Seven Irish technology startup companies traveled to Silicon Valley last month for a high powered weeklong trade mission, meeting with more than 40 U.S. entrepreneurs, technologists, advisors and potential investors.

The new Irish startup groups attended the trade mission as part of CEIM, a new enterprise program for technology start-ups offered by the Institute of Technology in Sligo and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology in Donegal.

CEIM participants were warmly welcomed in Silicon Valley during their weeklong trade mission and are currently following up with the extensive contacts they made during their trip.

James McGloin of Eointec Solutions, which provides software and hardware for the security industry and for private homes, told the Irish Voice, “As a result of our trip, Eointec Solutions are now in talks with possible clients. We see great potential in providing research and development services for U.S. companies.”

John McNamara, of J.B. Interactive, whichoffers mobile marketing solutions that pay consumers for each advertisement they view via their mobile phones, told the Irish Voice that the trip gave him excellent exposure to leading minds and investors in his field and resulted in great feedback about how to continue to build his service.

During the weeklong trade mission the Irish Network in San Francisco hosted 100 specially invited guests at an event scheduled to promote and highlight new Irish entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley.

Participating panelists encouraged Irish entrepreneurs hoping to get established in the U.S. to connect with other Irish people working in the Valley and with Irish Americans, many of who volunteered to introduce them to relevant markets in the coming months.

During the week the Irish trade group also met with well-known West Coast Irish business people including Seamus McAteer, a telecommunications entrepreneur at Xellular Identity, Stuart Coulson, a private investor and entrepreneur, and Aisling MacRunnels, a senior executive at Sun Microsystems, as well as with senior executives from Enterprise Ireland.

The Irish trade group also met with representatives of the Irish Consulate and the Irish Pastoral Center, and they conducted key meetings with interested entrepreneurs and technologists from India and Germany.

Janette Gillen, business innovation manager of the Institute of Technology, Sligo, told the Irish Voice, “We had a very productive week in Silicon Valley. The trade mission provided a forum for CEIM participants to showcase their technologies and connect with important influencers.

“It also provided an opportunity to meet with U.S. enterprise acceleration programs. We are eager to continue developing relationships within the U.S. and encourage anyone who is interested in starting their own technology business in Ireland to get in touch with the CEIM program.”

For more information about CEIM visit www.ceim.ie.