By Business & Finance 
Ulster Bank and Dogpatch Labs, one of Ireland’s leading co-working spaces for tech start-ups, have today announced a new partnership agreement.
The deal will enable Dogpatch Labs to develop over 8,000 sq. ft of new space in the historic 200-year-old vaults below the chq building. The redeveloped vaults will give Dogpatch Labs residents and the wider tech community in Ireland a world-class platform from which to host meet-ups, workshops, events and hackathons.
Patrick Walsh, managing director of Dogpatch Labs, said: “This initiative validates the current momentum of Dogpatch Labs and Dublin’s start-up ecosystem. Ulster Bank are stepping up and facilitating the construction of this most vital piece of infrastructure at the centre of Dublin’s start-up community.”
Enabling this new space will firmly embed Ulster Bank within Ireland’s rapidly growing technology ecosystem. For their part, the redeveloped vaults will also serve as an off- site ‘Innovation Hub’ for Ulster Bank, for workshops and showcase demonstrations. The deal also includes Ulster Bank’s innovation solutions team taking space in Dogpatch Labs to work shoulder to shoulder with the start-ups housed there. Ulster Bank will also use the vaults to continue its sustained outreach programme into the start-up community, the focus of which will be a series of events with, amongst others, a theme of innovation in fintech.
This announcement comes at an important time in the rollout of the IFS 2020 strategy. Commenting on the partnership, Minister of State, Simon Harris TD, commented: “I welcome today’s announcement of the partnership between Dogpatch Labs and Ulster Bank to further develop enterprise and innovation space in the heart of the IFSC. I particularly welcome the model that this partnership embodies – the large corporate supporting a thriving and dynamic start-up space. I commend Ulster Bank for their foresight.”
Maeve McMahon, director of Customer Experience and Product at Ulster Bank said: “This isn’t a sponsorship for us – any organisation could put money into a venture – Dogpatch’s ethos exemplifies our ambition for Ulster Bank and supporting businesses to reach their potential. There is something unique about Dogpatch Labs – which can’t be articulated and we are delighted to be supporting the next stage of its development.”
Dogpatch Labs is the place where start-ups, investors and corporates come to rub shoulders and spark ideas. By partnering with Dogpatch Labs Ulster Bank has decisively chosen to position itself at the forefront of innovation in Ireland.
