PorterShed
Spark
- 500+ Attendees
- 40% of attendees travelled from outside of Galway
- €4000+ raised for partnering charities
Thank You
PorterShed Spark marked 10 years of building, backing and connecting tech in the West.
Its success came from the people who showed up, backed it, built it and believed in it. To our attendees, sponsors, speakers, members, partners, Board and team, thank you.
From the moment Spark was announced, the response from Galway and the wider West was clear. This ecosystem has momentum. It has founders building companies with real global intent.
Spark gave us the chance to reflect on 10 years of PorterShed, but it also pointed firmly towards what comes next. The journey so far has been shaped by founders, teams, supporters and partners who helped turn an idea into a regional engine for innovation.
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impact report
The report captured the scale of PorterShed’s impact over the past decade, and the numbers tell a clear story.
Between 2016 and 2025, PorterShed supported €72.4 million in cumulative Gross Value Added for the Irish economy. Member and alumni companies now represent 3,064 jobs across Ireland, with member employment growing by 638 jobs since joining PorterShed.
The report also highlighted €170 million in total member payroll between 2016 and 2025, over €50 million in funding raised by member companies since joining PorterShed, and more than 2,000 events delivered since 2016.
Beyond the numbers, the report reflects what PorterShed was created to do: support high-value, sustainable technology employment in the West of Ireland, connect founders with the right networks, and make the West a stronger place to start and scale technology companies.
THE MAIN STAGE
The Main Stage brought the full PorterShed story into focus: 10 years of impact, the infrastructure behind regional growth, the companies scaling from here and more importantly… the next decade of technology in the West. From AI and cloud sovereignty to healthcare, banking, mobility and talent, each speaker added a sharp perspective on why the West has the people, partnerships and ambition to lead.
Declan Hughes | Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Opened the day by recognising PorterShed’s role in strengthening the West’s innovation ecosystem and the long-term support needed to keep founder-led growth moving.
Daragh McGreal | KPMG
Launched the KPMG Socioeconomic Impact Study, revealing €72.4m in cumulative GVA, 3,064 jobs across member and alumni companies, and €50m+ raised by PorterShed member companies.
Mark Christal | Enterprise Ireland
Highlighted Enterprise Ireland’s role in backing regional innovation, including over €5m in funding to PorterShed across buildings, programmes and ecosystem development.
Mike Krenn | San Diego Innovation Ecosystem
Returned to Galway 10 years after Innovating West and saw a city transformed: stronger founder density, deeper ecosystem confidence and a clearer innovation identity. His message was simple: Galway is in far better shape than it was a decade ago, and its next advantage will come from being better connected, better designed and more focused.
Albane Bruyas | Scaleway
Made cloud infrastructure a boardroom issue, showing how AI demand, digital sovereignty and control over data now define the type of company founders can build.
Sean Blanchfield | Jentic
Delivered a national AI wake-up call, arguing that Ireland can become a net AI exporter if it backs compute, renewables, grid capacity and serious infrastructure ambition.
Elaine Brennan | Northwell Health
Brought the healthcare conversation back to trust, showing how AI can support better decisions and patient outcomes only when it works with the human reality of care.
Stuart Brydson | ServiceNow
Showed how AI is reshaping sales and customer operations, moving teams beyond bolt-on tools towards connected workflows that remove friction across the customer journey.
Brian O’Rourke | CitySwift
Showed what scaling from Galway looks like in practice: CitySwift grew through the PorterShed ecosystem, now analyses 3.3bn+ passenger journeys each year and has raised €14.5m to date.
Rob O’Shaughnessy | Switch Dimension
Turned AI from theory into action, showing how teams can move from months-long build cycles to days by championing builders, supporting engineers and designing systems for an AI-native world.
Fidelma McGuirk | Payslip
Shared how Payslip scaled from Westport into a global payroll platform, using customer focus, fast product iteration and AI-powered automation to reduce complexity for multinational teams.
