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Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

enterprise-ireland.com

61–70 of 70 posts

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#61

You might get a better deal in other countries but 12.5% corporate tax is hard to beat. Also the fact that just about every silicon valley heavyweight has significant operations (dev, marketing & support) in Ireland is an indicator something is being done right over there. Cheap, regular flights from Dublin to just about anywhere in Europe make those trips to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Germany into just day trips.…

If by right you mean tax evasion (technically avoidance) through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_Arrangement

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#62

i'm in dublin, but ironically I'm looking for a US visa. Swap passports anyone? <-- I'm JOKING!!!

Care to share why you're looking for a US visa? Your comment would certainly add value to the conversation (ie Why do you think the US is better for entrepreneurs than Ireland?)

Well I think there are way more opportunities for me in the US compared to Ireland, so that's the main reason that I would leave. But whether its better for entrepreneurs or not is a different question really, but I'll try to answer it...

Dublin's startup scene is at a much earlier stage, so there certainly isn't the same sort of community, talent, mentorship etc.

Raising money would also be more challenging, since there are only a hand full of VC's.

Sounds a little trivial, but it is worth saying that there is a really strong sense of pessimism here at the moment (because we're basically bankrupt). This is actually rather overwhelming and hard to escape from.

I also agree with the point regarding ambition. There isn't the same rampant enthusiasm here to actually build things and achieve something. So its harder to find like-minded co-founders... people who are willing to throw caution to the wind, work incredibly hard and just go for it.

Having said all those things, its undeniable that there is definitely something really positive happening in Dublin at the moment. This is the second incubator fund that's been put together (the first closed in jan of this year). Also take a look at the dublin web summit... http://www.dublinwebsummit.com/

Dogpatch has also announced that they are opening an incubator in Dublin, and DCU's incubator has just joined the Techstars network.

There are also tonnes of great hackers in Dublin, many of whom are world class. The problem is that most are comfortably tied up in their jobs at google or wherever. During the last 10 years here, the game plan was this... get a good job, leverage yourself up to the tonsils to buy a house and watch as it increased in value by 20% year on year. They buy another. People were becoming paper millionaires in their 20's, so there was no incentive to try something else. Things are different now and I think that the startup bug is going to catch pretty soon. All it takes is one reasonably successful exit and the media will be all over it. Then you'll see some great talent being shook loose.

It's not the valley, that's for sure, but for Europe I think its a great option.

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#63
post #49

Dublin is a great place to live and good place for tech companies. I recently had to hire a developer and got plenty of good resumes and was really happy with the eventual hire. Google, PayPal, Facebook are here and loads of online gaming/gambling companies too. Plus you can't beat the Guiness. That being said, I'd say that if you aren't already in Ireland--the funding above would probably not be an option. Getting a…

Google, PayPal, Facebook are here Amazon aswell. Their AWS EU datacentre is in Ireland.

Their are (or were) all HQ in Ireland as a tax measure - not sure how many employees they had.

Google particularly had a lot of employees in London but only paid tax in Ireland

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#64
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely don't get it.

You have a far greater chance of obtaining a visa which lets you work and live in Ireland, than you do for the US.

You have a far greater chance of obtaining a visa which lets you work and live on Mars, than you do for the US

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#65
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your company must be based in Luxembourg, so you must have an authorization to create a company in Luxembourg which is sometimes hard to get. But they are trying to improve things there. You will get the help only once and it will only match the investment you invest into your company as well. So if invest 0€ into your company, you will also get 0€.

You need relatively substantial skin in the game. The minimum amount necessary to register a company is somewhere between €12,500 and €31,000. http://www.ocra.com/solutions/setbusiness_luxembourg.asp

but what about residency? From what I gathered at your linked website (tnx btw, seems like a great resource) their work permit (aka working for an employer) rules are pretty lax... Is it the same for working on your own?

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#66
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, if your parents or grandparents are Irish diaspora, like mine, you can claim Irish citizenship fairly easily. They already consider you a citizen, technically, so there's no immigration proceedings; you just need to "register a foreign birth" and provide documentation. Actually, if that's true of any EU country with similar rules you could claim citizenship in that country and be allowed to live and work in Irela…

if your parents or grandparents are Irish diaspora, like mine, you can claim Irish citizenship fairly easily. They already consider you a citizen, technically, so there's no immigration proceedings; you just need to "register a foreign birth" and provide documentation. Yep. More info: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/irish_ci...

It does take time. My application took nine months and that seems to be the average time.

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#67

Dublin is a great place to live and good place for tech companies. I recently had to hire a developer and got plenty of good resumes and was really happy with the eventual hire. Google, PayPal, Facebook are here and loads of online gaming/gambling companies too. Plus you can't beat the Guiness. That being said, I'd say that if you aren't already in Ireland--the funding above would probably not be an option. Getting a…

I'm a new grad (PhD CompSci) looking for a job in Dublin - where did you advertise your position? Where would you suggest I look? Any tips?

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#69
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google, PayPal, Facebook are here Amazon aswell. Their AWS EU datacentre is in Ireland.

Their are (or were) all HQ in Ireland as a tax measure - not sure how many employees they had. Google particularly had a lot of employees in London but only paid tax in Ireland

I know for a fact that Google employes hundreds/thousands of technical people in Ireland. Amazon also employes technical people in Irealdn

Re: Competitive Start Fund (CSF) - Enterprise Ireland

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Care to share why you're looking for a US visa? Your comment would certainly add value to the conversation (ie Why do you think the US is better for entrepreneurs than Ireland?)

Well I think there are way more opportunities for me in the US compared to Ireland, so that's the main reason that I would leave. But whether its better for entrepreneurs or not is a different question really, but I'll try to answer it... Dublin's startup scene is at a much earlier stage, so there certainly isn't the same sort of community, talent, mentorship etc. Raising money would also be more challenging, since t…

Dublin: Europe’s next startup petri dish?

http://venturebeat.com/2011/03/08/dublin-europes-next-startu...

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