Americas

Regional Winners from around the globe headed to
Dublin in November

Enterprise Ireland congratulates the five finalists in the Silicon Valley IBM SmartCamp final(below). IBM’s SmartCamp is a global program being held in seven cities around the world in 2010. The program culminates with one selected company from each city being invited to SmartCamp week in Dublin (Ireland) in November. There one will be named “The World’s Smartest Start-up”.

Enterprise Ireland is keen to talk to high tech entrepreneurs who are interested in setting up part of their business in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland is working with IBM and will be delighted to welcome the winners to Dublin for finals week in November.

Final winners will be offered an Incentive Package to give them the opportunity to spend 3 months in Dublin to explore the advantages of setting up a part of their business in Ireland. The package includes financial support in the region of €20,000 and a mentor support programme provided by top class highly experienced entrepreneurs and business people and access to incubation space.

Check back with us on Thursday afternoon as we feature video presentations of each of the finalist below. Read the rest of this entry »

Published September 8th, 2010 by admin in Archive, Awards, CleanTech, Consumer, Consumer/Retail, Digital Media & Entertainment, Entrepreneurship, Programs/Events, SmartCamp, Software/Services, Telecom/Mobil | Post a Comment »

This morning Graduates 4 International Growth (G4IG) was launched by Minister Batt O’Keeffe.

The aim of the Graduates 4 International Growth initiative is to assist clients in acquiring future business development capability for their companies. 50 Graduates with potential to be the next generation of business development executives will be matched with 50 ambitious internationally trading companies and provided with a structured means of applying new skills in business development.

Graduates 4 International Growth (G4IG) is 18 months in duration, with participants based 6 months in their company in Ireland and a minimum of 12 months in an overseas market working on a specific company project. During the 18 months participants will also undertake a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Growth with UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School developing practical international business skills.

Further information and company application forms are now available on the Enterprise Ireland website and also available for download here.

Published August 31st, 2010 by davidsmith in Aerospace, Agri-Food, Archive, BioPharma, CleanTech, Consumer, Consumer/Retail, Digital Media & Entertainment, Economic, Education, InfoSecurity, Job-Internships, Medical Technology, Software/Services, Telecom/Mobil, hospitality | Post a Comment »

From: Chain Drug Review/July 19, 2010 | Supplier News (download pdf version)

SAN DIEGO — Ireland has more to offer the United States market than shamrock charms and plush leprechauns.

That was evident from a visit by Irish manufacturing executives to the NACDS Marketplace Conference. The trip, which was made under the auspices of the Enterprise Ireland trade development agency, allowed the suppliers to assess American prospects for a variety of products that includes chemical-free baby wipes, natural skin care products and cushions that double as sun shades.

The executives (pictured above, left to right Ed McCloskey, Dave Mulhall and Jamie Jenkinson) toured the trade show floor and met retailers as a prelude to possibly having their own booth at next year’s Marketplace. Their participation developed from a meeting between Ann Marie Maxwell, manager of consumer products for Enterprise Ireland, an agency of the Irish government, and National Association of Chain Drug Stores vice president of meetings and international programs Terry Arth at last year’s conference. Consultant Robert Coopman accompanied the visitors as a liaison.

Noting that health and beauty aids dominate the show floor at Marketplace, Enterprise Ireland senior development adviser Ed Conway said the H&BA categories allow for the kinds of innovation that Irish manufacturers have successfully exported around the world. Demand for niche H&BAs “suits the creativity of the Irish,” he said. And, Maxwell added, Enterprise Ireland will only lend its support to suppliers of innovative products. Read the rest of this entry »

Published July 30th, 2010 by admin in Archive, Consumer/Retail, EI Client News | Post a Comment »

VigiTrust Announces Partnership With the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation To Provide Retailers With Access To PCI DSS On-Demand eLearning For Payment Card Security And Compliance.

New York, New York, (July 19, 2010) –-VigiTrust today announced it will partner with the NRF Foundation, the research and education arm of the National Retail Federation, to provide retailers with PCI DSS eLearning classes. The classes will be offered through the Foundation’s Universitywired program.

Businesses using credit card and debit cards — collectively referred to as payment cards — are required to be compliant with industry and regulatory programs to ensure security is being managed and consumers and business are protected. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) is a set of technical, procedural and training requirements, which all merchants who either transmit process or store credit cardholder data must adhere to.

