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Dogpatch Labs news articles and press releases

Iarnród Éireann partners with Dogpatch to launch ‘Future Track’

This latest innovation partnership focuses on the shared ambition to accelerate rail as the backbone of sustainable transport in Ireland. Working with Dogpatch, Iarnród Éireann teams – from platform to boardroom – will have the opportunity to work in a live entrepreneurial environment, adopt a startup mindset, and drive impactful innovation.

 

March 2024

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11 pitches, 300 attendees, 2050 Accelerator Showcase Day

Having launched Ireland’s national sustainability accelerator in May, 11 startups underwent an intense 3-month programme, testing live pilots with and being supported by innovation partners Kerry Group, ESB and Coillte, pitched on stage to top industry guests. Our Director of Innovation David Power writes more.

 

September 2023

 

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OpenAI partners with Patch

This July, we welcomed Open AI’s global leadership team to Dogpatch, delivering ‘Intro to the Irish Ecosystem’, and a roundtable with top AI developers & entrepreneurs in our community. 2 months later, it announces its first Dublin office, and offers mentorship to Patch as official backers of the youth accelerator.

 

September 2023

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Meet the 40+ in Ireland’s first ever talent accelerator cohort

From hacking Reddit, to extracting ethanol from corn, to planning missions to Mars with NASA, the Founders cohort of over 40 talented individuals has been selected, and wow are they impressive. Watch the video for a flavour of the exciting startups to be created at Founders.

 

September 2023

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Sustainability Lead Shak at International AI for Sustainability Event

“It’s now or never to use tech & talent to combat the climate crisis.” Ashley Shak, formerly of the UN, featured on stage at RDI Hub’s 2-day AI Summer School, talking all things 2050 Sustainability Accelerator, highlighting cohort startups EIO Diagnostics and CarbonStack using AI to tackle to tackle issues such as herd health and deforestation.

 

September 2023

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Patch boast most diverse intake in 5-year history

Led by former participant Jack O’Regan Kenny, the Dogpatch-based youth accelerator announces almost 50/50 gender cohort split, with over 60% from outside GDA. Form parking robots to hormone-sensing patches and biodigesters for farms, this year’s projects focus on social impact, healthcare innovation, and sustainable solutions.

 

July 2023

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X_Potential alum launches e-mobilty pilot

From an e-mobility idea born out of our ESB Incubator, to launching a multi-hub shared e-mobility platform across 4 counties with top universities and industry giants including Trinity College, ATU, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and SEAI, its great to see an idea moving from concept to reality with our partners at ESB.

 

July 2023

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12 Sustech Startups chosen for 2050 Accelerator

From turning dirt to data, to ‘Alexa’ for bees, the first-ever cohort of Ireland national sustainability accelerator has been chosen to work with companies leading Ireland’s transition to Net Zero. 12 startups are piloting with partners Kerry Group, ESB, Coillte, and the Grantham Foundation, using international industry expert advice and national infrastructure to execute in real-time.

 

May 2023

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Dogpatch and Ormeau Baths win angel investment contract HBAN

The Dublin and Belfast hubs launch HBAN 2.0, the All-Island Angel Investment Network. Funded by Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland, and supported by the Irish Tech Hub Network, it aims to fuel Ireland’s angel investment ecosystem through technology adoption and collaboration, providing streamlined opportunities for angels and fostering a thriving community.

 

May 2023

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Founders: Ireland’s first Talent Accelerator

Dogpatch launches a new programme, investing in people, not startups, which brings together the most talented engineers, domain experts and commercial minds to find a co-founder, learn from 50+ expert mentors, build the next generation of tech startups, and pitch for €100K investment.

 

April 2023

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2050: Ireland’s National Sustainability Accelerator and Innovation Platform

Dogpatch launches ‘2050’, in partnership with Kerry, ESB, and Coillte and supported by the DECC, to connect startups, industry, and national assets to accelerate towards Net Zero. Climate change is the defining era of our era, and 2050 aims to use Ireland’s superpower ‘connectedness’ to make a meaningful impact and Ireland a leader in sustainability innovation.

 

March 2023

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New Patch MD and 3 Year Funding Secured

Former Patcher Jack O’Regan Kenny takes the ropes as the new MD of Patch, with NDRC committing to 3 years of funding. The Youth Accelerator will run all-island for the first time, and it will boast the largest cohort yet in 2023, including trips to London and Belfast.

 

March 2023

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Diversity in Tech Week returns with 350+ Attendees

After a three-year Hiatus DiTW returned with a bang. With speakers from global tech giants, top Irish entrepreneurs, experts in DEI fields flying in and more, Dogpatch welcomes 100s of leaders in tech to learn and implement global best practices in DEI.

