Ecosystem

The business owners in George’s Street Arcade are a diverse bunch, coming from the likes of Nepal, Poland, France and Venezuela. We meet some of them to learn about what brought them to one of Dublin’s best markets. How business is done at George’s Street Arcade The much-loved George’s Street Arcade is more than just a quick way to get to Drury Street. It is a living breathing illustration of integration from all over the world, under one uniquely Dublin roof. As Dublin.ie approached the green gates, it noticed an impeccably dressed lady with a blossom i

The importance of sustainable and social enterprises Making your startup or existing business sustainable or ethical is a smart, future-proof option. Customers are now much more informed and aware of the environmental impact of their purchases. A more sustainable product or service will create a positive brand image that will impact the bottom line of many businesses.

Ireland is a leading player in the global medical technology industry. IDA Ireland reports that 14 of the world’s top 15 Medtech companies have bases here. Dublin, the country’s capital city and economic powerhouse, is home to giants in the sector like Medtronic, ResMed, Abbott, Bayer, Stryker, Johnson & Johnson and many others. With more than 40,000 people now working in the industry, Ireland is one of the largest employers of Medtech professionals in Europe. In fact, it is home to the most Medtech personnel per capita on the continent. Why Medtech companies choose Dublin All sorts of companies have a presence in Dublin. However, there are so

Roisin Lyons, who is a professor in entrepreneurship at DCU, has no time for the mindset that says, in effect, ‘Innovation? Oh that’s just for innovators’. “Everyone needs to be innovative”, she believes, “everyone needs to be enterprising, particularly with growing issues of sustainability in Ireland. People have to be more inventive about solutions”.

Zendesk is a SAAS company that specialises in helping other companies with their customer care operations. It was founded in Copenhagen in 2007 and has grown massively since then. With four core products and over 170,000 customers worldwide, it has come a long way. Zendesk’s startup success story “The initial concept was making life easier for customer support engineers,” says Colum Twomey, Vice President of Product Development at Zendesk and head of its Irish office. “We developed a customer support platform, a software as a service product, and that’s where we came from. Since then, we’ve developed more products and addressed a broader marke

Bringing responsible innovation to Dublin Innovation is what has brought the human race as far as it has come. Because of innovation, we have tackled disease; we have navigated the globe by land, sea and air; we have sent men to the moon. And, soon, we will have driverless cars. What is responsible innovation? Innovation, in many ways, defines us. However, it also has its drawbacks. There is an innate impulse to push things as far as they can go. At times we wonder why innovation has taken us in a peculiar direction. What is the need for this device? Why has this phenomenon taken over? This is when innovation becomes irresponsible. That innate drive to push