Bank of Ireland‘s new Accelerator Programme is a “World Cup for Start-Ups”

The Bank of Ireland Accelerator Programme has received applications from all over the world, effectively turning the selection process into a World Cup for startups and entrepreneurs. As well as companies from Ireland, entries have come from Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Portugal, Germany, India, United States of America and Russia, with all the applicants hoping to be one of the 10 companies selected to join the Programme which starts on September 1st 2014

Programme mentor Bill Liao, European Venture Partner of SOSventures and co-founder of CoderDojo said that “As one of the mentors on the Bank of Ireland Accelerator Programme, I am really excited about working with some of the brightest entrepreneurs from across the world. Ireland has a reputation for being the preferred location for countless large tech companies but we can see from the global response to the Accelerator Programme that Ireland is also a hotbed for start-ups. For instance, the “The Founders Co-Op” model adopted by the Accelerator Programme offers the chosen companies a unique opportunity, as well as fostering a startup eco system. This involves each founder investing 3% of their equity in return for shares in a fund set up for the benefit and to be shared by the startups themselves. If any of the startups successfully exit in the future, all the company founders will share in that success.”

Wayne Murphy, Programme Manager of the Accelerator Programme said that “Since the Bank of Ireland Accelerator Programme was launched at the end of May, we have been absolutely thrilled with the amount of interest in our Programme. The quality of the applicants is very impressive so we are really excited about the type of dynamic and disruptive companies that will emerge from all the hard work ahead. The Accelerator Programme caters for talented entrepreneurs across all business sectors and is one of the initiatives through which Bank of Ireland, as Ireland’s ‘Enterprise Bank’ is supporting SME’s and startup companies.”

Each company selected for the Programme will receive €10,000 in seed funding as well as the use of the Bank of Ireland Accelerator Programme office and all its resources. The Accelerator Programme will be based at Penrose Wharf in the heart of Cork City and runs from September 1st to November 21st. Entries close on 25th July. To find out more or to apply for the “Bank of Ireland Accelerator Programme” visit the dedicated website at http://www.bankofireland.com/