Archive
MSc in Management (Innovation in Social Enterprise) – One week left to apply!
One week left to apply!
Reminder that applications for the MSc in Management (Innovation in Social Enterprise) will close one week from today on Friday the 31st of August at 12 noon.
If you would still like to apply please do so before the above date at the following link: http://bit.ly/mentertiontachnua
ABOUT:
The MSc in Management (Innovation in Social Enterprise), awarded by Dublin City University, is designed to develop professional skills in innovation in the area of social enterprise through part time study and blended learning techniques. The blend of skills developed in the programme will ensure graduates are ready to work in the social enterprise sector having gained the knowledge and skills to develop and implement best practice and sustainable enterprise strategies.
The programme will be of particular relevance to those working in or aspiring to be leaders in social enterprise. Whether you work in an existing social enterprise, a start up or an organisation interested in integrating social enterprise into your services, the programme will enable you to develop and implement best practice and sustainable social enterprise strategies into your organisation.
This programme has been developed as part of the Menter Iontach Nua ‘Innovation and Creativity in Social Enterprise’ Initiative. As Menter Iontach Nua is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Ireland Wales Programme (INTERREG4A) the pilot intake for the MSc will be offered free of charge to eligible participants.
Second DCU Ryan Academy Springboard Info Session 8th August
DCU Ryan Academy will be hosting our second free information session about our 2012/13 Springboard Programmes on the 8th August from 10am to 12:30pm at the Ryan Academy in Citywest.
Our first information session was held on the 20th July and included information about the Business Innovation Programme (Level 8 Certificate in Innovation from DCU) and the Higher Diploma in Sales Coaching (Level 8 on NFQ (ICPM & Ofqual)). These programmes are free for eligible participants and are fully funded under the HEA Springboard Initiative.
Come along on Wednesday and meet the teams, learn about the Programmes and hear directly from recent Graduates on their experiences and outcomes. Refreshments will be provided.
This information session are free but registration is essential. For more information and to register please CLICK HERE.
DCU Ryan Academy Springboard Programmes – Information Sessions – 20th July & 8th August
DCU Ryan Academy will be hosting two free information sessions about our 2012/13 Springboard Programmes on 20th July and 8th August from 10am to 12:30pm at the Ryan Academy in Citywest.
There will be information available on the day about the Business Innovation Programme (Level 8 Certificate in Innovation from DCU) and the Higher Diploma in Sales Coaching (Level 8 on NFQ (ICPM & Ofqual)). These programmes are free for eligible participants and are fully funded under the HEA Springboard Initiative.
Come along and meet the teams, learn about the Programmes and hear directly from recent Graduates on their experiences and outcomes. Refreshments will be provided.
These information sessions are free but registration is essential. For more information and to register please CLICK HERE.
USA Today columnist Steven Strauss to le
USA Today columnist Steven Strauss to lead free Micropreneur webinar “Marketing on a Shoestring”. Register: http://bit.ly/xi7Vga
Sahar Hashemi, Founder of Coffee Republic to speak at the DCU Ryan Academy, 6th June
As the second year of the Business Innovation Programme draws to a close, the DCU Ryan Academy are delighted to announce that Sahar Hashemi, founder of Coffee Republic and Skinny Candy will deliver the keynote speech at the end of year showcase on 6th June at the Ryan Academy.
Coffee Republic was the UK’s first US style coffee bar, founded in 1995 by Sahar and her brother Bobby. Both gave up professional jobs to start the business and together they built one of the UK’s most recognisable high street brands with an annual turnover of £30million.
In 2003 Sahar published ‘Anyone Can Do It – Building Coffee Republic from our Kitchen Table’ which documents her journey in turning Coffee Republic from an idea into on of the main players in the ‘coffee revolution’. The book tackles some of the fears and answers some of the elusive questions about what it really takes to become an entrepreneur. ‘Anyone Can Do It’ has reached #1 on the Amazon business chart and is second highest selling book on entrepreneurship ever published in the UK.
In 2005 Sahar founded Skinny Candy, a brand of guilt free sweets and has established herself as a successful business motivation speaker, talking to international blue chip companies and conferences about innovation, creativity, branding and the entrepreneurial mindset Her latest book ‘Switched On’ applies her experiences as an entrepreneur to the corporate sphere.