Fidelma McGuirk | Payslip
Shared how Payslip scaled from Westport into a global payroll platform, using customer focus, fast product iteration and AI-powered automation to reduce complexity for multinational teams.
Colin Hunt | AIB
Closed the Main Stage by reflecting on AIB’s 10-year partnership with PorterShed and the role long-term backing, startup support and AI will play in the future of banking and enterprise.
THE EXPO
The Expo Area gave attendees a closer look at the companies, products and ideas being built across Galway and the West.
Rather than a traditional exhibition space, it felt like a working snapshot of the ecosystem. Founders, teams and member companies shared live demos, emerging products, current opportunities and real conversations about what they are building, hiring for and solving.
BRISK by Kappture also brought something highly practical into the venue. Built especially for Spark and shipped from Germany, the team installed a custom demo of their AI-powered checkout-free retail and bar system inside Dexcom Stadium. The system can handle 17 transactions per minute and is already operational in three stadiums, with more on the way. Seeing that level of technology live in the venue gave attendees a clear sense of what the future of stadium retail and hospitality could look like.
Silent Stage
The Silent Stage gave attendees a closer look at the companies, ideas and talent shaping the next chapter of the region.
We heard from PorterShed member companies MartEye and Siren, two companies building serious technology from the West.
Siren shared how its AI-powered investigation platform helps organisations protect people, assets and networks by connecting data across multiple sources to surface risks, threats and crimes.
MartEye showed the strength of focused sector innovation. Built for ringside and online auctions, the platform has processed over €4 billion in transactions and is trusted by 70+ auction centres, marts and 120,000 buyers across four countries.
Spark also looked beyond today’s companies, giving TY students from Coláiste Éinne, Inis Mór a platform through the PorterShed TY Experience Programme.
Black Tie Gala
A 10-year milestone needed a proper PorterShed celebration.
The evening Black Tie Gala brought the community together to reflect on the people, companies and partnerships that shaped the last decade. It was a moment to recognise the members, supporters and ecosystem builders who helped PorterShed grow from an idea into a platform for regional impact.
Special recognition awards were presented to those who played a meaningful role in the journey so far.
Attendees also heard from Mark Little, who shared insights from his entrepreneurial journey, including the realities of building, adapting and moving through challenge with clarity and conviction.
SPARK
PorterShed Spark showed what happens when a region backs its founders, talent and ideas.
It was a celebration of the past 10 years, but more importantly, it was a statement of intent for the next 10.
Thank you to the PorterShed team for the work, energy and attention that brought the event to life. Thank you to the Board for their vision, commitment and belief in what PorterShed can do for Galway and the wider West.
A special thank you also goes to the team at Dexcom Stadium for their support in preparing and delivering the event. It was a proud moment to be the first customer-facing event held in the stadium. The venue is a major asset for Galway, backed by a team that delivered with professionalism and care.
Spark reminded us that the West has the companies, talent, infrastructure and partnerships to lead.
special Thanks
A special thank you to Paul Hayes, Founder of Beachhut PR, for guiding PorterShed Spark with sharp intellect, brilliant humour and complete command of the room.
Paul brought the right balance of energy, wit and substance to the day, moving the conversation forward, landing the big moments and keeping the audience with him throughout.
He delivered, and then delivered again. A world-class host, and one of the best in the business.
STAY CONNECTED
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Get in touch with the PorterShed team and come see what is happening here.
SPEAKERS
Bio
Sean Blanchfield is CEO and Co-Founder of Jentic, an enterprise AI-enablement platform. He is a serial technology entrepreneur and software engineer, previously co-founding Phorest, Demonware, and PageFair. Demonware was acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2007, where it continues to develop and operate mulitiplayer for the Call of Duty video game franchise. PageFair was an adtech company that focused on ad sustainability and helping global publishers deal with ad blocking (acquired by Blockthrough in 2018). Sean is also a member of the Irish government’s AI advisory council.
