All aboard start-up train to web summit

Monday, October 21, 2013

By Vincent Ryan
Business Reporter

This year Cork is set to take part in one of the world’s top technology conferences, the annual Dublin Web Summit by running a start-up train from Cork to the event.

Paddy Cosgrave, Web Summit, right, joined Claire Dillon, Microsoft, and Pat Phelan, Trustev, to announce Le Galaxie as the headline act of the Microsoft Bing Party on Oct 31 in Meeting House Square. Pic: Naoise Culhane

Star of the Cork start-up anti-fraud firm, Trustev, and software giant Microsoft are co-sponsoring the Start-Up Express, a specially-chartered train filled with 180 entrepreneurs, businesspeople, technologists and students from Cork to deliver them to Dublin.

As with all things start-up, this train will be packed with opportunities, supports and tutorials.

There will be a Start-Up Carriage hosted by Microsoft and Trustev where ten Cork-based start-ups will be speed-tutored by experts from technology accelerator programme TechStars, as well as by entrepreneurs and experts from Microsoft.

A separate hardware Carriage will enable passengers to try out Microsoft devices including tablets and mobile phones.

The CEO of Trustev, Pat Phelan, said that he was amazed at the demand he received from people looking to get on board the start-up express.

“We’re very excited about Web Summit this year. The Start-Up Express was an idea that came to us and we never thought we’d have as much demand as it’s received. The growing interest has meant we’ve now got 180 travelling up from Cork with us by train to the Web Summit on Tuesday 29th.”

In addition to the Start Up Express, Microsoft is also co-sponsoring the Leaders’ Lunch which focuses on females in the sector, and on the final night it is hosting the Microsoft Bing Party which Le Galaxie are playing at in Meeting House Square.