The programme

Your host · Kathryn B Wilson

Programme subject to change. Last updated 13 Nov 2026, 15:02

10:05 - 10:15

Main Stage

Welcome

Talk

Fiona Bennington, Catalyst

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10:15 - 10:20

Main Stage

Welcome

Talk

George Higginson, Bank of Ireland

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10:25 - 10:35

Main Stage

Keynote

Keynote

Cormac Quinn, loyalBe

Cormac Quinn

Founder and CEO
loyalBe

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11:00 - 11:20

Fringe 2

10 Lessons from a Female Founder

Q&A

Kat Maguire, QUBIS

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11:00 - 11:20

Fringe 1

Preparing for Your Next Raise

Q&A

Andrew Holloway, Cooper Parry

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11:30 - 11:50

Fringe 2

What Is a Startup?

Talk

Marty Neill, AirPOS

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11:30 - 11:50

Fringe 1

What I Learnt Building a Business as a Student

Talk and Q&A

Aidan McGeary, Mude

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11:30 - 12:15

Main Stage

It Takes a Village: The NI Startup Ecosystem

Panel

Kathryn B Wilson · Fiona Bennington, Catalyst · James McEvoy, Invest NI · Emma O'Kane, Ormeau Labs · Victoria Millar, TeamFeePay

Emma O'Kane

Community Manager, Techstars Belfast
Ormeau Labs

Fiona Bennington

Director of Entrepreneurship and Scaling
Catalyst

James McEvoy

Entrepreneurship Division
Invest Northern Ireland

Victoria Millar

TeamFeePay

Kathryn B Wilson

Presenter and event host

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12:00 - 12:20

Fringe 2

Seven Years, Three Revolutions: Building a Creative Start-up in Northern Ireland

Q&A

Jack Morrow, RETìníZE

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12:00 - 12:20

Fringe 1

Momentum One Zero

Talk

Dr Dermot Leonard, Momentum One Zero

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12:30 - 12:50

Fringe 2

How to Deal with Ghosting as a Founder

Talk

Niraj Kapur, Everybody Works In Sales

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12:30 - 13:15

Main Stage

Under-represented founders

Panel

Diane Reilly, Endovia Health · Jennifer Opal · Leeann Monk-Özgül, Hard Yards

Leeann Monk-Özgül

Founder
Hard Yards

Diane Reilly

Founder
Endovia Health

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12:30 - 12:50

Fringe 1

TeamFeePay session

Talk and Q&A

Victoria Miller, TeamFeePay

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13:00 - 13:20

Fringe 2

From Idea to Aisle: Building a Consumer Brand in Northern Ireland

Q&A

Paul McCreery and Ruchira Rangaprasad, FibreUP

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13:00 - 13:20

Fringe 1

The Brand and Tech Decisions That Make Growth Easier

Talk

Aidan Harbinson, Horrible Brands

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13:30 - 13:50

Fringe 2

Techstars Belfast

Emma O'Kane, Ormeau Labs

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13:30 - 14:15

Main Stage

Generation Innovation x SEAM

Pitch

Judith Camblin, Catalyst

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13:30 - 13:50

Fringe 1

What Catalyst Can Do For You

Panel

Matt McKeown, Catalyst · Leo McGlinchey, Catalyst

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14:00 - 14:20

Fringe 1

Stories That Connect: Building Community Through Storytelling

Talk

Orla McKeating, Still I Rise

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14:00 - 14:20

Fringe 2

Paid from Profits: Another Way to Fund Your Growth

Talk

Darren Eastwood, Next 57

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14:30 - 15:15

Main Stage

Show Me the (Right) Money

Panel

Pauline Timoney, RoutineRoo · Ken Gordon, European Space Agency · Andrew Holloway, Cooper Parry

Andrew Holloway

Tax Partner, Equity Reward & Venture Capital Schemes
Cooper Parry

Ken Gordon

UK Business Ambassador
European Space Agency

Pauline Timoney

Co-founder
RoutineRoo

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14:30 - 14:50

Fringe 2

Founder Fireside: Building in Northern Ireland

Gary Davidson, Day1

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15:00 - 15:20

Fringe 2

Pitch Power Hour

Talk

Cara Dallat and Orla McKeating, Innovation Factory

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15:00 - 15:20

Fringe 1

What Was I Thinking? (How I swapped a secure corporate career for a room full of 20-year-olds, and vibe coded my way into a new business)

Gail Cook, Kailie Tech

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15:30 - 15:50

Fringe 1

You Don't Need to Be a Space Company to Get Space Funding

Ken Gordon, European Space Agency

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15:30 - 16:15

Main Stage

Zero to Shipped: AI and the Art of Moving at Pace

Panel

Neil Hutchinson, Software NI · Shannon Holgate, Hypership · Denise Doll, Wander• · Christopher McCausland, AICC

Shannon Holgate

Co-founder
Hypership

Denise Doll

Founder and Executive Producer
Wander•

Christopher McCausland

Principal AI Engineer
Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC)

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15:30 - 15:50

Fringe 2

Pitfalls to Watch for When Building a Business

Q&A

Pauline Timoney and Kristina King, RoutineRoo

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