The Funding Landscape in Ireland - Google Cloud and BVP

I had the opportunity to attend The Funding Landscape in Ireland event hosted by Clíona Jordan with Google Cloud & BVP at the stunning Google Cloud building in Dublin, the view alone was inspiring, but the insights were even better.

As an International Business student at DCU and working at KatoAI, a startup building AI-powered language tools, I came to learn more about how early-stage companies can better understand funding, pitch with impact, and connect with the right investors.

The panel discussion gave some powerful takeaways on what VC and angel investors are really looking for such as Green flags like founder transparency, realistic numbers and the four key focus points of any pitch deck, to Red flags like missing data points and underdeveloped market understanding.

One of my favorite insights? The best pitch decks don’t just include a market section, they let the market drip through every section. That perspective really stuck with me!

Thanks to all the speakers and organizers for an insightful session! I hope to bring these learnings forward.