Guinness Enterprise Centre and Furthr secures partnership with New York State to foster international innovation for Start-Ups

Governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a formal partnership between Empire State Development, Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) and Furthr, to grow entrepreneurship and innovation opportunities between businesses in New York and Ireland.

The announcement of the new partnership follows a visit to Dublin last week undertaken by Governor Hochul with meetings taking place with Furthr, a founding partner and the managing partner of the Guinness Enterprise Centre.

The partnership, formalised in a MOU signed on Friday by Governor Hochul, recognises the entities’ shared interest in collaborating on key technology and industry sectors and dedicates resources to creating innovative entrepreneurship opportunities in both New York and in Ireland.

“While New York State and Ireland are geographically an ocean apart, we are united in the belief that we are stronger through the sharing of ideas and fostering innovation,” Governor Hochul said. “This agreement between New York, the Guinness Enterprise Centre and Furthr, offers real opportunities and the potential for growth for Start-Ups in both economies and will build on our mutual strengths to advance the state’s innovation economy.”

The MOU formalises a relationship between Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), the Guinness Enterprise Centre, and Furthr to accelerate technology-based commercialisation initiatives and spur economic activity.

Commenting on the MOU signed between the respective parties, Martin Murray, CEO at Furthr said: “Under the agreement, each of the entities will make resources available to accelerate connections between New York and Ireland; share technical information, data, and analytics to inform best practices; and engage in outreach activities with other industry, government, and academic leaders to strengthen the partnership. Today’s announcement really opens up a world of exciting opportunities for our Irish client companies to accelerate their growth directly into the US East Coast tech corridor while providing New York start-ups with a supportive landing location and ecosystem in Ireland.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Teaming up with the GEC and Furthr allows us all to share ideas and tap into a wide array of resources and expertise that will unleash unlimited potential for our entrepreneurs and startups on both sides of the Atlantic. This collaboration will foster innovative ideas to grow key segments of our economy.”

The Guinness Enterprise Centre is Ireland’s home for entrepreneurs, housing more than 150 companies representing a range of industries from medtech to digital gaming. The GEC’s mission is to empower entrepreneurs to take on local or global markets. Through the GEC, New York-based companies will have an avenue to plug into the Ireland ecosystems and markets, including access to physical space, peer and mentorship networks, academic institutions, and market entry.

At over 95,000 square feet in Dublin City Centre, the Guinness Centre supports founders by providing an ecosystem of supports and services, including access to international markets. The GEC is supported in this mission by Furthr whose objective is to provide game-changing impacts to founders through events, mentorship, accelerators, and access to funding.

This partnership builds on the work of NYSTAR, which plays a critical role in spurring technology-based applied research and economic development in New York State; promoting national and international research collaboration and innovation; and leveraging New York’s research expertise and funding with investments from the federal government, foundations, businesses, venture capital firms and other entities.

NYSTAR will be able provide Irish start-up technology companies with physical space; access to capital; coaching; mentoring; networking connections; prototype development; and access to other technical services through its partnerships with incubators, research institutions, accelerator programs, and universities. This includes connections to a network of manufacturers through our NY MEP centers, which provide growth and innovation services to small and mid-sized manufacturers.