NEW ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAMME IN KERRY - If you are a budding entrepreneur then the Endeavour Programme at the Kerry Technology Park wants to hear from you. The brainchild of the Institute of Technology, Tralee (ITT) and Shannon Development's Kerry Technology Park, the programme is offering ten entrepreneurs the launch pad to bring their business concept to life. It is now looking for applications nationally and internationally.
Jerry Kennelly, founder of Stockbyte, is one of the organisers of the programme and he says the programme is looking for people who have to ability to really make 'something happen'. He says 'Endeavour' is willing to put in the resources in place to help them. It will have people and organisations like William Fry, Ernst & Young and Terry Prone's Communications Clinic to give the entrepreneurs the services and support that any multi-national will have at their fingertips. In addition to that, they will have one-to-one mentoring with some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country, including Michael Carey of Jacob Fruitfield, Conor Foley of WorldSpreads and David Walsh of Netwatch.
Mr Kennelly says he is expected hundreds of responses to the programme and 30 people will initially be selected. They will be given some time to present their business plans and from that 30, ten will be picked and given the full services and professional advice that they will need to put them in a funding or operational state.
For more information visit www.endeavour.biz.
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MORE RE-INSURANCE FIRMS SET TO MOVE TO IRELAND - The announcement earlier this year that US tax authorities are to re-examine how they treat offshore tax havens may be to Ireland's advantage in the re-insurance industry.
Garvan O'Neill, a partner with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, says the re-insurance industry is examining the most attractive location from a number of fronts to locate its future. He says that Ireland comes out reasonably well from that perspective as it is already a well recognised re-insurance centre, and also has a stable, efficient, transparent and internationally recognised tax arrangement. He says the current economic crisis has focused a lot of people's minds on what is their best construct for the future and adds that it is not exclusively a tax-driven arrangement.
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MORNING BRIEFS - Bankers' bonuses came under the spotlight at the G20 finance ministers meeting in London over the weekend. Greater transparency and limits are being examined as part of an attempt to restructure the global financial system. The proposals will come under further discussion at the G20 leaders' summit in Pittsburgh later this month.
*** There was lots of coverage in the newspapers over the weekend about the boardroom brawl in Independent News and Media. Last week we heard that Denis O'Brien has called for an EGM to table various motions which would restructure the company. Contested details of a heated phone conversation between Mr O'Brien and the company's chief executive Gavin O'Reilly have emerged while it has also been reported that German media giant Axel Springer may have made an approach to the company. A spokesman for INM confirmed approaches from several potential investors have been made but went no further than that.
*** Denis O'Brien's Digicel is also in the news this morning with its competitor in the Caribbean, Cable & Wireless, filing a lawsuit in Jamaica alleging overcharging.
*** On the currency markets the euro is trading at 87.5 pence sterling and $1.43.
