GEC Startup To Scale Conference 2026

GEC Startup to Scale Conference: practical founder insights on funding, regulation, supports, UK expansion and scaling, 7 October.
About this Event

As part of a year-long programme celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) and its contribution to Ireland’s startup ecosystem, we are delighted to host the GEC Startup to Scale Conference on 7 October.

Designed with a Founder-to-Founder focus, this is a day for ambitious entrepreneurs looking to move from startup to scale-up with honest insights, practical advice and real stories from those who have been there.

We’ll explore the questions founders need answers to:

• How do you get your business off the ground - and ready to scale?
• What are funders really looking for when they write the cheque?
• How do regulation and government policy impact your growth journey?
• What does it really take to scale a successful Irish business?

The conference will also feature an inspiring conversation with one of Ireland’s leading entrepreneurs, John Corley, CEO of Spanish Point Technologies, who started the company in the GEC in 2005 and has built it into a successful technology business.

From starting out to scaling up, this is a chance to hear the real stories, learn from experienced founders and connect with the people who can help take your business to the next level. Come for the insights. Stay for the connections. Leave with ideas to accelerate your next stage of growth.

GEC Startup to Scale Conference SCHEDULE

09.30 am Arrivals & Networking

Opening Address & Welcome:

• Niamh Collins, Centre Director, Guinness Enterprise Centre
• David Varian, Chairman, Guinness Enterprise Centre

Ireland's Startup Supports Panel:
The Irish Startup Advantage: Supports to Help You Start, Grow & Scale

• Finding Your Starting Point – Navigating Ireland’s startup agencies, programmes and enterprise hubs to find the right support at the right stage.
• From Idea to Market – Accessing mentoring, training, networks, market validation and practical supports to turn an idea into a viable business.
• Fuel for Growth – Understanding the funding, talent, innovation and internationalisation supports available to help ambitious businesses grow.
• Building for Scale – Leveraging Ireland’s ecosystem, connections and global networks to access new markets, strategic partners and the expertise needed to scale.

Panellist:

• Chaired by: Conor O'Donovan, Head of Startups, Startup Ireland @ Enterprise Ireland
• Paul MacGabhann, Business Advisor, Local Enterprise Office Dublin City
• Majella Murphy, Head of Acceleration, Furthr
• Ronan Whitty, CEO, The Mill Enterprise Centre Drogheda

Policy to Practice: What Regulation Means for Founders
Declan Hughes, Secretary General, Department Enterprise, Trade & Tourism

Policy and regulatory landscape facing Ireland’s ambitious businesses

Scaling the Business: What nobody tells you - Panel
Hear from the Founders - Real stories. Real challenges. Real growth.

• The Supports That Made a Difference – The people, programmes, mentors and ecosystem supports that genuinely helped unlock growth.
• Funding the Journey – Key funding milestones, what investors look for and how Enterprise Ireland investment and supports helped accelerate the business.
• The Reality of Scaling Internationally – Lessons from entering new markets, building international teams, winning customers and navigating the challenges of going global.
• What We Wish We’d Known – The unexpected challenges, mistakes, tough decisions and hard-earned lessons that come with scaling a business.

Panellist:

• Chaired by: John Phelan, Co-Founder & Commercial Director, Advise CPG

• Sheelagh Brady, CEO and Co-Founder, Kowroo Limited
• Daniel Loftus, Founder & CEO, Urban Fox
• Sinead Crowther, CEO of Soothing Solutions, Creator of Tonstix Pops

11.45 am Networking & Coffee

Panel - Who writes the cheque?
Inside the Funding Landscape: Investors, Lenders & Alternative Capital

• Know Your Funding Options – From angel and venture capital to bank lending, grants and alternative finance — understand what’s available and which route best fits your business.
• Mind the Capital Gap – Where funding gaps emerge as businesses move from startup to scale-up, and how to navigate the transition between different sources of capital.
• Get Investment Ready – What funders really look for, how to build a compelling investment case and the numbers, story and ambition you need to demonstrate.
• Know Your Funder. Know Your Moment. – Understand who writes the cheque, what they want to see and, crucially, when is the right time to ask.

Panellist:

• Chaired by: Richard Watson, Managing Partner, Furthr VC & Chair of the IVCA
• Kevin Neary, Founder & former Managing Director of GameStop Group - Mentor & Investor.
• Niall McEvoy, Head of Venture, Elkstone Partners

Panel on Scaling into the UK: supports from our Neighbours
Unlocking new markets through Ireland–UK ecosystem partnerships

• Your Soft Landing into the UK – Practical support, workspace, networks and local connections to help Irish startups enter the UK with greater confidence and less risk.
• Three Ecosystems, Three Routes to Market – Hear from SISTER (Manchester), CodeBase (Scotland) and Central Tech (Liverpool) about the opportunities, supports and connections available to ambitious Irish founders.
• From Introduction to Opportunity – How ecosystem partnerships can open doors to customers, investors, talent, strategic partners and local business networks.
• Scale Smarter, Together – How the GEC’s partnerships with these three organisations create a two-way pathway between Ireland and the UK, helping companies move between ecosystems, test new markets and accelerate international growth.

Keynote Fireside Interview
Speaker: John Corley, Co-Founder & CEO, Spanish Point Technologies

• Starting from Scratch – John Corley’s journey from founding Spanish Point Technologies in the GEC in 2005, building the business from an early-stage startup into a successful technology company.
• The Decisions Behind the Growth – The pivotal moments, risks, opportunities and challenges that shaped the company’s growth — and the lessons learned along the way.
• Building a Business That Lasts – What it takes to create a sustainable, high-growth business over two decades, culminating in John being named a 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist — and what advice he would give today’s founders.

Interviewer: Martina Fitzgerald, Former RTÉ Journalist & Author, now CEO, Scale Ireland

Closing and Networking Lunch

We are charging a €25 fee - €1 for each year the GEC has been operating – the fee will go to charity, and we have chosen 2 charities - Look Good Feel Better – A global cancer support Programme – Little Flower Penny Dinners – Food for the body and soul for all who seek it - Both based in Dublin 8 with Look Good Feel Better HQ in the GEC.