Growth Stage Tech Companies get expert support in bid to reach next level

Growth-Stage Tech Companies will benefit from a Galway-based programme designed to help them scale their businesses to competitive size.

Galway Technology Centre (GTC) and NUI Galway’s J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics have partnered to deliver a series of  Scaling Masterclasses targeting founders and senior management in growing innovation driven tech companies. The interactive sessions will include case studies, guest facilitators with first-hand scaling experience and peer-to-peer learning.

NUI Galway’s Jonathan Levie, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, and Esther Tippmann, Professor of Strategy, Leadership and Change, who have extensive experience of working closely with scaling firms to achieve their potential, will deliver the masterclasses. They will be complemented by guest facilitator Stephen McIntyre of Frontline Ventures.

“This region has an abundance of tech companies who have brought products to market and discovered a viable business model. Their next challenge is to grow by at least 20 per cent per annum, and the Scaling Masterclasses aim to support them as they do that. It is a wonderful opportunity for scaling companies to tap into the expertise available at NUI Galway,” said Niamh Costello, General Manager, GTC.

“At the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, we have identified growth and scaling of entrepreneurial firms as a key target area for us to contribute to, by collaborating with the best researchers and practitioners in this area around the world. These masterclasses are just the start of a long term commitment to this issue,” said Professor Jonathan Levie, NUI Galway.

“This is a new pilot initiative to address an important challenge – the supports for scaling companies. We are excited to have partnered with Galway Technology Centre to deliver execution-focused masterclasses. The management of rapid growth is demanding and we are looking forward to supporting scaling tech businesses to develop their firms. The masterclasses will take place in 2020 and will cover the following topics: The imperatives of scaling: Mastering replication and entrepreneurship; Leading at scale: Vision, mission and culture for scaling and metrics that matter; Selling at scale: Moving from founder selling to professional sales. Financing scaling: Financing your scale-up and becoming financially fit for scaling; Tying it all together: Scaling lessons,” said Professor Esther Tippmann, NUI Galway.


NUI Galway’s Jonathan Levie, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Regional Development. (pic: Aengus McMahon)

 


Jonathan has 35 years’ experience in entrepreneurship education and research in leading business schools including London Business School, INSEAD, IMD, Babson College, Audencia and, for the last 20 years, Strathclyde Business School, Scotland’s leading business school, where he was founding director of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship.




Esther Tippmann, Professor of Strategy, Leadership and Change, NUIG (pic: Aengus McMahon)

Esther is vastly experienced in strategy and international business education and research from leading business schools including the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business (University College Dublin) and Grenoble Ecole de Management. She has worked closely with several scaling SaaS firms in Ireland and the U.S. on case studies and research projects to understand the challenges of rapid growth, especially in international markets.

Stephen was Vice President of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Twitter, where he set up and led the regional business. Previously, he held a variety of leadership roles at Google.

Niamh Costello, General Manager, Galway Technology Centre. (Photo Martina Regan)

Galway Technology Centre is an enterprise and innovation hub that provides flexible space, supports and infrastructure for ambitious scaling innovation driven technology companies.

The centre is home to 45 companies in ICT, digital media and knowledge-based sectors. Since its foundation in 1994 it has supported the creation of 3,000 jobs. 

For further information and to express your interest in participating, please email [email protected] by 16th January 2020.