Over the last few months many of you have been asking about the plan for this Office in 2017 and today I’m delighted to be able to tell you more. But first let me take a step back.
The Office of the Dublin Commissioner for Startups began in October 2014 as a pilot project. An “experiment” as we liked to call it ourselves.
Since the beginning, our work has been supported by two key funders, the Ryan Academy at Dublin City University and Dublin City Council, and I am forever grateful to both for not giving into the temptation to clip our experimental wings. During the last two years we’ve won some and lost some, but we’ve also learned a lot along the way.
The Office also received a significant amount of financial, and moral, support from a host of other organizations here in Ireland, not to mention Dublin’s wonderful tech community itself. Our long list of funders are showcased on the StartupDublin.com and TechIreland.org websites.
At a recent Board meeting, it was agreed that this Office had succeeded in doing something that was important and new in Ireland – to enhance the character and international reputation of Dublin as a tech and innovation city. For sure, any successes we have had have many mothers and many fathers.
So what’s next for the Office? Well, we’ll be continuing as is through the end of March 2017. I will then step down as Commissioner and Dublin City Council will start work on a review and development plan for the future of the Office, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. We’ll be sharing more specifics on the plans for key initiatives – Dublin Globe, The Brekkie, Tech Concierge, Mentoring for Scale and TechIreland early in 2017.
It’s not time now for a swan song but it is time for a deeply felt thank you to all of you who so warmly encouraged and supported us in 2015 and 2016. We appreciated every ounce, offer and cent of it.
Thanks also to the wonderful team here at the Office for their smarts, hard work and for all the fun we’ve had together this year – Sarah, Cathal, Ciaran, Irina and Sheila.
Next week we’re publishing a look back at 2016 in Dublin tech and as always, we’ll need the community’s input to fill in any gaps and ensure that the story we’re telling about Dublin is as strong as it deserves to be.
---
This article first appeared in the Dublin Globe. For more stories on Dublin's tech scene and startup ecosystem, visit their website.
Comments