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AI startup AYLIEN acquired by Quantexa

February saw long-time Dogpatcher Parsa Ghaffari announce Aylien’s acquisition by world-leading decision intelligence platform. From launching its text analytics API in 2014 to a €5M Series A raise in 2019, to acquisition this year – what a journey for the team.

 

February 2023

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New Women Entrepreneurs Network Launches

With over 250 members engaging bimonthly, the FIERCE network officially launched at Dogpatch in January. This initiative focuses on supporting women tech entrepreneurs to find talent, make valuable connections, access fundraising, and more, through workshops, networking, VC mentoring and firesides.

 

January 2023

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Six Community Startups named 2023 ‘Ones to Watch’

Dogpatch members ProMotion Rewards, Outmin, and Tracworx all nabbed a spot in Silicon Republic’s 23 Tech Startups to Watch, alongside NDRC Pre-Accelerator alum Legitimate, Kwayga, and Trigr. Featured in the media outlet’s Startup of the Week series in 2022, these startups are making waves in the tech industry with exciting plans coming soon.

 

January 2023

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Axt talks Growth Capital on EY’s Fintech Pod

Our Head of Platform Menno Axt features on EY Ireland’s fintech podcast ‘Growth Capital and the Irish Tech Ecosystem’ – and in great company with Amy Neale of Delta VC and Fidelma McGuirk of Payslip. Hear their insights on the Private Equity debate, Ireland’s talent superpower, angel investment, a changing landscape and more.

 

December 2022

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Financial Times feature: Dogpatch Founder & CEO on Tech Policy

FT’s Jude Webber invites Dogpatch’s Patrick Walsh to contribute on recent Irish tech job cuts as a core player in the ecosystem, alongside industry experts at Davy, IBEC, Maynooth University, and Web Summit. Walsh talks opportunities for homegrown tech, and policy changes required for real economic impact.

 

November 2022

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Talking Policy at Web Summit 2022

Our CEO joined VP of the European Investment Bank on the Venture Stage to discuss Tech Policy for future generations, community member Yonder pitched on the Centre Stage, and we hosted the return of Flounders with BeachHut to celebrate failures with 200+ ecosystem builders.

 

November 2022

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Electric atmosphere at 1st in-person NDRC Accelerator Demo Day

Six live pitches marked the mid-point of an intensive 6-month programme, with over 250 in attendance to meet the cohort and hear how NDRC has supported 1000+ entrepreneurs in less than 18 months.

 

October 2022

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Borderless innovation with historic First Fridays in Belfast

Historic moment at October’s First Fridays as we took Ireland’s largest monthly startup programme to the North at Ormeau Baths. Connecting with NI founders, investors & ecosystem builders via networking, roundtables, a founders’ night, and a full startup programme kicked off this cross-border collaboration.

 

 October 2022

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Patch marks 4th Accelerator with 120+ alumni community

2022’s youth accelerator Bootcamp brought 30 young minds together to shape 10 ideas, who now join Patch’s alum community of 120 young entrepreneurs. Teams heard from Coderdojo founder James Whelton, serial entrepreneur Ray Nolan, joined office hours with Stripe and pitched to 100s globally at Demo Day.

Register for 2023 programme

Protex AI raises €18m in funding to drive international growth

August 2022

 

Dogpatch member ProtexAI announced an $18M raise led by Notion Capital. Since 2021 founders Dan Hobbs and Ciaran O’Mara have completed Y Combinator, grown their team from 2 – 22, and secured blue-chip customers including M&S. Now they’re planning a global expansion.

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ESB launches shared e-bike scheme across Dublin

August 2022

 

ESB has announced a 10-month pilot project that will see more than 100 electric bikes available for public use at 14 stations across Dublin’s suburbs. The project, born out of our X_Potential internal incubator with ESB, is an example of how working with startups can create win-wins and real commercial outcomes.

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Steering founders through challenging funding conditions

August 2022

 

Ian Browne, the entrepreneur and investor, is leading a fresh cohort of start-ups as MD of the NDRC accelerator run by Dogpatch Labs. He talks about steering founders through a stormy market and the need for an all-Ireland ecosystem.

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Irish fintech swoops up €6.3m to fund US expansion

June 2022

 

Our member Swoop, who is cracking the number one SME issue of accessing finance, announced a €6.3M Series A raise. With 75K clients under her belt, founder Andrea Reynolds eyes up a position as a global fintech market leader alongside a US expansion.

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France & Ireland collaborate on Tech Showcase

A French Ambassador address; keynotes & unicorn panels on EU talent, funding & policy; and in-person startup booths – our Scale-up Expo with France Digitale & La French Tech united the European startup ecosystem.

