Founder Weekend at Republic of Work Offers Exciting Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

A weekend that offers passionate entrepreneurs (budding and serial) the opportunity to network with mentors and share ideas with other start-ups takes place later this month at Republic of Work in Cork City.

Founder Weekend is organised by NDRC, the national accelerator programme for globally ambitious tech entrepreneurs in Ireland, and is aimed at those who are at idea stage with a business or start-up. NDRC already held a similar, successful event earlier this year at Dublin’s Dogpatch Labs.

Since launching a new era for early-stage supports in 2021, NDRC has welcomed over 450 entrepreneurs into the Founder Weekend community, some of whom have gone onto global accelerator programmes, raised millions in funding, partnered with industry giants, and made a mark on the global start-up stage for Irish entrepreneurs. Republic of Work, a regional hub partner of NDRC, will host the next edition of this start-up sprint, marking the 10th of its kind.

Over the weekend, attendees will be immersed in a creative, team-oriented environment at Republic of Work’s dynamic co-working space, which is home to the likes of global venture capital firm SOSV, cybersecurity startup Vaultree, and internet data extraction company Zyte. By the time participants complete the 48-hour event, they can expect to be equipped with a well-developed start-up concept, a diverse and supportive network, and a whole new level of entrepreneurial knowledge.

Eshna Gogia is Programme Manager at Republic of Work and says this is a great opportunity for early-stage or concept-stage entrepreneurs: “Founder Weekend can provide those vital connections for people with viable start-up ideas. The event is hugely inspiring and energising. Experienced mentors are on hand to listen and advise on the best routes to market for tech companies. We’d really encourage anyone who’s interested in starting out to attend. We’re very much about hands-on collaboration here at Republic of Work and we’ve recently held a number of events, similar to Founder Weekend, where entrepreneurs have had a chance to develop their businesses and set out goals.”

Participants can attend tailored workshops covering scripting your start-up pitch, shaping an impressive pitch deck presentation, and customer development. They can also hear from successful Irish entrepreneurs who can share their experiences. The speaker line-up this May will include Clare Meskill, CEO and co-founder of speech therapy technology company ‘Teleatherapy’.

Judie Russell, Founder at The Vidacademy, and one of the 2022 Founder Weekend winners, says: “We had the pleasure of participating in Founder Weekend last year and it was a game-changer for our business. The weekend was incredibly engaging and provided us with invaluable insights that we continue to apply to our business strategy today. The workshops were well structured, informative, and offered practical tools. The mentors who took part in the event provided us with personalised advice and insights that would have been difficult to find elsewhere. We were also able to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and learn from each other’s challenges and successes.”

Founder Weekend takes place at Republic of Work from May 26th to 28th, kicking off on Friday at 6pm and wrapping up Sunday afternoon. The deadline to apply is May 21st. To submit an application to join the weekend-long program visit https://www.ndrc.ie/founder-weekend.