With news that all of our Connected Hubs vouchers have been snapped up by people from around the country, we thought now would be the ideal time to tell you a little bit about the work being done by so many hub managers, volunteers, and people who believe in creating a new future of work.
Between the Irish Tech Hub Network, the NDRC, and the Connected Hubs programme, there are so many hubs doing so much important work on behalf of, and with, entrepreneurs, professionals, and individuals with special ideas.
These innovators spend their time solving problems, making processes smoother, and trying to use tech for good. So, having places where they can come and do their best work means that their rate of growth can happen so much faster.
We’re proud of the PorterShed, and we enjoy doing a lot for our community of members, but we also like contributing to the wider community. We’ve helped create over 825 jobs, we’ve hosted hundreds of events, and we’ve held Galway up as a place that’s worth investing in.
But we are just one hub – and there are so many others out there doing so much great work, and many more that are doing all they can to realize their full potential so that others can, too. Together, that nationwide community is having a hugely positive impact at all levels.
A recent NDRC Masterclass titled ‘Growing Your Start-up Hub’ focused on how startup hubs are impacting their surrounding communities and the role they play in growing our startup ecosystem.
Between the various hub-focused bodies in Ireland, there are several hundred hubs working with various missions, but what ties them all together is the idea that they are there to better serve the people who use them. They do this by identifying members’ needs, solving problems that others can’t, and sharing resources and information to help further ambitions.
That could be by pointing a founder towards funding information, creating a welcoming atmosphere, or simply offering space for someone to work on their idea.
Damilola Teidi, Director of start-up support at Co-Creation Hub, also touched on the idea that hubs have an onus to make decisions and take paths that are fully considerate of the wider community.
“Our success is connected to the ecosystem that we’re in,” she said, adding that it’s important to “always think: is this [decision] going to be beneficial to the community members that I serve.”
And it’s a thought echoed by PorterShed’s very own Community Manager, Anthony Shaughnessy, who believes people are what drives the amazing spirit of the PorterShed.
“When I started here over four-and-a-half years ago, it was clear even then that this hub was going to create something special. So many success stories have come through here over the years, and it’s thanks to the community itself.
“It’s true what they say, ‘innovation breeds innovation’, and I see it every day where founders are helping each other at all stages of the journey. And we’re proud they have somewhere to come and do exactly that.”
No doubt, hubs are pulsing with the lifeblood of great ideas – ones impacting the present and the future, and it’s fantastic that so many people are starting to realise that; from government level all the way to the local entrepreneur who needs a place to collaborate and grow. Long may that continue – we’re here for it.
By Trevor Murray
Content Marketing Specialist at the PorterShed
Email: trevor@portershed.com | LinkedIn | Twitter