Menter Iontach Nua to Showcase at the Irish Charities Expo
New social enterprise programme, Menter Iontach Nua is to present upcoming opportunities for the social sector at the first Irish Charities Expo, in the RDS Dublin on May 2nd.
The new initiative is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Programme and has been developed by four Irish and Welsh organisations. Two prominent Universities, DCU Ryan Academy and Bangor University have combined their academic expertise with two Irish and Welsh business and community organisations, NorDubCo and Business in the Community Wales to develop the programme.
The programme is designed to meet the needs of social enterprises for training, mentoring and networking support in Ireland and Wales. The programme is part-time and will include an MSc in Social Enterprise Management.
The participants will be leaders of social enterprise, social enterprise managers and employees, corporates with CSR programmes and others with an interest in the social sector.
For further information on Menter Iontach Nua – contact the DCU Ryan Academy
Propeller Demo Day approaches
Days left until our company founders pitch to an expected audience of over 100 including investors from Ireland and Europe, the tension is rising, the heat is on, and the coffee machine is working overtime here at the Ryan Academy.
On Friday the 27th of April Demo Day will arrive, the 6 chosen companies Pickturk, Seoige Technologies, Zeto Technology Solutions (previously Slattery Validation Systems), Death Buy Fashion (previously StyleCloud), SwiftQueue and VideoElephant have been through 3 months of acceleration thanks to over 65 mentors, workshops and €30,000 cash investment. In total, a deal worth €45,000 per company.
The companies have been through several workshops including Team Development with Liz Leavy, Search Engine Optimisation with Theo Lynn, Law with Peppe Santoro, Finance with Drew O’Sullivan and International Sales with Bernie Cullinan to mention but a few, a thank you to all the mentors who gave these workshops for free.
One of the most powerful tools the mentors have is there network which they have introduced the companies too; opening doors and introducing them to the right connections helping the founders grow their companies.
“I have been astonished with how quickly I have been able to meet key people that I needed to meet; the willingness of the mentors to open their network and to introduce to me to their close contacts is amazing.” John Joyce, CEO, Seoige Technology.
Already from last year’s companies a total of over $1.73 million in investment has been raised and 28 jobs have been created, this is still growing, a truly great accomplishment.
And lastly a special thank you to our Demo Day sponsor Grant Thornton.
6 Companies Enter Propeller 2.0
Propeller 2.0 kicks off with the 6 chosen companies moving into the offices this week for 3 months here in Citywest. Time is ticking away and the countdown to the investor day (April 27th) has begun.
“Week one of Propeller has seen everyone hit the ground running, it is great to meet all the teams and see the energy being put into their ideas, now there is a real sense of urgency that we are all here to get on with it and make the right things happen and no obstacles or excuses are in the way” Brendan Casey SwiftQueue
The companies are;
Picturk.com enables camera clubs and companies run photography competitions online. The Picturk platform supports the existing network and community of amateur photographers worldwide.
“We’ve solved the operational problems of running photography competitions. We’ve built an online service for clubs and groups that enables them to easily extend their activities online. We’ve made it really easy for amateur photographers to connect and compete.” – Paul Geraghty, Picturk
Seoige Technology is a software development company. We specialise in Virtual world games across all platforms. We have created Savvybear.com a computer game that is great fun, ad free, 100% safe with some E-learning benefits for children under 12. The children can take up an Avatar character and dress them up, decorate their house, play games or just explore the world of Savvybear.com.
Slattery Validation Systems design cloud based solutions for industrial and commercial refrigeration systems. Our solutions are designed to make refrigeration systems in supermarkets, factories and warehouses more energy efficient while also providing monitoring, alert and remote diagnostic functionality. Our software as a service business model coupled with our unique hardware result in an affordable, drop in solution for refrigeration systems all over the world.
www.slatteryvalidationsystems.com/
Style Cloud is a vibrant community of fashionistas, creating, organising and sharing their latest ‘Looks’ using a free virtual wardrobe in the Style Cloud social network. Members upload photos of their clothing and mix and match ‘Looks’ in an intuitive interface. Shopping on Style Cloud is driven by a superior recommendation algorithm based on network data and the capability to save items from the shop to the virtual wardrobe offers members a chance to test out new items in their existing wardrobe before making a purchase. We even have an App to allow customers test out clothes they are perusing in the real world in their virtual wardrobe by facilitating convenient uploading from smartphone directly to virtual wardrobe. Tagging unwanted clothing as ‘Swap’ allows members virtually monetise unwanted items and fill in gaps in their wardrobe. All this as well as a popular blog and Street Style section make Style Cloud a great place to spend time and shop.