Sean Blanchfield
CEO and Co-Founder
Bio
Elaine Brennan is the Executive Director, Global Strategic Partnerships at Northwell Health where she has responsibility for developing collaborative and strategic relationships and has created innovative new programs at Northwell. Ms. Brennan originally joined Northwell Health to create the Pharma Ventures group and led the innovative approach to managing and developing collaborative and strategic relationships with the pharmaceutical/ biotech and device industry to establish Northwell as a premier destination for clinical research, health outcomes and digital innovation.
Elaine Brennan
Executive Director, Global Strategic Partnerships
Bio
Albane Bruyas is the COO of Scaleway, driving its record-breaking growth as Europe’s leading AI cloud provider. Managing global operations, supply chain, and customer care, she ensures seamless and sustainable scalability for all Scaleway servers and hardware, across 12 global data centers. Under her leadership, Scaleway has deployed one of the European cloud’s largest AI infrastructures, with 5,000 GPUs already active. With a background at L’Oréal and LVMH, Albane blends precision, rigor, innovation, and business impact.
Albane Bruyas
COO
Bio
Stuart Brydson is a seasoned technology executive with more than 35 years of experience at some of the world’s most influential enterprise software companies, including Siebel Systems, Oracle, and most recently, ServiceNow.
Stuart Brydson
Technology Executive
Bio
As Founder and Director of Beachhut PR, Ireland’s leading tech PR company, Paul drives innovative communications strategy for a wide variety of tech companies in multiple verticals and geographies. He is known as one of the best connectors in the Irish tech ecosystem and has mentored over 150 startups through the NDRC Launchpad, DCU Ryan Academy, and Dogpatch Labs.
Paul is an accomplished host of many tech-related events both in Ireland and around the world, from the Irish Internet Awards and the Data Science Awards in Dublin to Vizions in Berlin and Ireland Week in Los Angeles. He has also delivered innovative marketing strategies at international trade shows such as the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Paul Hayes
MC
Bio
Colin Hunt was appointed Chief Executive Officer of AIB and an Executive Director on the AIB Board in March 2019. He joined AIB in August 2016 as Managing Director, Wholesale, Institutional & Corporate Banking Division.
Prior to joining AIB, he was Managing Director at Macquarie Capital where he led the development of its business in Ireland. Previously, he was a Special Policy Adviser at the Departments of Transport and Finance, Research Director and Chief Economist at Goodbody Stockbrokers, Head of Trading Research and Senior Economist at Bank of Ireland Group Treasury and a country risk analyst at NatWest.
He has a PhD in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin and degrees in Commerce & Economics from University College, Cork. He served as a Non-Executive Director of Aer Lingus Group plc from 2008 to 2014. Colin is a Board member of The Ireland Funds, Ireland Chapter, and was President 2021/2022 of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland.
Colin Hunt
CEO
AIB
Bio
Mark was appointed as an Executive Director in Enterprise Ireland in January 2026
and is responsible for the organisation’s sectoral and client solutions work,
overseeing the delivery of a broad range of services and supports for the diverse
enterprise base.
Enterprise Ireland’s ambition is that Irish exporters will become the primary driver
of the Irish economy, and Mark’s priority is to support the organisation’s client
base to achieve their innovation, sustainability and productivity goals, while
harnessing new solutions, including digitalisation and AI.
A University College Dublin graduate with an MBS from the UCD Michael Smurfit
Graduate Business School, Mark has held a number of leadership roles across the
organisation since joining in 2002.
He has a strong track record in leading divisions focused on supporting Irish
enterprises to grow and scale, including Food & Sustainability, Regions and
Entrepreneurship. Mark has also held a number of leadership roles in the
organisation working across client development and human resources.
Mark is a GAA & Sports fan, and lives in Dublin with his wife and three children.
Mark Christal
Executive Director | Enterprise Ireland
Bio
Mike Krenn is the Managing Director of Prebys Ventures, a $50M first time fund with several unique characteristics. It invests across all of life sciences and tech, but only invests in San Diego companies. The fund also operates without the standard 20 percent carry – so all of the returns get reinvested right back into San Diego. We know of no other fund of its kind. It’s designed to be evergreen, to give back in perpetuity to the region.