Requirement 12.6 of PCI DSS states that all merchants must train in-scope personnel at the time of hire and annually. In-scope personnel include employees who handle or have access to credit card or credit card data, whether physically by handling credit cards or logically on computer systems. In addition, businesses must be able to demonstrate that their personnel have read and understood security policies put in place to protect cardholder data. Read the rest of this entry »

Published July 26th, 2010 by admin in Archive, Consumer/Retail, EI Client News, Economic, Education, InfoSecurity | Post a Comment »

DATE ANNOUNCED!
Friday, November 12, 2010 | Microsoft Campus, Mountain View, CA

50% OFF: 25 Early Bird Tickets Released! Under the Radar has been recognized as the most important startup showcase and deal-making forum in Silicon Valley.

REGISTER NOW

APPLY TO PRESENT! to be one of startups from around the globe to hit the stage and connect with potential partners, customers and acquirers….

Deadline: Preferred consideration will be given to companies nominated before July 31, 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Published July 19th, 2010 by davidsmith in Archive, Consumer, Consumer/Retail, Digital Media & Entertainment, Economic, Events, InfoSecurity, Programs/Events, Software/Services, Telecom/Mobil, VC | Post a Comment »

July 13th 2010

Bord Bia – The Irish Food Board – today welcomed Mr. Brian Cowen, Ireland’s Prime Minister on the occasion of his visit to New York and a meet with Ireland’s development agencies and the Irish business community.

Ireland’s Prime Minister emphasized the importance of trade between Ireland and the US. He said “Given the significance of the agri-food and drink sector to the Irish economy, both in terms of exports and employment, this is a valuable opportunity to impress upon US business leaders the priority that the Irish Government and bodies such as Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland place on the development of the Irish food sector while, at the same time, highlighting the benefits of collaborating with Irish food companies, including access to leading edge food science and technology research in Ireland.”

Mr. Brian Cowen continued, “The Irish Food Board’s presence in the North American market is vital for Irish food and drink companies when forging relationships with the US food and drink trade. Read the rest of this entry »

Published July 15th, 2010 by admin in Agri-Food, Archive, Consumer/Retail, Economic, Trade Mission | Post a Comment »

Irish company and Enterprise-Ireland Americas client Openet Solutions recently announced the roll-out of a flexible data payment system for Apple’s iPad on a major US carrier, believed to be ATT, according the Irish Times.

Openet, is the leading provider of Transactional Intelligence for the world’s largest and most innovative network service providers. The recent announcement confirmed that a Tier 1 North American wireless operator has successfully deployed a comprehensive solution set from Openet that enables the operator to monetize the market-leading tablet device, Apple’s iPad.

With the Subscriber Initiated Provisioning and Service Pass solutions the operator is able to sell ad-hoc and recurring data plans to iPad customers, enabling subscriber initiated provisioning of data access by volume of data usage and duration; thus meeting demand for flexible, personalized service offerings.

Read the rest of this entry »

Published June 17th, 2010 by admin in Archive, Consumer, Consumer/Retail, Digital Media & Entertainment, EI Client News, InfoSecurity, Software/Services, Telecom/Mobil | Post a Comment »

10CMS the market leader in ‘’Rich Interactive Merchandising’’ space are set to go live in the US this Summer. Customers on the platform include Tesco, L.K.Bennett, Heal’s, A|wear, Dreams, Kiddicare.com, and Anthropologie and Jimmy Choo (pictured below, right).

10CMS is Irish headquartered with offices Cork, London and NYC.

10CMS’ technology was developed to dramatically increase customer conversion rates and revenues for the retail sector. It enriches the online user experience and encourages greater customer interaction. Additionally and most importantly, 10CMS can be deployed quickly, easily and at a low cost to ensure that retailers can respond instantly to consumer trends, seasonal and key promotional activity. The technology reduces online merchants’ production and content management costs by 80% over today’s solutions.

