Editorial

The Digital Hub recently published an Enterprise survey of companies in the Digital Hub. This survey was commissioned as a joint initiative between the Digital Hub CEO Forum and the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) and was conducted and evaluated by the BCN Eolas Partnership, an independent consultancy. With the Digital Hub now being home to almost 100 companies employing over 750 people, the survey was the first attempt at defining, classifying and profiling the digital media industry operating within the Digital Hub.

The survey covered 12 specific topics, ranging from financing to collaboration and innovation and the results prove interesting reading for policy-makers and those generally interested in the burgeoning digital media industry. The survey goes one more step to further defining an industry which has proved difficult to classify due to its convergent nature. Digital media encompasses and crosses over into a wide-range of other industry sectors such as software, content creation and telecoms, to name but a few.

The survey is available here

In summary, there were a number of interesting facts that emerged from the survey.  For example, 79% of all respondents fall into the start-up or early growth stage. With the majority at such an early stage, there needs and requirements are certainly quantifiably different to later stage companies and this fact will give industry sponsors a more focussed grasp of what needs to be done to support them. In a tough economic climate, it is gratifying to hear (and indicative of the growing strength of the industry) that respondents predicted a 35% growth in employment this year, which is about thirty times the national average.

With over 85% of employees having a National Framework Qualification of between 6 -10 (or the equivalent of), it is clear that this sector is very much at the higher end of the value chain. Worryingly though, there was concern among all companies about the quality of education courses that would ensure the continuance of skilled employees emerging from the universities and Institutes of Technology. This is something that the government and educational specialists need to take note of as the promise of this industry can only be matched by the quality of the graduates it employees. 

55% of respondents were experiencing varying degrees of difficulty with recruiting suitably qualified staff, particularly experienced project managers, interactive designers and programmers, as well as sales and marketing staff.

The majority of companies were export-orientated with the UK being the largest export market and exports accounted for an increasing share of corporate revenues in 2007. The primary source of investment was owner equity, either in the form of hard cash or sweat equity investment, accounting for 48% of initial investment. It is likely that all 87 companies in the Hub will collectively seek to raise approximately €65 million in funding in the next year.

In terms of the cluster effect of The Digital Hub, the feedback is quite positive and endorses the strategic aim of The Digital Hub to create a dedicated environment for Digital Media companies. During 2007, the primary method of collaboration between Hub companies was on an adhoc basis on matters such as business strategy and development which accounted for 32% of activity. A further 20% lay claim to some collaboration on sales and marketing activities, while 10% have entered into actual joint-venture and strategic partnership arrangements respectively. Only 4% of companies are working together on research and development activities.

Based on the survey results there are a number of areas that need to be focussed on to ensure the continued success of The Digital Hub initiative and the industry as a whole. In particular, the digital media industry must develop stronger relationships within the industry, so it can develop a market presence or “identity,” encourage collaboration within the industry on key issues and speak with one voice. In turn it needs to foster relationships with other sectors (i.e., the computer, telecommunications and creative/content industries) as well as nurture strategic partnerships with other sectors that are a market for its products (health, education etc.) It must also develop strong partnerships with government and state support agencies, whose policies and programmes can directly affect the industry and its ability to grow.

Suitable financing and funding is inevitably key to the growth of the industry and the industry must develop its business planning and marketing skills, educate investors about the benefits of investing in digital media and identify “angels” who are willing to invest in what is still a high-risk industry. The industry should also work to explore the potential for collaborative, public and private sector investment.

The Digital Hub Development Agency already has a strategic foothold in this field and the potential to develop an industry that will drive the information economy. With concerted effort on the part of industry and government, and with strategic partnerships with other industries, The Digital Hub can develop from Ireland’s leader in digital media to a significant player on the global market.

Ireland takes on the Dragons

Many an armchair entrepreneur will have watched the BBC’s “Dragon’s Den” which pits individuals with a business idea against a team of so-called ‘dragon’ investors – five successful UK entrepreneurs who have the money to invest and make the idea happen…or not, as the case may be. It can make for painful viewing as you watch some poor individual’s hopes and dreams torn apart by the wealthy and opinionated. For some reason, it seems even crueller then telling people that they can’t sing!