 

May 2022

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Irish tech’s young guns: This year’s 30 under 30

May 2022

 

This years list features a who’s who of the Dogpatch community, from the founders of alumni startups from NDRC accelerator and pre-accelerators such as Squid, Robotify, Akroo, Inferex and Little Red, to members including Promotion, Protex AI, KeepAppy and Woebot, and mentors Romy Lynch and Evocco.

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France is a booming unicorn factory. Should Ireland be trying to emulate its success?

May 2022

 

“Ireland needs leadership, it needs policy change – France can help illustrate that”. Our Founder & CEO Patrick Walsh spoke to The Currency on how Ireland can emulate Macron’s unicorn success, following our European Scaleup Expo with La French Tech and France Digitale event in May.

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Patrick Walsh on Evolving Ireland’s Economic Vision

February 2022

 

From the rugby pitch to the economic pitch, Ireland has a record for setting out bold visions and winning big on the global stage. Our CEO explains how in the Sunday Independent.

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First Fridays goes Nationwide

February 2022

 

We’re joined by new ecosystem partners Google, Microsoft, Salesforce and Hubspot, and will now deliver the programme across our partner hub network in Belfast, Cork, Dublin Galway and Kerry.

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Dogpatch Labs CEO joins McWilliams podcast on European & Irish startup ecosystems

January 2022

 

Top economist David McWilliams interviewed CEO Patrick Walsh on his latest podcast. They covered the current state of startup ecosystems, reaching and innovation inflection point, growing to 320+ European unicorns in half a decade, plus the cultural and policy shifts needed for Ireland to win at startups.

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Patch signs 3 year deal with Stripe

November 2021

 

Patch announced a 3-year partnership with Stripe and others. The funding will help Tom McCarthy’s youth accelerator (which helped 23 budding entrepreneurs in 2021) expand to include science and research projects.

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Dogpatch Labs hosts German President & First Lady as part of their State Visit

October 2021

 

We welcomed German President Steinmeier & First Lady Büdenbender to our entrepreneurship and innovation hub in October. Along with the UK, Netherlands, & Belgium it was our 4th state visit recognising our unique impact on Ireland’s national tech ecosystem with our regional partners.

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Dogpatch Labs announces 5 year partnership with ESB to run new sustainable innovation programme

July 2021

 

Dogpatch Labs will run ESB’s X_Potential Incubator, a structured programme that allows staff to develop ideas into new sustainable and commercially viable businesses in areas such as transport, infrastructure and stimulating the hydrogen economy.

Irish Times Article

NDRC launches new supports for start-ups across Ireland

February 2021

 

The new NDRC led by Dogpatch Labs launches a series of supports across its four hubs, including one-to-one mentoring and a pre-accelerator programme.

Silicon Republic Article

Dogpatch wins €17m state NDRC contract with regional and gender quotas

December 2020

 

The contract to manage the NDRC (National Digital Research Centre) has been awarded to Dogpatch Labs and its regional partners throughout the country by the Government.

Irish Independent Article

Meet the man making sure that 'real heart' stays at the centre of Dogpatch Labs

August 2019

 

Patrick Walsh is eyeing the healthy growth of Dublin’s startup scene as he plots Dogpatch’s expansion.

Fora Article

The King and Queen of The Netherlands Visited Dogpatch Labs

June 2019

 

Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander & Queen Máxima of the Netherlands visited Dogpatch Labs to learn how Ireland’s leading startup hub is providing a platform to showcase the latest smart building technologies being deployed in Ireland, and the future of retail innovation.

Irish Tech News Article

In Brexit, Could Ireland Wear the Crown?

March 2019

 

Dogpatch Labs founder Patrick Walsh talks authenticity & determination of the Irish culture and how it’s embedded in home-grown businesses and the startup ecosystem.

Fortune Article

From Lab-Grown Meat to Blockchain, Alltech Accelerator Selects 10 Global Startups at the Cutting Edge of AgTech

February 2019

 

With more than 250 applications from 53 countries, The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, which is now in its third year, continues to attract some of the top AgTech startups from around the world.

AgFunder News Article

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to Ireland

June 2018

 

On a visit to Dublin learn more about Ireland’s history and future the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Dogpatch Labs. Their Royal Highnesses will meet children and young people taking part in free coding workshops, and will also have the opportunity to talk to female tech entrepreneurs.

Royal.uk Article

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In the Media

Dogpatch Labs has been featured in a number of leading media outlets around the world. Click through to read some of our press articles

“The work Patrick has done over the last number of years has contributed greatly to establishing Ireland as leading startup hub. Dogpatch Labs is central to the startup ecosystem in Ireland – providing companies with the space and facilities required at a crucial phase in their development."

- Brid O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish

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Acknowledged as a world-class entrepreneurial hub catalysing the ecosystem in Ireland, Dogpatch Labs was awarded the Google for Startups Global Citizenship Award in September 2017.