Niamh Bushnell. Image: Connor McKenna/Silicon Republic
Niamh Bushnell and TechIreland crafted the narrative of Irish tech through data.
The CEO of TechIreland, Niamh Bushnell, is stepping down from the role to take up a new position as chief communications officer with Soapbox Labs.
Bushnell, previously the Dublin Start-up Commissioner, helped establish TechIreland as a not-for-profit database platform, which today tracks more than 2,000 software, hardware and platform-based companies, and tells the story of Irish tech start-ups through interactive maps, infographics and blogs.
‘For our size, Dublin produces as many world-class start-ups as New York City’
– NIAMH BUSHNELL
She instigated the recent €100m campaign for women founder funding and the publishing of a book called Innovation Nation.
Crunching the numbers
AI start-up Soapbox Labs was founded in 2013 by CEO Patricia Scanlon, who was recognised by Forbes in December 2018 as one of the world’s top women in tech. Scanlon is an ex-Bell Labs researcher who has a PhD and nearly 20 years’ experience in the area of speech recognition technologies. Her company recently signed a major deal with software giant Microsoft that could have an enormous effect on addressing childhood literacy all over the world.
Former Enterprise Ireland executive John O’Dea has agreed to serve as interim CEO of TechIreland.
“Deep and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me in my last four-and-a-half years as an ecosystem leader,” Bushnell said.
“When I took up the Commissioner role in October 2014, I was often quoted as saying that for our size, Dublin produces as many world-class start-ups as New York City. I remain a true believer in great Irish innovation and in our potential to be even greater, especially when it comes to deep-tech companies and globally recognised female founders.”
