Today marks the start of Start-up week in Ireland. Ireland has done an impressive job of attracting established Silicon Valley companies to establish their European headquarters in the Emerald Isle. They have now set their sights on establishing themselves as an innovation hub by 2020.

I flew into Dublin on Saturday to join my partner, Ben Maguire for Start-Up week. The week-end was for adjusting for jet lag, getting caught up, watching some football and WorldCup rugby. Here is Ben in front of the local Dundalk Enterprise Ireland office where we have started talks

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Sunday was a bright, warm sunny day and we toured around Dundalk, home of the FAI champion Lilywhites (who will be playing in the FAI Cup final again this year against Cork City !) and we finished up at the Spirit Store for some Guiness and traditional Irish music.

spirit store

It was wonderful and reminded me of the céilidh parties in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland back in Canada. All ages we are at the pub, players joined in the fun, adding their guitars, flutes, fiddles and accordians to the mix. The jovial atmosphere had us making new friends and reconnecting with old, including the former trombone player of the Benny Maguire All-Stars orchestra !

Today we are off to Dublin as we are booked in the Silcon Stroll. Looking forward to meeting some Irish start-ups and seeing how the entrepreneurial culture here compares and contrasts with Waterloo and the Bay Area. Follow us along on twitter @TimoVainionpaa

This was published on the IrishCentral website on April 16, 2015

Stephen Mullan, vice president of emerging business at the IDA (Industrial Development Agency) Ireland, outlined some of the advantages that Ireland offers to businesses.

“Ireland is an ideal entry point for businesses seeking access to the European Union and its population of more than 300 million people. Businesses with operations in Ireland benefit from barrier-free access to the EU’s 28 member countries and its four freedoms – free movement of goods, capital, services, and people,” Mullan said.

More than 1,000 multinational companies have chosen Ireland as their strategic European base. The Emerald Isle has one of the world’s lowest nominal corporate tax rates, 12.5 percent for active businesses.

Other advantages are its predominately young workforce, with a median population age of 35 – the lowest in the EU – and a higher percentage of post-secondary graduates than the U.S. or the U.K.

However, Mullan cautioned that there must be “a legitimate business reason” for wanting to locate in Ireland.

“The country’s low corporate tax rate should be among the considerations–but cannot be the sole reason,” he said. 
Business seeking to be considered for financial incentives must satisfy the IDA that the assistance is necessary to ensure the establishment or development of the operation and that it is both commercially viable and will provide new employment.

Read the full article here at
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Pros-and-Cons-of-Doing-Business-in-Ireland.html