A new Bank of Ireland Accelerator Funding Programme which has been developed in association with IT Sligo, was launched at Enterprise & Innovation Week.
Bank of Ireland Sligo is committed to supporting and growing relationships with small and medium enterprises throughout Sligo.
As part of this commitment the Bank is delighted to establish closer links with IT Sligo’s Innovation Centre. Through links with Institute, the Bank has now allocated a business banker to work closely with the Innovation Centre in order to gain a better understanding of the business needs of the companies located there.
Commenting on the development, Head of Innovation at IT Sligo, Niall McEvoy, said: “Access to early stage finance is key to the growth and success of emerging and established companies, and indeed the regional economy. We are delighted to announce this new development with the Bank of Ireland, which will make the path to accessing finance more direct for the businesses located in our Innovation Centre.”
Bank of Ireland has assigned business banker to deal with all applications from Innovation Centre businesses and he and the local branch manager will ensure that there is a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of these companies.
The aim of the programme is threefold;
- to ensure that companies get the required support in terms of advice and access to finance.
- to ensure that companies and start-ups have access to an experienced business banker.
- to ensure that all applications are assessed in a timely manner.
Regional Business Manager Paddy Leydon commented that “Bank of Ireland is looking forward to further strengthening its close relationship with IT Sligo. Support of start-up companies and growing companies will be a key factor to growing the local economy. IT Sligo’s Innovation Centre is an invaluable local resource, which provides a platform for start-up companies to get their ideas off the ground. ”
Image Caption: Pictured from left to right at the launch of the new Bank of Ireland/IT Sligo Accelerator Funding Programme were; Conall Boyle, Bank of Ireland; Niall McEvoy, Head of Innovation, IT Sligo; Barry Gallagher, Bank of Ireland; Donal Duffy, Director Bank of Ireland; and Paddy Leyden, business Manager, Regional Bank of Ireland.