The Dublin Web Summit and F.ounders will focus on gathering investors from China and India this year, with Peng T Ong, co-founder of Match.com, and Richard Liu, CEO of 360Buy.com, confirmed to attend.
Speaking at the announcement this morning, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton highlighted the importance of bringing entrepreneurs from these regions to Ireland.
“China and India are the largest and the most significant growth markets in the world for Irish companies and for the first time a select group of the most influential entrepreneurs and investors will touch down in Ireland,” said Bruton.
“That they are coming to Ireland is significant in itself, but what is far more significant is the fact that some of them will engage the Irish business community at the Dublin Web Summit.”
Liu is also chairman of 360buy.com, which is known as “the Amazon of China” as it is the largest e-commerce website in the country. It’s valued at more than US$10bn.
Ong is a co-founder of dating site Match.com and is a highly influential investor at GSR Ventures. The venture capital firm closed its fourth fund in China recently for US$350m.
“With 150 of the world’s leading tech entrepreneurs, CEOs and investors in Dublin, it provides a wonderful opportunity for some of the leading names to take time out from F.ounders to go and speak to the Irish business community at the Dublin Web Summit,” said Paddy Cosgrave, organiser of the Dublin Web Summit and F.ounders.
“Many have already agreed and we will be announcing the first speakers at the Dublin Web Summit in the coming weeks.”
“Ireland has been hugely successful in securing investment from Silicon Valley-based companies in the past. We have built strong links over a number of decades. The next big challenge, however, is to build those links with Asia, in particular with China and India.
“These countries represent the most important growth markets in the world. Ireland should use its location as the meeting point between east and west to encourage Indian and Chinese tech companies expanding into Europe to locate their European headquarters in Ireland,” said Cosgrave.
Photo: Paddy Cosgrave, organiser of the Dublin Web Summit and F.ounders. Source: Dublin Web Summit on Twitter
