|
Our
aim is to address current topics and arrange for speakers
who will inspire and inform.
Non-members are very welcome to attend business
dinners —
please come along and meet us!
|
|
OCTOBER 2000 : AN INSIDE VIEW
OF VENTURE CAPITAL
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Irish Network was delighted to
be able to introduce Tom Dyal, founding partner of Redpoint
Ventures, to its members. Tom gave a very enlightening presentation
on venture capital to an audience of over 50 people.
Prior to founding Redpoint, Tom was a
general partner in IVP. Redpoint focuses on next generation
Internet and broadband companies, with investments concentrated
into six man categories ¯ enabling infrastructure, service
and application providers, business-to-business platforms
and services, business-to-consumer platforms and services,
media and content, and dot-com spinoffs. Tom focuses on investments
in the communications area, including Internet infrastructure,
services and communications components.
|
|
MAY 2001 : JOB OPPORTUNITIES
WITH IRISH TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
IN THE US AND IRELAND
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Irish Network invited its members
to attend a dinner with Enterprise Ireland and a number of
its key clients. Over 70 people attended this very successful
dinner. The following people presented :
Enterprise Ireland - Marina Donohoe (West Coast Director).
Enterprise Ireland is an Irish government agency which supports
the growth of Irish industry through marketing, technology,
enterprise development and business training initiatives in
Ireland and overseas.
AEP - Willy Connor (Head of US
Operations). AEP develops, manufactures and markets a range
of cryptographic accelerators and security sub-systems for
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's) and System Integrators
(SI's) and are currently hiring for their US office.
Havok - Ed Cherry (VP Business
Development). Havok creates real-time motion control software
for interactive media.
IT Design - Mike Reidy (Senior
software engineer). IT Design develops enterprise software
solutions that improve the way organizations manage their
clients and their cases to improve the delivery of services
and benefits.
Parthus Technologies - Jim O'Brien
(VP, Sales North America) & John Doyle (Business Development
Director). Parthus develop and license complete silicon and
software Intellectual Property (IP) platforms to power the
computing, communications, and content requirements of next
generation mobile Internet devices.
Baltimore Technologies - Gavan
Egan (Director Global Alliances Baltimore Technologies). Baltimore
Technologies is a global leader in e-security products, services
and solutions. Through the provision of an award winning e-security
infrastructure technology, Baltimore enables companies worldwide
to securely develop their internet strategies in e-Business
& e-Commerce, e-Services, Mobile Commerce & Enterprise
IT systems. Baltimore Technologies is a public company listed
on NASDAQ and London Stock Exchange with offices in major
cities worldwide.
Network365 - Michael Montoya (Senior
Director) Network365 is a software product company, providing
carrier infrastructure for mobile commerce. We help carriers
to deploy and control mobile commerce on their networks, and
to open up new revenue streams.
Openet Telecom - Gerard Sheridan
(VP of Sales for the Americas). Founded in 1999, Openet Telecom
is a privately held, global leader in network usage and business
infrastructure solutions for telecommunication providers,
mobile operators and ISPs. Openet provides scalable solutions
that enable communications providers with diverse networks
to easily implement, manage and bill sophisticated services.
The company offers a high performance, fully scalable convergent
mediation platform, called FusionWorks, that unifies customer
usage patterns from legacy network infrastructure, IP networks
and 3G wireless networks, including WAP, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS.
|
The article below appeared
in the Irish Herald regarding the above business
dinner:
|
|
IRISH NETWORK’S ENTERPRISING
NIGHT
Courtesy of the Irish
Herald
(June 2001)
Founded in 1986, the Irish Network
has grown into a definitive business circle in the South
Bay. “Job Opportunities with Irish Technology Companies
in the US and Ireland” was the theme of a May 7
Network dinner held in Sunnyvale, in the heart of Silicon
Valley.
Marina Donohue, the West Coast Director
of Enterprise Ireland, presented executives from a plethora
of high tech firms, including Parthus, Baltimore and
Havok, who are looking to hire people on both sides
of the Atlantic. All the speakers acknowledged the support
they had received from Enterprise Ireland. Positions
in Sales, Development and Account Management are on
offer — good news considering how much pessimism
there has been recently about the downturn in the economy
here and the effect it might have on the economy in
Ireland.
Enterprise Ireland is an Irish
government agency that supports the growth of Irish
industry through marketing, technology, enterprise development
and business training initiatives in Ireland and overseas.
|
|
OCTOBER 2001 : CREATING
AND SUSTAINING BUSINESS VIABILITY
DURING TURBULENT TIMES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We began our series of business dinners
in 2001/2002 with a presentation on how to increase your efficiency,
productivity, and profitability in a work setting. This presentation
was particularly relevant to people who have established a business,
people who were or are considering becoming contractors, and
employees who would like to increase their work output. Our
presenter was June Anderson of Breakthrough Coaching, Inc. June
specializes in designing programs for management teams, individual
project leaders, and business owners. |
|
JANUARY 2002
: MANAGING YOUR CAREER IN A TURBULENT ECONOMY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The recent downturn in the economy,
and in particular the shakeout in Silicon Valley's high-tech
industries, has had a devastating effect on the employment
environment in the Bay Area. In response, the Network's January
Business Dinner focused on career management, and how you
can defend, and indeed enhance your career in an unstable
climate. Alan Daly of Accenture was our guest speaker.
Alan is a Senior Manager with Accenture,
working in the company's Communications, High Tech and Media
& Entertainment consulting practice. His specialist skills
are in the area of Organization and Human Performance. He
has extensive experience in helping Fortune 500 clients implement
large scale organization change, including organization strategy,
organization design, training, performance management, communications
and program management. Over the course of his career, Alan
has managed change programs ranging from organization restructuring
to the introduction of new technologies and work practices.
He is a prior award recipient of the Irish Institute for Training
and Development and has been published in both the U.S and
Europe.
The presentation focused on the following
topics and, while the discussion focused on the high-tech
industry, most of the issues were relevant across a variety
of sectors.
• Current economic outlook and the
impact on jobs
• Typical jobs first shed in an organization
downsizing
• Skills that are presently needed
in the marketplace
• Personal strategies for increasing
your retention possibilities
• Proactive steps to take given the
present economic environment
|
|
APRIL 2002 : ESTATE PLANNING
STRATEGIES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maureen O’Connell discussed
estate planning strategies at our April Business Dinner. She
talked about how to provide for your families in the event
of a disability, as well as how to prepare for a smooth transition
of assets and financial management upon your death. She discussed
ways to minimize your estate tax and to provide asset protection.
She specifically addressed the concerns of parents of minor
children. Topics covered included choice of guardians for
personal care and choice of trustees for money management
and timing of trust distributions. Other areas of discussion
included saving for your children's education and the need
for disability and life insurance.
Maureen specifically discussed the estate
planning concerns for individuals who are resident aliens
in the United States . She also outline the estate and gift
tax rules that impact resident aliens and described the QDOT
trust.
Maureen O'Connell graduated from Santa
Clara University Law School and has practiced law in the area
of estate planning for 25 years. Her office is in San Jose,
California. She is a member of the Estate Planning Council
of Santa Clara County, the Estate Planning Sections of the
Santa Clara County Bar Association and California Bar Association
and the National Academy of Elder Lawyers. She is a member
of the Board of directors of Quo Vadis Theatre Company and
a member of the Advisory Council, Santa Clara University.
She is also a member of the Irish Network and the Irish Social
Club. She serves as a volunteer for Aids Legal Service and
Senior Adult Legal Assistance.
|
|