So when The Hub heard that iFoods.tv, a company resident in The Digital Hub, was to go in front of the dragon panel, we had to salute their bravery – as indeed every armchair entrepreneur in Ireland did. Established by Chef Niall Harbison and his business partner Sean Fee, iFoods.tv is a website which provides free online video recipes with professional chefs and a social community for food lovers. 

Niall Harbison, iFoods.tv

iFoods has over 130 free high quality, professional video cooking tutorials presented by iFoods’ chefs Niall Harbison and Pieter Plaetinck and guests, as well as a host of social networking functions and the ability for members to upload their own foodie content.

Based now in The Digital Hub in Dublin, iFoods.tv was previously a participant – like a growing number of technology-based start-ups - on the Hothouse Enterprise Platform Programme in East Wall. DIT Hothouse (www.pdc.ie) is a year-long comprehensive support and incubation programme for entrepreneurs with technology-based business ideas and there are now a number of similar ventures all around the country, attached to universities and Institutes of Technology including Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Cork Institute of Technology and Dun Laoghaire’s Institute of Art, Design and Technology. 
The programme offers participants a number of supports including incubation space, management development training, strategic business counselling and access to an enterprise and investment network.
Niall Harbison, has cooked for many of the worlds most famous people over the years including Bill Gates, U2 and Victoria Beckham, to name a few. Niall commented: “Before I got back to Europe to start iFoods.tv I hadn’t heard of the Dragon’s Den, as I’d been on super-yachts in the Caribbean for 3 years, but everyone I spoke to said if we were ever looking to raise money we should give it a try, so we did”.
 
Although, ultimately unsuccessful in gaining investment on the Dragon’s Den due to the similarity of their website address to a rival site, the iFoods.tv team exhibited all the traits that we are now beginning to see in technology start-up ventures emerging from these enterprise programmes; a solid business plan, excellent communication skills, technical proficiency, tightly controlled spend, a sense of passion and a thorough understanding of their marketplace.

Encouragingly, there are a number of well-funded start-ups emerging from all areas of Ireland – not just Dublin and The Digital Hub.  Particularly, there are ones emerging from places that might have previously been considered unemployment black spots.  Increasingly, it is a lifestyle choice for those involved to locate in the regions. Historically, the need for education or employment would have drawn them to the urban centres or abroad. But now, with increased connectivity, experienced IT people are returning and setting up shop in their home towns. Often, costs are lower and the upend in terms of lifestyle is a key driver.

Some of these enterprises are emerging organically out of the collaboration between universities and enterprise in the regions, benefiting from targeted investment by the government. Take for example, the innovative TripPlanr – which is collaboration between Irish start-up Tourist Republic and the National University of Ireland’s Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) in Galway.  TripPlanr is an intelligent application that will suck data in from travel sites, blogs, social networks etc. and come up with a customised trip best suited to the individual.

“TripPlanr will take content that is already out there. It will scan different websites, online tourist guides, blogging platforms, and create a big library of reviews on location, as well as scanning all the different booking elements of a trip: flights, hotels, car hire, activities,” said Jan Blanchard, founder of Tourist Republic.

TripPlanr uses Semantic Web technology – a specialist research area for DERI - which is an evolving extension of the World Wide Web in which the semantics of information and services on the web is defined, making it possible for the web to understand and satisfy the requests of people and machines to use the web content. Put simply, it is a more intelligent web that understands the meaning of the information on its pages rather then just linking to them blindly. So, for example, if you search for Paris Hilton, the semantic web will understand whether you are a refined traveller looking to stay in a top class hotel in the capital of France or whether you are a keen reader of Heat magazine looking for gossip about a certain celebrity! Adapting this technology to the online tourism sector is a great example of how Irish companies are embracing the next generation of web applications (or Web 2.0) and are positioning themselves as potential leaders. The fact that this sort of innovation is coming from the regions is heartening and shows that the knowledge economy is a moveable feast.

Another surprising example emerging from the regions is the self-professed Google-killer, Cuil – a search engine start-up which emerged out of County Louth, not the first place you would normally think of for a Silicon Valley wannabe. Cuil was founded by highly respected search experts,  husband and wife team Tom Costello and Anna Patterson who have now set up their headquarters in Menlo Park, California with 10 – 15 employees.

