Comments on: Limerick Teenagers Earn Millions in Software Deal

By: artyeva

artyeva — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:03:05 +0000

I’ve just seen them on the Late Late - fine intelligent articulate but yet modest young fellas - fair play to them.

By: badgerdaddy

badgerdaddy — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:27:15 +0000

Bock, I interviewed a bloke a couple of years ago who had retired a multi-multi millionaire at 29. He was living in Spain, spending days on the beach at his home in the south or at his gaff in Barcelona.

He was bored shitless! Got back into business after a year out.

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:59:35 +0000

Jeepers that education thing is proving really dangerous. With all that reading, writing and s’puters where will all the footballers come from now?

By: Bock

Bock — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:02:09 +0000

Sam: I wouldn’t mind retiring before I’m 25.

Darwin: Nail-on-head Award to you. Remind me to tell you a true story about that very subject.

By: problemchildbride

problemchildbride — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:45:04 +0000

My God, they could retire before they were 20! The 17-year-old is too young to even celebrate with a pint legally.

Well done those whipper-snappers.

By: GOM

GOM — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:38:17 +0000

Darwin - they turned down the funding from EI. EI have several mechanisms for funding start-ups. The one Paul talked to EI about was the shared contribution mechanism, i.e., you put in up tp €20k and we’ll give you €20k - this might sound funny now but - where the f**k is any 18 year old going to get €20k!

The conditions that EI put on the money acted as a disincentive to them taking the money and what’s pathetic is that the incubator in California that did fund them started them on €15k (I may have heard that wrong and it may be €50k) - pathetically small amounts for the return the lads got in the sale of the business. Also, if the state agencies had downstream supports, the lads could have potentially sold the business for €10m in a couple of years!

I think EI has improved but they need to get up to speed much quicker.

By: Darwin

Darwin — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:21:45 +0000

I notice they were unable to get funding from Enterprise Ireland. Too busy playing golf?

By: GOM

GOM — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:26:05 +0000

I think it is fantastic and getting a business organised to the point it can be sold to another commercial operation is no mean feat for any entrepreneur - a really, really good thing.

Patrick came across like a seasoned business man talking about capital access and the quality of supports made available to him by the incubator in California.

What really is depressing though is that he now leaves the country to work in Canada as their head of engineering - this country, because of its inability to create an environment that first of all supports such entrepreneurial activity and secondly, has no means by which the businesses created can grow, means that we are now on the brink of witnessing the next wave of emigration and a very dangerous one - our best brains and talent on the go.

I think we are truly f**ked if Ireland Inc continues to let this happen - no doubt you will see Martin or some other shortsighted political f**kwit taking credit for the great achievement of these guys!

By: JC Skinner

JC Skinner — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:18:59 +0000

Fair play to them, and them only chisellers! Mind you one of them has form - he was young scientist of the year.
Anyhow, what do you make of this, Bock:
http://skinflicks.blogspot.com/2008/03/death-by-thousand-cuts.html

By: H

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:41:16 +0000

You’ve gotta love the way the web can make overnight millionaires out of ordinary folk with good ideas. For the rest of us, there’s always the lotto…