Out of enterprise into very small consumer web startups http://blog.softtechvc.com/2007/03/looking_back_at.html

Lal

David and Paul made some interesting remarks also over on http://segala.com/blog/european-startups-vs-the-us-upstarts/

the ‘Irish International Business Network’ sounds interesting and hoping it has some teeth.

David’s post had some more ideas on the “Irish tech community should setup their own mini-VC fund”
and also a topic I touched on regarding ‘camp’ http://www.web2ireland.org/2007/03/15/fancy-a-trip-to-sunny-colorado-and-go-play-at-getting-your-startup-going/ but in an Irish setting.

I’ll post seperately on that and thought/services regd. Enterprise Ireland and what ‘help’ that I can see (from outside) and some (hopeful) insight.

I’m late to the discussion but I might as well chip in:

Despite having a mandate to foster innovative technology in Ireland, EI seems to want to bet on a sure thing. I’ve seen first hand where EI have openly discussed massaging its requirements for a pure service company to get funding because they were sure it would do well. Zero innovation was involved in the project being discussed.

Ireland has too much of a reliance on large multinationals. As the multinationals are starting to look elsewhere the Government will, unfortunately, all too likely further incentivise these companies to prop up jobs rather than funding more diverse, smaller local enterprises.

Silicon Valley has a large amount of reinvestment coming back from entrepreneurs who have gone through a few cycles. Here in Ireland we have a catch-22 situation. No money coming in from (probably property generated) VC funds, harder for startups. Less startups, then less money coming in and the riskier investments.

The work being put in by Damien and Conor and others is great and it’s encouraging to see a such positive attitude within the tech community being developed.

The Business Advisory idea is great idea since a key ingredient for small companies is access to good advice. So my suggestion was that they should take the Advisory one stage further and develop a “Y Combinator / Dragons Den” facility for a collaborative VC project (Fergus Burns mentions this directly above). I think if the Irish tech community sets up its own funding facility it will be a focal point to encourage growth within the community.

Projects that are being funded and guided directly by the Irish tech community will do a number of things:

It will allow the community to help itself.
It will be a show of confidence to funding sources (VCs, government agencies) that the tech community is willing to invest in themselves.
It will generate incentive for all involved, less fear of local competition and access to a larger support base.

VC’s would be happier committing money if companies have in essence been peer reviewed and have had access to good advice. EI will get awake up call hopefully and begin to “get it”. My own opinion is that EI should oversee that money isn’t being abused, but bascially give the money away with zero expectation of a return. Failure is still not as well accepted as it is the American context. EI only investing in dead certs defeats the whole idea of whats needed to foster the best startup culture.

I’m not talking about raising a ton of money for large startups, more like following the Y Combinator model of initialing seeding up to $10-15,000 and if anything had potential help the company raise other funding through the usual support agencies or VC’s. Anybody on the funding side of this collaborative project would be able to choose where their money is invested rather than a kitty that is dispensed by somebody else.

Other benefits, are that the tech investors will “train” as VCs for comparatively little investment, leading to bigger and better things down the line. Personally, I’d like to be able to spread my own risk as small company and have some interest (however small) in other small businesses. That in itself will foster incentive for the broader community to thrive.

There’s a buzz around the European startup community at present. Well, actually, most of it seems to be happening in London, where the passion and enthusiasm is most apparent and collaboration is easier to attain. That’s probably because it’s a b…

As someone on the other side of the pond and constantly peeking up to seeing whats happening in the Green Isle its good to some some dialogue on the ‘little sector’.

The issue is not some much that this is a viable sector of the industry but HOW MUCH real help does it get?
(in the USA I believe the stat is 50-99% depending on who’s figures u believe http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32404.html. I’m not sure what the EU/IRL figure really is - some hints here at from 2003 at 60%+ http://www.sfa.ie/Sectors/SFA/SFADoclib4.nsf/wvPolicyDocs/E49B3F6260869F4C80256DE9004D2788?OpenDocument)

The tradional market is easily understood (making furniture, how mahy, what price, markup, what channels to sell etc..)

The small software startup is a whole other ballgame as the product is often ‘innovative’, customers or price points unknown and its a normal 1-3 yr provability. From the startups I’ve been involed in and seen normally the initial ‘master plan’ changes within the first 24 months and often if it doesn’t the company fails.

So finding metrics, management philosophy and known techniques that you can follow (from Sloan, Harvard and other fine schools of management) are just not there.
Its called experince, winging it and other ‘technical’ terms.

And whats more important is these “new” startups (in this new Web 2.0 crazy world) need EVEN MORE HELP. Funding and finance help is important but coaching, contacts, exposure both domestic and international (why would u not compete globally), PR and all the other ‘things’ that make up a startup is important.

When you’re a 1-5 man band outa some bandwidth starved location trying to make it (and maybe this applys to some Dublin locations you need all the help u can get.

The 100K and mentoring sounds like a cheap way to kickstart the next generation (that Ireland HAS TO nurture - the call centre game is waning, the tax haven 4 corporate taxes will fade away, the ‘cheap’ enginerring/IT talent is getting competition with Poland etc.. so need 2 get the NEXT BIG WAVE going)

Some other more general thoughts over at http://joedrumgoole.com/blog/2007/03/13/private-equity-conference-bernard-hensey-startups-spin-outs-and-value-creation/
Also more specific on expansion http://joedrumgoole.com/blog/2007/03/13/private-equity-conference-panel-discussion-the-global-market/

My 2 Euro’s (or as the Yanks say My 2 cents). Yah if my keyboard has a Euro symbol I’d paste it in

On one hand , as a taxpayer, I’m glad that they’re being so mean with the money. On the other, it can be very ‘by the book’ when it comes to dealing with startups.

There again, given the Irish trait for favoritism, ‘by the book’ is probably a good thing (as opposed to giving the money to your mates). And yes, there will be good ideas from good people lost because of this, but what is the alternative?

Paul

However, I will be advising them to setup on the West coast… this does nothing to help with better collaboration in Ireland… Ireland is way too small to have dispersed talent; practically forced by EI who give more money to companies outside Dublin.

NB. I know some people setup outside of Dublin because not everyone lives in the capital.

The little help we’ve received has come after my finance director has spent the guts of his life completing the same forms. “Following the process” is ok (heck, business process improvement is my bag!), however, if the process doesn’t work, change/improve it.

EI could do with hiring people who specialise in business process improvement to help it improve how it works. It can then work more effectively when trying to help small start ups.