Gateway UCC Creates 370 Jobs by Supporting 60 Start-Ups

Gateway UCC, which supports researcher-led start-ups and spin-out companies has announced that the companies it has worked with have created 370 jobs since 2012. In that time these Gateway UCC supported companies have raised over €40 million of public and private investment, supporting 60 start-ups. These IP based companies have contributed more than €22 million a year in salaries to the local economy.

Next week Gateway UCC will launch its fourth SPRINT Accelerator Programme 2020, which is designed to support early-stage start-ups working on technologies generated in UCC by UCC researchers and entrepreneurs. President Prof Patrick O’Shea will launch the programme on Friday 31st January. The keynote speaker for the launch of the programme will be Sean O’Sullivan, Managing Partner, SOSV.

The SPRINT Programme has been developed to help spin-out start-up companies overcome challenges they may encounter when starting their businesses. On the programme, pre and early-stage start-ups will be working with successful business mentors who will help to bring their business from idea stage through to the eventual commercialisation of the product or service. The SPRINT programme is sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, Bank of Ireland and Cork City LEO.

Manager of GATEWAY UCC, Myriam Cronin said: “We are very excited to launch the SPRINT 2020 Programme. The Programme now in its fourth year has proved to be a huge success for UCC and we are looking forward to building and growing the next wave of Intellectual Property based companies. We envisage ten participants on each course and projects nearest to market readiness will be chosen. Each participant will be assigned a mentor with start-up experience in their areas.”

The Programme will be delivered in 20 modules over an eight-month period. At the end of the Programme, the participants should have a business plan and road map strategy for developing their business over the first year or two of existence.

The state of the art facility at Gateway UCC provides a uniquely supportive ecosystem for start-ups through its programme of business supports. Such supports include mentoring and business coaching, access to financial advice and startup funding, specialist seminars, workshops, introduction to venture-capital opportunities, business angel networks and access to UCC’s network of researchers together with excellent support through linkages into academic departments.