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Explore Your Entrepreneurial Potential and Emerge from the Recession:
Invent DCU / DkIT Launch PRIDE Programme
21st October 2009
DCU and Dundalk Institute of Technology have just launched a joint initiative for young alumni to explore new business ideas with leading industry experts. The initiative, which is called PRIDE, is primarily aimed at recently unemployed DCU and DkIT alumni. Many of these graduates are trained and experienced in technology related fields but lacking in business acumen. Several may have the genesis of a new business idea already in place. PRIDE aims to provide a stepping stone to self employment in which graduates can acquire the necessary business skills required to research, plan and execute a new start-up.
The entire programme will be offered free of charge to participants and will take place over a 3 month period.
The Pride Programme is not your typical ‘Start Your Own Business Course’. It differentiates itself in that it will focus in-depth initially on the feasibility and viability of these new business ideas. This will be done by means of a series of interactive workshops over a 5 week period alternating between the two campuses and will commence February 2009.
The next stage of the programme will be to deliver an expert evaluation of these new proposals, along with potential space in one of the two incubation centres (Invent DCU & The Regional Development Centre at DkIT). Participating graduates are encouraged to go as far as they possibly can within the PRIDE programme and avail of the many supports that Invent DCU and the RDC DkiT have to offer.
An online business mentoring facility will be launched as part of the initiative to meet the practical challenges of current and past graduates. In addition, proof of concept funds will be available to a number of qualifying projects (The Paraic Mc Keown Memorial Fund). Paraic, a native of Dundalk & a student at DCU, died tragically this summer while working on a J1 Visa in Toronto Canada. Funds, in honour of Paraic’s memory, have been provided by the Irish community in Canada for the benefit of young Irish graduates. Paraic’s father Mr Pat Mc Keown, a successful entrepreneur, commented “Our family is delighted to be part of this worthy initiative & hope that the funds provided will help a number of enterprising graduates to realise their ambitions.”
“We are delighted to be partners in this unique initiative and look forward to future successful technology businesses being launched,” said Maria Johnston, Invent DCU.
Sean Mac Entee, Incubation Centre Manager at DkIT’s RDC, added “We hope that PRIDE will unleash the entrepreneurial spirit & talent of many of our graduates who with a little support & encouragement can & will become successful in business”
Click here to download an application form.
For further information on the PRIDE initiative, please contact:
Sean Mac Entee, DkIT
e: Sean.macentee@dkit.ie Tel: 042-93 70453
Maria Johnston, Invent DCU
e: maria.johnston@invent.dcu.ie Tel: 01-700 7597
Gerard Kiely, DCU Alumni Office
e: gerard.kiely@dcu.ie Tel: 01-700 8689