‘swiftQueue provides self service appointments for healthcare facilities, anytime & anywhere’
swiftQueue provide a SaaS cloud based solution for Healthcare Facilities e.g. GPs, Dentists, Primary Care Clinics & Hospitals, to make appointments available online allowing patients view and book their next visit. Using Online, Smart Phone, SMS and Call Centre swiftQueue provide access to the real time facility appointment information. This provides convenience to the patient while also providing a 24/7 shop window for healthcare facilities.
VideoElephant is an online B2B marketplace in which to buy and sell both long and short-form video content. VideoElephant enables professional content producers to sell their videos to web publishers, mobile operators, IPTV, VOD and broadcasters. For buyers, we provide a centralized marketplace to cater for their video content requirements, alleviating the need for lengthy negotiations and contract exchanges. For producers, we offer both the platform to sell their content online and the tools to market and promote it.
Propeller 2.0 ready for takeoff as second year of DCU Ryan Academy’s accelerator startups selected
The DCU Ryan Academy has today announced the 6 companies that have been selected for Propeller 2.0 three month accelerator programme for technology startups.
The Propeller Venture Accelerator Programme, which has been ranked 7th best in Europe in an independent study of accelerator programmes commissioned by the Kauffman Fellows Program, provides each of the chosen companies with a €30,000 seed investment, tailored and targeted mentoring and training, as well as three months incubation with free space and services, in total a package worth €45,000.
The programme was vastly oversubscribed, with a total of 137 applications submitted to the programme from over 20 countries including Ireland, Germany, Finland, USA, Australia, Iran, India, Israel, South Africa, Brazil, Rwanda and China.
The 6 companies selected for Propeller 2.0 are; Slattery Validation Systems, Picturk, Seoige Technology, StyleCloud, SwiftQueue and VideoElephant. All are technology startups, with innovative ideas ranging from increasing energy efficiency in commercial refrigeration systems to enhancing distribution and sales channels for online video content producers.
The chosen companies will enter the Propeller Venture Accelerator offices in January 2012, and will be met by over 60 mentors whose invaluable experience will be used to advise and lead these companies on a path of success.
Terence Bowden, Venture Manager of the Programme said, “We are delighted with the huge level of interest shown in the Propeller Venture Accelerator programme from Ireland and all over the world because it highlights just how much this programme has to offer start-up companies and it’s a clear sign of the appetite for entrepreneurism and innovation in Ireland and abroad.
The standard of companies applying has been extremely high and we are confident that they have the good ideas and the good people needed to make their business a success.”
Speaking about being offered a place John Joyce, CEO, Seoige Technology “We are delighted to be selected for the DCU Ryan Academy Propeller Venture Accelerator. One of the main attractions for us is the calibre of the business mentors/partners that are part of the program.
We feel that these people will bring a huge amount to our business and will be key in helping us to make our ideas a reality.”
The ethos of the DCU Ryan Academy is about putting us in front of the right people, whether venture capitalists or angel investors, who will help us in ways that would never have been possible if we were out on our own.”
The first year of the programme, which finished in April 2011, brought huge success for the six companies that took part. Operating in technology areas ranging from mobile applications to clean tech, online gaming, health informatics and internet applications, the startups are now in the process of closing seed funding deals totalling over €1 million. The companies, who each employed two people when starting the programme, have now created an additional 18 jobs since finishing the programme.
Propeller on Dublin City FM – 103.2 fm
Terence Bowden, Propeller Coordinator, will be interviewed on Dublin City FM on Friday the 2nd of December. Terence will be talking about the DCU Ryan Academy and Propeller. He will be joined by Don Corbett who is the CEO of mm Technologies and will talk about his product ‘Mobile Minder’.
Details:
Dublin City FM – 103.2 fm
Show: Good Morning Dublin
Date: 02/12/11
Time: 10-11am
