Pictured at NovaUCD are Dr Sean Baker, NovaUCD Entrepreneur in Residence and Dr Sharon O’Kane, NovaUCD Entrepreneur in Residence.
Seasoned technology entrepreneurs Dr Sharon O’Kane and Dr Sean Baker have been revealed as the first two Entrepreneurs in Residence (EiRs) at NovaUCD.
The NovaUCD Entrepreneur in Residence programme has been established to bring external business experience and expertise to assist the development and growth of UCD spin-out and spin-in companies.
Dr Sharon O’Kane is an experienced life science entrepreneur and a former researcher at the University of Manchester. She was a co-founder and the chief scientific officer of Renovo Group plc, which she helped grow from a university spin-out to a company employing more than 200 people that was listed on the main London Stock Exchange.
Dr Sean Baker is an experienced ICT entrepreneur and a former lecturer at Trinity College Dublin. He co-founded Iona Technologies plc in 1991, where he held many executive roles including chief technology officer, chief scientist and vice president of applied research until 2008.
“We are appointing entrepreneurs of the calibre, expertise and experience of Dr O’Kane and Dr Baker as EiRs to help further build and develop the entrepreneurial ecosystem at UCD,” Professor Orla Feely, UCD vice president for research, innovation and impact said.
“They will do so by assisting our technology transfer and enterprise development teams based at NovaUCD in the development of commercial strategies, raising investment and building management teams for our spin-out and spin-in companies based on the university’s campus.”