“We put our success down to a clear understanding of what drives sales for retailers like Tesco and L.K.Bennett,” said Fergal O’Mullane, co-founder, 10CMS. ‘’We have spent a long time looking at what the end users of online retail want and increasingly expect. We built our software to ensure that the quality and usability is delivered again and again. We are having an incredible year, working with over 40 leading retailers and we project this to grow to well over 100 by the end of the year. We have recently established a great foothold in the US, working with renowned brands such as Vince, Jimmy Choo, Lily Pulitzer and Waterford Wedgewood and are now planning to set up a permanent office on the East.” Read the rest of this entry »

Published June 11th, 2010 by admin in Archive, Consumer, Consumer/Retail, EI Client News, Economic, News Press, Software/Services | Post a Comment »

Awareness of the importance of using sun creams and sun blocks has grown but there is still some confusion about which creams to use and how often they need to be applied.  A study published in the Archives of Dermatology states: “Sunscreen users are only applying 50 percent of the recommended amount, so they are only receiving 50 percent of the SPF protection.” Because of the need for liberal application, expensive sunscreens can be dangerous to your skin’s health; after all, how likely are you to liberally apply a really expensive sunscreen! According to the cosmetics guru and beauty writer Paula Begoun ”there are brilliantly formulated sunscreens in all price ranges, expensive definitely does not mean better when choosing sun protection creams”

It is dangerous for your skin not to have UVA protection and many sunscreens do not have ingredients that can provide true full-spectrum (both UVA and UVB) coverage. In most countries, including the U.S. and Canada, there are no numbers to tell you about protection from UVA radiation. For that protection you have to check the active ingredient list to see if either zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone (which may also be listed as Parsol 1789 or butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane), Mexoryl SX, or Tinosorb (Tinosorb is only available in products sold outside the U.S.) If one of those isn’t part of the active ingredient list (it doesn’t count if it is just part of the regular or “other” ingredients) you are not applying adequate UVA protection and that is dangerous for your skin.

The SPF number does not tell you anything about a product’s quality. The SPF number is just a time limit number. A sunscreen rated SPF 2 blocks about 50% of UVB rays; an SPF 10 filters out about 85% of UVB rays; an SPF 15 stops about 95%; and an SPF 30 stops about 97%. An SPF that’s higher than 30 does not provide any more UV protection, it just offers more time that you can stay in the sun without burning.

One company has come up with a new product that offers an innovative way to deal with some of these sun bathing problems. The Cush’n Shade® provides a comfortable cushion and 50+ UPF (ultra violet protection) shade for your face and hair. No longer do you have the hassle of having to cover your face with a towel or baseball cap to protect you from the ageing effects caused by the sun.  The shade can be angled as the sun moves around to provide full shade, all day and attaches to any lounge chair for use by the swimming pool or in the garden.  Sunbathe in complete comfort while the head is supported by the cushion; allowing you to read in complete comfort. The unit is extremely light, robust, and portable and disassembles so it can slip easily into a suitcase.  Cush‘n Shade® is being launched exclusively by Bed Bath and Beyond this summer where sales have been impressive and  is now set to become the latest ‘must have’  summer accessory in the US. It offers retailers a unique new line bringing incremental sales to their business and makes for an exciting ‘ in and out’ in store promotional item during spring/summer months.

The suntan continues to have appeal as a physical attribute and as a symbol of health, associated with success, travel and a healthy outdoor lifestyle. Stronger bones, a better immune system, protection from some cancers, lower blood pressure, clearer skin, and a healthier brain . These are just a few of the apparent benefits of vitamin D. Vitamin D is made by our bodies and it requires sunshine. The problem is, we’re just not getting as much sun as we used to and consequently not enough to make the vitamin D our bodies need. We spend too much time indoors, and when we do go outdoors, we’re using sun block, which blocks the ultraviolet rays that create vitamin D. Exposing skin to sunlight presents both health risks and health benefits so what we need to do is to find the safest way to avail of this natural resource.

Published June 8th, 2010 by eoin in Consumer, Consumer/Retail, EI Client News | Post a Comment »

Today’s retailer shopper is on the go and constantly moving.  They are more likely to leave home or their office and forget their wallet than their mobile phone.  Retailers that want to expand both sales and customer loyalty have to explore all retail channels including store-front, web and now the mobile phone.

MobileAware is redefining the way enterprises engage their customers, harnessing the power of their customers’ mobile devices to deliver a compelling customer interaction channel.  Based in Dublin, Ireland, MobileAware has been providing mobile solutions across many industries since 1999.  Their customers include more than 20 Mobile Operators and some of the world’s largest Airlines, Banks and Retailers.  MobileAware is unique in offering our solutions on a traditional licensed platform basis for on-premise deployment, on a hosted/managed outsourced basis. Read the rest of this entry »

Published May 27th, 2010 by eoin in Archive, Consumer/Retail, Economic, Software/Services, Telecom/Mobil | Post a Comment »