John Collins

It’s likely to be a tough year for the tech industry, particularly when compared to the long boom run that led into Covid, but don’t be surprised if a whole crop of more resilient and sustainable companies emerge as a result.

Start-up founders and their investors dread down rounds – fundraises in which the start-up's valuation drops from the previous funding round. How likely are down rounds this year?

Should we expect something like the heady days of the late 90s when Iona Technologies and Baltimore Technologies were both flying high on New York’s NASDAQ? Or will a small number of US tech giants outmuscle homegrown innovation and entrepreneurship?

In their American home, the big tech firms present here are used to skilled staff working and investing in early-stage companies throughout their career. This hasn’t happened much in Ireland yet, but there are “super early signs” that change may be coming.

Regardless of how the current tech slide plays out over the rest of the year, there are legitimate questions to be asked about what the impact is likely to be on funding for Irish innovation.