Compiled by PAMELA NEWENHAM
The sky's the limit for web summit
THIS WEEK, a galaxy of online supernovas, tech whizz-kids and millionaire entrepreneurs will converge in Dublin for Europe's fastest growing tech conference.
If Dublin’s head wasn’t big enough having been named one the seven best new global cities for start-ups by Fortune magazine last month, it’s about to get bigger as more than 3,000 genius innovators and internet high-fliers descent on the city for the Dublin Web Summit.
Among those sharing their experiences at the summit this Wednesday and Thursday will be tech entrepreneur Michael Acton Smith, who founded gadget site Firebox as well as social network Moshi Monsters, internet activist Wael Ghonim and Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld.
Skype co-founder and tech investor Niklas Zennström will deliver a keynote on the main stage at the RDS on Wednesday. Co-founder of YouTube Jawed Karim will also be in attendance, joining the judging panel at the Electric Ireland Spark of Genius competition, which is taking place at the summit.
Some 100 start-ups, chosen from a list of 1,000 entries, will pitch their ideas at the summit, before four finalists battle for the top prize.
Women entrepreneurs to descend on Portlaoise
WHILE ALL the techies are tweeting in Dublin, an influx of women entrepreneurs will be descending upon Portlaoise from Thursday for the National Women’s Enterprise Day Conference.
Some 300 female entrepreneurs will come together for a series of workshops, mentoring and networking sessions at the two-day conference which coincides with National Women’s Enterprise Day on October 18th.
The conference seeks to address the gender divide that exists when it comes to setting up businesses in Ireland.
Men are two-and-a-half times more likely to set up a business than their female counterparts.
The primary reason behind this, according to Enterprise Day organisers, was a lower rate of confidence among women in their ability to launch a successful start-up.
The keynote speakers include Mary McKenna, managing director of Tour America, Joanne Sweeney Burke from Media Box, Janet Beck from Glass Eye Products and Dr Maureen Gaffney of University College Dublin.
Four years on, turmoil continues for banking sector
FOUR YEARS AGO this week, then minister for finance Brian Lenihan unveiled Budget 2009, which scrapped the automatic entitlement of pensioners to a medical card, and announced an increase in third level fees.
The Irish economy was entering a severe recession, the property bubble was collapsing and the extent that Anglo Irish Bank was exposed to the property bubble was about to come to light.
Anglo Irish Bank was nationalised a few months later, followed by the recapitalisation of AIB and Bank of Ireland, and a government guarantee on six of the country’s main banks the following year.
Later that year, Matthew Elderfield was appointed to rebuild the financial regulator’s function following the retirement of Patrick Neary.
Now this Friday, Mr Elderfield will give a speech at UCC on the five challenges facing the Irish banking sector. Irish banks will need up to €4 billion more over the next six years to meet international rules on the levels of capital they must hold, according to Mr Elderfield, who last month called for an overhaul of the funds regime to protect investors.
