Killorglin is the destination, and RDI Hub is the route. Through the collaboration of our local community and business network, we strive to create concepts and ventures that will help our region grow. The interactions between the community’s members have the biggest impact because a community does not grow independently. One of the best things about RDI Hub is that by bringing people together under one roof, relationships can be built and sustained to meet shared needs.
In this #WhyKillorglin series, we’ll look more closely at the businesses and startups that have made Killorglin their home, both now and in the future. We will feature stories of our team, our members, and our community throughout the year.
Some fun facts about Killorglin
- Population is approx 2200
- Part of the Kerry Hub Knowledge Triangle of Tralee, Killarney and Killorglin
- 40 years of financial expertise on our doorstep
- and 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience.
- World class annual events such as KFest and the legendary Puck Fair
- The beautiful stomping ground of the Reeks District
- Home is artists, writers, poets and entrepreneurs with global success
And some fun facts about the RDI Hub
- Fully staffed hub – 9 to be precise
- EIR’s – entrepreneurs in residence these are people that have done it all before and have lived to tell the tale and more importantly help others navigate the journey.
- Home to the largest tech founder network in Ireland
- Restaurant with the best view in Killorglin (maybe even Kerry?!)
- 25 members = companies, startup, entrepreneurs and consultants
- We hosted 13 major events and welcomed over 550 people (from far and wide) to the hub this year
We asked some of our members ‘Why Killorglin?’ Here’s what they said…
Owen Ferris, CEO & Founder of Off Hire Now
“There is something for everyone in Killorglin with over 70 community groups. This is important to help integrate your new staff members into the area and put down roots. The variety of job opportunities in the area is also another advantage as majority of people have to consider their partners career prospects in a new area also. It makes attracting and keeping staff a tad easier which has now become an ongoing issue”
Here are a few things we’ve done recently to show we are progressing in the right direction, to explain what the hub does and its significance to the economic growth of Killorglin.
Deborah Schull, Co-Founder at Cultural Roadmapp
“Being a member of RDI Hub, even if only virtually so far, has been almost magical. Connections catalyse and compound. Synchronicities abound. And business opportunities more significant than what I could have imagined open up. I don’t doubt that relocating (all the way from New York City) and being around Killorglin will only amplify the possibilities!”
Hrvoje (Harvey) Smolic, Founder at Graphite Note
“Working from RDI Hub in Killorglin is a great experience. It is a modern building full of experts, mentors, and peers eager to share their experiences and opinions. The hub provides a safe space to get feedback on ideas, no matter how small or big they are. It also pushes me out of my comfort zone in a positive way, which is something that can be difficult to do when working from home. The Killorglin hub is also a great place to grow our team. The passionate team at the hub is there to support us and provide access to information. The hub provides access to information and mentors who have been-there done-that. It also provides a great environment for collaboration and growth. The team will be able to learn from each other and benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of the hub.”
Something unique about RDI Hub & Killorglin
Bringing NDRC to Kerry, the national accelerator programme for start-ups
Together with our partners from Dublin’s Dogpatch Labs, Republic of Work in Cork, and PorterShed in Galway, we coached and helped 88 startups and founders this year. These startups came from a wide range of industries, but they all had trouble explaining what they do and who will buy it when they build it. Over the course of six weeks, startups connected via Zoom, gained knowledge from experts and from one another, and joined a community of like-minded founders to continue their founders’ journeys.
So what? To help them expand their businesses, strengthen the community, and create more job opportunities, we want to entice these startups to RDI Hub. Leo Rodiguez from Helgen Technologies is a great example of how this can work. Leo received a complimentary desk at the hub upon completion of the NDRC programme. He relocated his startup and team to Killorglin, quickly formed partnerships with local businesses and mentors, accessed funding and support, and expanded his team from two to fifteen in a single year.
Since becoming a member of RDI Hub, Leo has –
- been a keynote speaker at an onsite event on – ‘‘How to leverage AI for profit’
- Spoken on Kerry Radio (local station – 90k listeners per week)
- Selected for the Stanley Tech stars programme in Baltimore (big deal!)
- took part in the Dogpatch Labs & Huawei Scale Up programme
- featured in the Sunday Independent, speaking about the role of robotics in a time of labour shortages…just to name a few.
This series will continue in 2023, so subscribe to our newsletter and don’t miss out!
(Blog written by Maeve Lyons, Programme Manager at the RDI Hub.)
This blog was produced as part of the RDI hub’s participation in the Digital AEC programme. https://www.digital-ireland.ie/for-hubs/