Previously, Mike was CEO of the San Diego Venture Group and Connect. He’s been a regional leader in San Diego for decades, leading a mission to thoughtfully grow the innovation economy – for the benefit of future generations.
Mike has been instrumental influencing VCs to proactively seek out Southern California companies for investment. His efforts have been central to transforming San Diego’s venture economy from a $1B annual market, to one that now attracts $5B annually.
During his career, Mike has been fortunate to work with thousands of startups, helping more than 100 companies raise angel and venture capital, in excess of $1B. He’s read a LOT of decks, advised a great many entrepreneurs, and drank a lot of coffee. He also has experience (and empathy) with start-ups, having worked as COO at a venture-backed tech start-up.
Mike was a founder of San Diego’s first and largest angel fund network (NuFund), San Diego’s first accelerator (Evonexus), and what may be the country’s first regional philanthropic fund (TLFund.org).
He’s sadly lost a step on the hoops court in recent years, but can still score on his kid, which is really what matters.
Mike Krenn
Innovation Instigator
Bio
A career of innovation at the intersection of technology, media and democracy. Now writing and speaking about human agency in the age of superhuman technology and geopolitical chaos. Was CEO & co-founder of Kinzen, which supported Trust and Safety teams (and was acquired by Spotify). CEO and founder of Storyful (acquired by News Corp). Worked as Twitter’s VP for Media in Europe and ran its international HQ in Dublin. Former TV news anchor & foreign correspondent, and author of three books about US politics and international affairs.
Mark Little
Journalist and Entrepreneur
Bio
Fidelma McGuirk is the CEO and founder of Payslip, a technology company delivering enterprise grade global payroll control, integration and AI automation.
With 20+ years’ experience scaling international business and leading multinational teams across global HR & IT functions, McGuirk identified the need for a technology solution to help multinational employers standardize and centrally manage their global payroll operations.
Payslip was founded in Westport, Ireland in 2016 and now has offices in Dublin, Bulgaria and Spain, serving a global customer base.
Fidelma McGuirk
CEO
Payslip
Bio
Brian O’Rourke is CEO and co-founder of CitySwift, an Irish-based intelligent transport data platform that helps public transport authorities and operators to deliver dynamic services that are ultra-efficient and reliable. CitySwift’s customer base features some of the world’s largest public transport bodies, including Go-Ahead Group, Transport for London, Transport for Greater Manchester, National Express Group, Translink, and Bus Éireann.
Brian O’Rourke
CEO and Co-Founder
CitySwift
Bio
Rob O’Shaughnessy, known as Rob Shocks on YouTube (youtube.com/robshocks), leverages over 20 years of experience in start-ups and Fortune 500 product development to educate a community of over 40,000 builders on harnessing AI for software development. Through his platform, switchdimension.com, he offers a comprehensive suite of courses and resources designed to teach individuals how to build AI Apps and Agents using AI.
Rob Shocks
AI Builder | Educator
OUR SPONSORS
A focused group of partners backing innovation, founders, and what comes next.
Proudly supporting Portershed for 10 years, AIB offers a range of products and services both for business and personal customers. Whether you’re buying a home, growing a business or planning your future, AIB offers the financial support and expert guidance to help you move forward with confidence.
At the heart of MJ Conroy lies an ethos of collaboration and enduring relationships. The company values its partnerships with national and international clients, striving to provide the highest quality service across its operations in Ireland and abroad.
Shaping the world and inspiring leaders since 1845
America's leading health solutions company, CVS Health® provides advanced health care from pharmacy services and health plans to health and wellness.
We are a real estate owner, developer and management firm that has interests across a spectrum of assets ranging from commercial, residential and public amenities to retail and car parks.
KPMG in Galway are the leading business advisors in the West of Ireland.
