The Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG), comprising of high-level technology Irish and Irish-American leaders in Silicon Valley, is opening an office at Westpark Shannon as part of a newly signed agreement aimed at developing closer ties between Silicon Valley companies and the Atlantic Way region of the West of Ireland.


The office at the County Clare Business Campus, home to some of the world's leading companies such as GE, Digital River, Genesis Lease and SES, as well as serving as the National Regional Headquarters for Enterprise Ireland, will promote the existing technology-related strengths of the Shannon Region and link established and new start-ups with leading and emerging companies in California.

The announcement came today at an event in Stanford University, California attended by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Mary Coughlan and Mr. Jason O'Connell, Westpark Shannon. John Hartnett (right of picture), Chairman, Irish Technology Leadership Group and a native of Limerick, emphasised the importance of innovation for Ireland in the current difficult global economic climate. 

He said, "I am very excited that the opening of this new office will greatly assist in that process. It will act as a conduit for contacts between major U.S. technology corporations and Irish enterprises."

The Atlantic Way was established in 2005 with the intention of creating a region of excellence for future economic and social growth along the Galway to Limerick/Shannon corridor.

Its Chairman and Managing Director of Westpark Shannon, Mr. Brian O'Connell, commented, "This initiative is especially timely. It highlights the attraction of the Shannon Region of Ireland as a low-cost, high-contribution centre for U.S. companies wishing to develop their global enterprise models through a presence in Europe".

Featuring over one million square feet of premium office accommodation on 40 acres of elevated parkland, Westpark works in partnership with regional and national enterprise development agencies to actively promote Ireland and its mid-west region towards achieving its fullest economic potential. The campus development programme at Westpark has seen three of seven modules completed to date  with each Campus building exceeding 110,000 sq ft.

ITLG, was formed in 2007 and has received substantial backing from Enterprise Ireland. It held its “Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland 2008” tour last November at Trinity College Dublin which was supported by Microsoft Ireland and Cisco Ireland.

The organisation led a delegation of US financiers looking for promising Irish start-ups to invest a $50m dollar fund (read more). According to an Irish Times report, Richard Moran, a partner with Venrock Ventures, the venture capital firm founded by the Rockefeller family, said, "Some of the ideas are great, but no-one convinced me they could be great."

Despite several requests, the organisation has declined to comment on the result of the event and if any of the companies who presented behind closed doors received funding.

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