Investing in Ireland's tech ecosytem
By working collaboratively in partnership across 3 key pillars we leverage the value of the startup ecosystem and the wider Ulster Bank organisation to drive innovation.
Building trust and advocacy in the startup community by hosting events and immersing Ulster Bank in the startup community
Driving cultural change and stakeholder buy-in through new work practices and immersion in the startup network
Providing a platform for innovative solutions to banking and empowering staff to bring new ideas to the company through programs
"Dogpatch exposes us to a very different environment. Our innovation team is working shoulder to shoulder with startups in fintech and other related areas."
Crucial to our partnership is the creation of a platform whereby a new generation of intrapreneurs are given access to rapidly advance new ideas for the bank.
Delivered across three Core Phases, the Ulster Bank internal incubator provides staff with a platform where internal ideas undergo a process of product validation, mentoring and customer development.
The incubator has many benefits, allowing motivated staff to find an outlet for entrepreneurial ideas, that can potentially shape the future of the bank, boosting employee retention and promoting creativity.
The Ulster Bank Hackathon, now in its fourth year, is Ulster Bank’s flagship event allowing entrepreneurs, designers and coders from across the tech ecosystem to come together and bring forward new, innovative ideas to the banking sector.
Now Ireland’s largest fintech hackathon, the event always brings brilliant minds and a fun atmosphere all in the spirit of hacking the future of financial innovation
It just got easier to innovate with Ulster Bank. Startups can develop apps using real/live data from Ulster Bank customers.
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The success of our partnership with Ulster Bank is a testament to how when partnerships really work, everybody benefits.
Our partnership with Ulster Bank enabled the development of over 8,000 sq. ft in the historic the 200-year old Vaults below the CHQ building. The development has provided the wider tech community with a world class platform from which to host meetups, workshops and hackathons.
A key element of the partnership is its foundation on the values of Community – enabling the bank to immerse its people in the startup world, and in turn leverage the bank’s resources to support the sustainable development of the Irish tech ecosystem. This focus on fostering and engaging in the community over a sustained period of time is what makes a multi-year partnership special.
Ulster Bank opened their off-site innovation hub at Dogpatch Labs, and through this off-site presence the bank is fully integrated with the broader tech ecosystem, better enabling the bank to work with partners to build new products and solutions for the banking sector. This culture of innovation has enabled Ulster Bank to become a key player in Fintech disruption.
"This has been a bold initiative by Ulster Bank, and we are incredibly grateful to have found a partner who really understands ‘what matters’. As we enter into the second year, we look forward to building on this great partnership."
