Dublin Web Summit draws to a close

The Web Summit in Dublin finished today following two days of pitching to potential investors from companies of all shapes and sizes.

The best and brightest of both Irish and global tech firms were at the event to meet investors and announce their latest news, with start-ups on the hunt for backers and partners.

The day started off with the announcement of the top four companies vying for a €100,000 prize fund in the Spark of Genius start-up competition.

SmartThings, a company that makes it easy to connect the things in the real world to the internet via your smartphone, scooped the award.

Elsewhere, social media management firm Hootsuite is considering the possibility of opening an Irish office, its chief executive Ryan Holmes said.

The head of the Canadian firm, which already has offices in London, said the country’s reputation for a talented workforce, in addition to the tax incentives offered by the Government.

“Our goal in London is to create better interactions with agency partners, and there are great agencies there,” Holmes said. “I think we’re also going to look at building out a sales centre as well, and whether we do that in London or Ireland.”

PCH International’s Liam Casey announced a major new partnership with Intuitive Automata as part of its Accelerator programme. Under the deal, Intuitive Automata will use PCH’s services to design, manufacture and ship its lifestyle and healthcare robot coach to a global audience.

Automata talks to users, and learns from its conversations, allowing it to customise feedback and giving it a more personal touch. The robot could be used to motivate users to lose weight or remember to take their pills on time.

At 2pm, internet activist Wael Ghonim, who helped jumpstart Egypt’s democratic revolution, will took to the stage, with Men in Black 3 director Barry Sonnenfeld following at 2.55pm.

Mind Candy’s Michael Acton Smith was also on hand to share his experiences as an entrepreneur.

The day closed with Flipboard’s Mike McCue on the main stage.

McCue told delegates of the need for entrepreneurs to plan for ebbing and flowing of economic conditions.

He said: “You have to think through how your business will ultimately survive the ups and downs. There will always be ups and there will always be downs, but it’s never as bad or as good as people think it is.”

McCue also spoke about what he called the rebirth of the publishing industry

"People are figuring out how to do digital based journalism. We're still in the early days, the mainstream players will be still be around, but there is an opportunity for lots of new players too," he added.