We’re Browne Jacobson. The law firm working to make a difference across business and society. Social and environmental impact are at the top of the business agenda. At Browne Jacobson, we’ve always worked across business and society, and this expertise sets us apart. Here, we champion fairness, make the complex simple and forge connections between clients to find creative solutions. This is how we improve outcomes for every person, community and business we serve.
CitySwift is an Irish big data company that powers major bus networks across the globe. Since its inception, CitySwift's Performance Optimisation platform offers bus network providers the precise insights they need to quickly adapt and operate their networks for efficiency, profitability, and growth.
ClearBookings provides flexible online registration, booking and payment tools for conferences, events and activities, helping organisers manage attendees, payments and event operations in one place.
Conference Registration Partner
Fidelity International provides world class investment solutions and retirement expertise to institutions, individuals and their advisers.
Galway City Council supports the growth of a vibrant, sustainable and innovative city. By enabling enterprise, investing in infrastructure and fostering collaboration across sectors, the Council helps build the foundations for long-term economic development.
Genesys delivers AI for the experience economy through powerful solutions, expert services, and strategic partnerships that enable organizations to orchestrate smarter customer and employee interactions at scale.
The LEO Galway team brings a wealth of expertise in supporting small and micro businesses. They are always ready to provide guidance, share valuable insights, and offer practical support as you launch, expand, or explore new markets for your business. Whether you're just starting out or aiming for growth, their experience and commitment make them an excellent resource for advice and information.
Sound to Light is a leading provider of event production audio visual services for corporate events, conferences and live productions across Ireland. As a dynamic multi-service AV production company, we combine the latest event technology with creative design to deliver engaging and professionally executed events.
Siren is an all-in-one investigation platform used by organizations to safeguard people, assets and networks.
With one million customers, we continue to be the market leader for health insurance in Ireland.
WestBIC provides start-up funding support, advisory services, investor readiness guidance and business growth services to early-stage, start-up, and scaling enterprises across the West, North West, and Midland regions.
Empowering Western Ireland's growth through community support, business investment, and strategic regional planning for a sustainable future.
Cpl is supporting clients globally from operations across 9 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and the United States.
Data2Sustain, a European Digital Innovation Hub in Ireland’s North and West, specialises in advancing digitalisation and data innovation for start-ups, scaling companies, mature enterprises and public organisations.
The data collaboration platform trusted for healthcare. Datavant operates the largest connector of identified and de-identified health data in the world, turning fragmented data into intelligence that drives action and impact for our customers.
Enterprise Ireland has been a key supporter of PorterShed’s growth from the beginning. As the government agency responsible for developing Irish enterprise, their backing has enabled us to expand our footprint, support more indigenous tech companies, and contribute to high-value job creation across the West of Ireland.
Evernorth brings the power of wonder and relentless innovation to create world-class pharmacy, care and benefit services.
The live driver bonus platform for trucking fleets.
Galway Chamber fosters business growth, innovation, and collaboration through advocacy, networking, and strategic support.
BRISK is a cutting-edge checkout-free bar solution developed by Kappture. Using AI-powered computer vision and local data processing, Brisk allows customers to enter a bar, select products, and leave without waiting in line.
The specialists in intellectual property law. Keltie is based in Europe but we work with clients across the globe. Our diverse and international team of experts in patents, trade marks and designs cover a huge range of technologies, industries and specialisms.
Industry leaders in digital innovation.
Liberty IT is part of Liberty Mutual Insurance. We’re the cogs behind the #87 Fortune-ranked company, the key drivers behind their global digital enablement journey, reimagining insurance by delivering an ever more efficient service for our customers.
The Port of Galway is situated at the centre of Galway City. It has a history dating back to the 10th century, serving the city and region.
RDJ LLP combines the sharpest legal insight with human intelligence to deliver long-lasting business impact.
We're all about building sustainable, connected, thriving communities. We're the folks who make sure we have those essential international services for trade and tourism. And we're creating an attractive Campus for businesses to grow.
