Co-Founders
A programme for people with passion, drive and ambition to come together to create start-ups that could change the world.
What is Co-Founders?
A Co-Founder is a person who, in conjunction, with one or two others, is instrumental in starting a business.
Co-Founders is a one night a week programme for anyone who wants to be a co-founder in a start-up team and has the desire to explore the viability of a business idea.
Our programme brings together a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, allowing you to meet potential collaborators you wouldn’t even know existed. Through our learning workshops, mentors, events and networking, we’ll help you build a team to ‘try out’ creating a start-up in a safe, risk-free environment. Pre-formed teams are also welcome to join.
Who should apply for Co-Founders?
Co-Founders is open to anyone.
We are looking for people who are interested in creating a start-up. Both the people who have skills they could bring to a start-up team, as well as people who already have a great idea or have come up with a problem space, but need a team of skilled people to make it happen. We are also open to teams that have already formed.
Our programme brings together a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, allowing you to meet potential collaborators you wouldn’t even know existed, and through our learning workshops, mentors, events and networking – help you to try out creating a start-up in a safe, risk-free environment.
Every year we see a full array of outcomes. Ideas succeeding and failing. New ideas developing.
At the programme’s core, Co-Founders is about connecting our community, regardless of background, to develop new ideas and solutions, and accelerate their own personal development.
You don’t need to be an experienced entrepreneur.
You don’t need to have a qualification.
You only need to have the drive to bring an idea to reality.
Meet the Co-Founders Team
Claire Kelly
Programme Manager – Co-Founders & INVENT
Claire Kelly
Programme Manager – Co-Founders & INVENT
Claire is the Co-Founders Programme manager and leads the recruitment and delivery of the programme.
Prior to joining Catalyst, Claire worked with Make-A-Wish Ireland as the National Volunteer Coordinator. The volunteers played a pivotal role in helping to grant wishes for the wish children. Claire was also responsible for Make-A-Wish Ireland’s national fundraising campaign – Wish Week, which ran across the Republic of Ireland and helped to raise vital funds for the charity.
Claire has a passion for working with non-profits and over the past 18 years has worked with other charities such as Mellon Educate, Mater Foundation, and Oxfam.
Claire is experienced in event and programme management and volunteer/stakeholder engagement.
