Keynote Address to Students on Startup Funding and Pitching to Investors in New Enterprise Development module

Keynote Address to Students on Startup Funding and Pitching to Investors in New Enterprise Development module

Last week DCU Business School welcomed Shane O’Sullivan and Leo Hamill to speak to the final year New Enterprise Development (NED) class about the stages of startup funding, pitching to investors and the necessary skills and competencies involved.

Shane O’Sullivan provided the class with some very interesting insights from his 30 years of experience in financial services.  He explained the significance of “diversity of thought” within a team and described the importance of “cash as your oxygen” in the initial running of a new business.  One of his key messages was to get in the way of opportunity, especially in the early stages of a new enterprise, as “successful people don’t let things happen to them, they happen to things”.

With his experience as Managing Partner at Investec Ventures Ireland Limited, Leo Hamill advised the class on what it takes to make a successful pitch to investors.  He explained that investors often look for not only a great business idea, but for a cohesive and synergetic management team, and the importance of this as students prepare for the Dragon’s Den next March.

Leo and Shane closed their keynote address with their top tips for students, placing particular emphasis on the importance of taking calculated risks, not being afraid to fail and building a great team around you in order to succeed. Their advice will be of great value to students as they begin to work on the feasibility stage of their New Enterprise Development project.