On Friday, June 3rd, Republic of Work hosted First Fridays for Start-ups in the heart of Cork City – and it was an outstanding success!
The PorterShed team paid a visit to the Rebel County hub to soak up the atmosphere, meet some people, and get to grips with Cork’s start-up ecosystem. It was a fantastic occasion, and there were so many amazing people in attendance.
The event started with an overview of the Irish start-up ecosystem. Sarah Livesey and Jake Phillips kicked everything off by welcoming those in person as well as everybody who dialled in virtually. They both walked us through a high-level look at what is happening in the start-up landscape, and who some of the key players are, and they also highlighted some of the many inspiring success stories.
A mini breakout session ensured that everybody had a chance to get some one-on-one time with those sitting next to them. Many of Republic of Work’s members were in attendance, and it was great to be able to meet them, hear all about their ideas, and understand more about their individual objectives.
Following this, there was a two-hour mentoring session where mentors from Google, Microsoft, Hubspot, Salesforce, and others took time to offer guidance, insight, and information to founders.
Following lunch, the Educate panel began. RoW’s Programme Manager Eshna Gogia sat down with Stephanie Sheehan, ex VP engineering at Keevlar; Brian Kenny, CEO of MiniCorp; and Ciara Sheahan, co-founder of Orb Media.
The panel discussion was a fascinating coming-together of minds – and each contributor shared some fascinating insights into how they have built their product over the years. The following quote from Brian Kenny, in particular, stood out on the day: “The speed at which you succeed is directly related to how willing you are to embarrass yourself.”
WorkVivo’s co-founders John Goulding and Joe Lennon took to the stage for the Inspire talk later on as a big crowd started together in Republic of Work’s event space. They spoke to RoW’s CEO Frank Brennan about how Workvivo has become a global leader in developing and delivering employee engagement solutions, working with some of the biggest brands and Fortune 500’s across all sectors.
“People are receptive to taking a meeting…but you have to ask. And we just got out there” they said about how they got their customers early on.
It truly was a jam-packed event, and the folks at Republic of Work were flawless hosts – and it really is an awesome space that they have in the centre of Cork City. We can’t wait to visit again in the near future!
By Trevor Murray
Content Marketing Specialist at the PorterShed
Email: trevor@portershed.com | LinkedIn | Twitter