Costelloe, originally a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, brushed up against Sergei Brin, the founder of Google, while at Stanford University before gong on to join IBM. Meanwhile, his wife Anne was working on an internet archiving system that was snapped up by Google. Soon, she was designing some of Google’s most important search programmes. Costelloe, meanwhile, became a house-husband and took to his garage to tinker away on what would later become Cuil (pronounced “Cool” as in the Gaelic word for knowledge).

Tom Costelloe, Founder, Cuil

Reports suggest that they have received around €20 million in private investment. Cuil is just starting its journey towards hopeful dominance in the online search market.

Meanwhile, in Kilkenny, IT professional Keith Bohanna has set up DB Twang (www.dbtwang.com), a niche social network site for guitar players. dbTwang provides a trusted place on the web where guitar players and collectors can keep important information about their instruments securely and in complete confidence. It also provides a unique and dynamic platform that enables its members to share information selectively in a trusted and safe environment with fellow members and to complete secure trades by mutual consent.

“Everything we do has to be focused on making it easier for our users/members/subscribers to learn from each other, share their passions and knowledge and allow them to trade with each other in a trusted environment. “ says Bohanna.

Keith Bohanna, DBTwang

Currently, both he and his partner in the business, Fintan Blake Kelly, are still working as IT consultants, but hope to raise the necessary Angel investment to put 100% of their energies into the enterprise.

Finally, there is, of course, the success of the young Collison brothers from Limerick who in their teens have successfully built and sold their first web company, Auctomatic, for a seven figure sum. This was done with the assistance of Y-Combinator, a Silicon Valley based start-up scheme that helps young entrepreneurs in the web arena. As is increasingly common with these global-orientated, web-based initiatives, it doesn’t matter what country you come from, the main requisite is simply a good idea. (This, by the way, is another paradigm shift that seems to be eluding policy-makers in the European Union; in a globalised environment where everyone is connected, the idea of nationhood rapidly becomes irrelevant.)

Perhaps this is the next stage of evolution for the Enterprise Platform Programmes. As the recent Digital Hub Enterprise Survey suggests, the big barriers for start-ups developing in this country is both having the necessary business experience as well as gaining the enough investment.

An initiative like Y-Combinator provides both and, more importantly, it is shamelessly commercial which in turn incentivises success. Also, capital is now firmly global and we should be trying to set up more mechanisms whereby venture capital and angel investment isn’t solely coming from local investors. Although the clarion call of Silicon Valley is hard to ignore, the likes of Israel have proved that you can grow a healthy, global technology hub anywhere in the world.

The founder of Y-Combinator, Paul Graham, recently posted an interesting “Call to arms” on the Y-Combinator site (www.y-combinator.com) outlining the sort of ideas that they would like to see being pitched to them. For our budding armchair entrepreneurs in Ireland, it makes for exciting reading. These include:

Something your company needs that doesn’t exist, New news, A cure for the disease of which the Recording Industry Association of America is a symptom. (This is a call for new business models to sort out the music industry as the studios entrench themselves deeper in their futile battle against piracy).  Simplified browsing, Enterprise software 2.0,  Dating,  Photo/video sharing services, Off the shelf security, Shopping guides, a buffer against bad customer service, a Craigslist competitor, fixing email overload and Start-ups for start-ups (like Y-Combinator itself, this is a call for enterprises to develop that support new enterprises.)

So now there is no excuse. No matter where you come from in Ireland or where you choose to live, as long as you have a Personal Computer, an internet connection and driving ambition, you too can go to work on the internet. Who knows maybe you’ll be the next Google or Ebay… or Cuil or TripAdvisor. But you have to get off the armchair first.

News

The Digital Hub’s ReelTime film announced - The King of Kong: A fistful of Quarters
As part of the 2008 World Cyber Games Ireland celebrations The Digital Hub is proud to present a ReelTime screening of ‘The King of Kong; A Fistful of Quarters’ at the very cool, and comfy Budda Bag store, on New Millennium Walkway, on Wednesday 3rd September.
 
For free tickets email your name, phone, email address and how many you would like to gameon@thedigitalhub.com. Tickets are (very) limited, so get in touch now. Check out a trailer for ‘The King of Kong: A fistful of Quarters’ here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPLjXjObEms.
 
Doors open at 6.30pm. Film will start at 7pm promptly
 
Please note - You will not be able to get tickets from the Budda Bag store. You can only get a ticket by mailing gameon@thedigitalhub.com in advance.

