Microsoft, Adobe and Google, and anyone else with a vested interest in helping improve the system. This invitation is only extended to Enterprise Ireland if its board commits to taking away action items.

Damien Mulley and Fergus Burns are coming so far. Please leave a comment if you’re interested in coming. Normally I wouldn’t care how you get in touch, but on this occasion I want everyone to see who’s interested. Silence means you’re not interested.

Some sponsorship to cover expenses and to help get this off the ground would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you can help.

Date in January yet to be decided.

[Update, since writing this post I've had at least 6 private messages on Facebook which lead me to believe that I've given the wrong impression about my intentions. The association I have in mind has nothing to do with Enterprise Ireland or fund raising. I probably shouldn't have mentioned them in this post. Sorry for any confusion caused]

I attended the launch of the Irish International Business Network (IIBN) in London last week. Conor Foley, co-founder and chief executive of WorldSpreads is the man behind the neat idea.

I met some great people such as Rory Dennis from Bdirect, who indecently, will soon become a Segala-certified partner.

I also met Damon from Zebtab and of course, I bumped into my fellow-networking addict, Nicola Bryne from Benchmark Capital.

I was delighted when Stephen Hughes, Director of Northern Europe for Enterprise Ireland introduced himself and asked if we could meet up to discuss how to improve the ecosystem for startups in Dublin.

I give Enterprise Ireland a hard time from time to time but it’s only because I care and would like to see them get more involved. Overall they’re great for Ireland and have supported some great companies along the way. So, forever the optimist I’m very much looking forward to meeting Stephen to see what improvements and initiatives we can make happen. I’d be very happy to see both Dublin and London forge a presence on Europe’s centre stage – with a joint venture between them.

One of the highlights of the evening was meeting Claire O’Halloran from Microsoft. I knew straight away that we have enough in common to warrant a follow up meeting. I didn’t realise just how much we had in common though, until I read her blog and exchanged a few emails. So, we’re meeting up next week to go through ‘stuff’.

Conor has asked if I’d consider joining the IIBN’s committee, so I look forward to getting involved in future events. Clair and I have agreed to get the community Web site/blog up and running. I’m sure that means we’ll get our teams to work on the project.