Irish Final of eircom World Cyber Games 2008 – 6th/7th September.
This September will see the return of the Irish final of World Cyber Games to The Digital Hub. The World Cyber Games is known as the Olympics for computer gamers. It takes place every year, with gamers from all over the world competing against each other. Since 2006 Ireland has been taking part in this prestigious event and each year the Irish final has been held in The Digital Hub in Dublin.
 
This year’s Irish final, sponsored by eircom, will be held on the 6th & 7th of September and looks set to be another mammoth 24 hour gaming event attended by the very best Irish gamers. They will battle against each other in PC and Xbox games to gain a place in Team Ireland, who will represent Ireland at the Grand Final in Cologne, Germany from the 5th to the 9th of November 2008. There they will compete against 73 other countries, representing the very best gamers internationally.
 
Check www.worldcybergamesireland.com for further information and updates.

Digital Media Courses at The Digital Hub
The Digital Hub offers short intensive courses in specific aspects of digital media. From introductory courses for those just starting out, to master classes aimed at industry professionals our experienced lecturers will share their skills in a professional friendly environment. The autumn schedule of courses has been announced online.  In the meantime if you require further details please email learning@thedigitalhub.com

PutPlace
PutPlace, located in The Digital Hub, have just launched their public beta. It offers a really simple way to manage a multi-format, multi-device digital life. PutPlace offers real-time back-up of your content with remote access and full tracing and versioning. In other words, PutPlace makes sure you can always find and access your content and all its versions, even if your computer gives up the ghost. PutPlace integrates with Flickr for easy, automatic photo uploading and they will be rolling out integrations with other popular publishing and social networking sites soon.

If you'd like to see how automatic, real-time data back-up can secure your data and make life easier, then try out PutPlace. You'll get to use it for free for a while if you sign up before September!
http://www.putplace.com/

Events

2nd September 2008 - First Tuesday September - NGN – An Industry Perspective
Location: Location: The Burlington Hotel, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.
Time: 2.30pm
Price: €200 or €50 for evening only

This First Tuesday will be in two parts. The regular Dragons Den pitching format before a panel of prominent Irish entrepreneurs will begin at 6.30pm. If you are interested in pitching please contact: david@firsttuesday.ie. Prior to this event beginning at 3pm we are running an industry forum on Next Generation Networks with the opening address from Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

More information: david@firsttuesday.ie
Tel :(01) 7008508
http://www.firsttuesday.ie

9th September 2008: java@cork 08 - 1 day conference
Location: Radisson SAS Hotel, Little Island, Cork. Price:
Time: 8.45ama
Members €80, non €130

it@cork are hosting a one day Java conference. Speakers include Ben Hale SpringSource; Ralph Mueller Eclipse Foundation; James Sugrue Pilz Ireland; Phil Corcoran RR Donnelley; Jonas Partner SpringSource; Oisin Hurley Iona Technologies; and Simon Ritter Sun Microsystems.

More information: admin@itcork.ie
Tel: 021 230 7076
http://www.itcork.ie/index.cfm?page=events&eventId=122

May 16th: Business & IT Summit
Location: The Royal College of Physicians, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Time: 9am
Price: Free

it@cork are hosting a one day Java conference. Speakers include Ben Hale SpringSource; Ralph Mueller Eclipse Foundation; James Sugrue Pilz Ireland; Phil Corcoran RR Donnelley; Jonas Partner SpringSource; Oisin Hurley Iona Technologies; and Simon Ritter Sun Microsystems.

More information: admin@itcork.ie 
Tel: 021 230 7076  http://www.itcork.ie/index.cfm?page=events&eventId=122

11th September: Enterprise Ireland National Innovation Forum "Making Innovation Deliver Results"
Location: Croke Park, Dublin 3.
Time: 8:15am
Price: €200

Success in business has become increasingly dependent on the ability to deliver greater customer value through innovation. To be successful, innovation must deliver tangible outcomes. This year’s National Innovation Forum “Making Innovation Deliver Results” will show how you can use the latest innovation strategies to improve your level of innovation and drive growth and competitiveness in your organisation. Innovation involves doing new things or old things in a new way. How do we develop new thinking ourselves? How do we influence our colleagues to think and act in new ways? The Forum will enable you to hear at first hand from some of the world’s pre-eminent innovation practitioners and thought leaders such as Robert Shelton former senior executive at Arthur D. Little and the Stanford Research Institute, author of Making Innovation Work and Leader of PRTM’s Innovation Practice in the USA, and Dr Elena Lurie-Luke, Head of Bioscience Business Development and member of Proctor and Gamble’s Connect & Develop team. A unique aspect of this year’s Forum will be the ability for participants to network with the expert speakers during the break intervals.

More information: innovation@enterprise-ireland.com
www.enterprise-ireland.com/

17th September 2008: INEX Meeting
Location: Camden Court Hotel, Dublin 2
Time: 12.30pm
Price: Free

INEX Meetings attract in the region of 60 - 90 representatives from across the Internet, Content and Telecoms industries in Ireland. The meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet and network with those involved in these industries. The meeting will be followed by drinks in the bar and a further opportunity to meet with those attending. The full meeting line-up has yet to be finalised but will include presentations from; Patrick Gilmore, Akamai who will be presenting on how Akamai works and also a deeper insight into how Content Distribution Networks Peer; Nigel Titley, Global Peering and Transit Manager at Easynet In addition to his role at Easynet, Nigel is also the current Chairman of the Executive Committee of RIPE NCC. Nigel has been involved in IP Networks since the early days of the Internet and was one of the architects of BT's first commercial internet offering. He is also one of the founders of LINX. In his presentation he will talk about his experience in the peering world and look at why Easynet has just built out a US network solely for peering traffic; Martin Keogh, Sales Director at e|net - Martin will be looking at the ongoing development of the MANs programme including details on the new Phase 2 network. He will also be providing an overview of the e|net product suite.

More information: eileen.gallagher@inex.ie 
Tel: 087 911 9954
http://www.inex.ie/media/meetings

18th September: Datapoint - The benefits of using speech recognition and voice biometric technology
Location: The Merchant Hotel, 35-39 Waring Street, Cathedral Quarter, Belfast
Time: 10:30 - 16:00
Price: Free

Reduce costs and improve customer service for your contact centre through the creation of an automated "Customer Front Door". This Best Practice Forum will be looking at how you can realise the benefits of using speech recognition and voice biometric (voiceprint) technology to; Identify the reason for your customers call and routing them automatically to the correct destination; Generate agent time savings by reducing the need for agents to go through repetitive, lengthy and cumbersome customer identification procedures; Improve customer convenience by providing a quick and effective way for them to identify and verify their identity without having to remember passwords or pin numbers; and Generate additional agent time savings by automating repetitive, high volume call types using speech recognition e.g. branch locations or change of address, etc.

More information: sylwia@datapoint.com
Tel: +353 (0)1 476 4200
http://bit.ly/3WicpV

30th September: Irish eGovernment Symposium
Location: Croke Park Conference Centre, Jones Road, Dublin 3
Time: 9.30am to 4.30pm
Price: €335 & €395

The Irish eGovernment Awards, in association with eircom, is bringing together leading international and Irish eGovernment experts and practitioners for a one day eSymposium. The eSymposium will provide public sector professionals, from both central and local government, with a forum for the exchange of visions, ideas, practice, results and experience.

More information: irene@irishegovernmentawards.ie
Tel: 01 668 0601
http://www.irishegovernmentawards.ie/esymposium.htm

October 16th: Unlock the Power of Virtualisation
Location: Clontarf Castle, Dublin 3.
Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm
Price: Free

Are you excited about the power of VDI, but find the economics and performance lacking? Discuss how Citrix is lowering your IT costs and changing the way the world looks at end-to-end Virtualisation.

Topics covered will include; *Citrix XenDesktop - Virtualising Windows-based desktops. XenDesktop is the industry’s first complete Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) system – moving beyond the limitations of existing products to ensure the simple, secure and cost effective delivery of Windows desktops to any office worker. * Citrix XenApp - Delivering Windows-based applications. This application delivery system automatically selects the best delivery method for the user, the application, and the location. * Citrix XenServer - Virtualising Windows-based servers. The XenServer product line is an enterprise-class server solution for virtualising servers in the data centre as a flexible aggregated pool of computing and storage resources. XenServer combines comprehensive server virtualisation capabilities with unparalleled scalability, performance and ease-of-use. Places are strictly limited. Visit the website to book your place.

More information: dublin@outsourcedevents.com
Tel: 01 208 995 9495
http://bit.ly/3h0Ptc