WEALTH March 30, 2026 0 Comments

Inside PorterShed’s Galway Summit: How Global Tech Titans Are Shaping the Future You Didn’t See Coming

Here’s a curious thought: what happens when you gather some of the sharpest minds from the US tech ecosystems, Europe’s AI infrastructure powerhouses, and the very heart of Irish enterprise support all under one roof? Well, if you guessed a powerhouse summit sparking new ideas and connections for the next decade of technology—you’re spot on. That’s exactly what PorterShed is orchestrating in Galway this April, marking a decade of its own journey bridging innovation and impact. With heavy hitters sharing insights on everything from AI capacity to global market access, plus a fresh economic impact study by KPMG to spotlight the progress made, it’s shaping up to be far more than just another event. It’s a bold statement that the West isn’t just participating in the global tech race—it’s gearing up to lead it. Curious about who’s on deck and what’s in store? Well, get ready to dive deep into an ecosystem ready to ignite the future. LEARN MORE

PorterShed will convene US ecosystem builders, European AI infrastructure leaders and the CEO of Enterprise Ireland in Galway next month for an event focused on the next decade of technology.

Taking place at Dexcom Stadium on 23 April, the invite-only PorterShed Spark summit will see a curated line-up of industry leaders sharing real-world experience, emerging trends and practical insight across infrastructure, AI capacity, investment, talent and global market access.

A new independent socio-economic impact study by KPMG, assessing PorterShed’s contribution to the regional economy between 2016 and 2026, will be unveiled during the event.

The event will also mark 10 years since PorterShed’s foundation.

“Spark is about bringing the right people into the room, founders, investors, infrastructure leaders and policymakers who are actively building,” said Mary Rodgers, CEO of PorterShed.

“The West has already shown it can produce globally relevant companies. Now it’s about ambition, connection and making sure the next decade is even stronger.”

The line-up is led by Sean Blanchfield, CEO of co-founder of Jentic and co-founder of Demonware, Phorest and PageFair. Blanchfield also serves on the government’s AI advisory council.

Elaine Brennan, executive director of global strategic partnerships at Northwell Health, brings experience from one of the largest healthcare systems in the US, spanning pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device innovation partnerships.

Albane Bruyas, COO of Scaleway, represents Europe’s critical digital infrastructure layer.

She oversees operations across 12 data centres and has led the deployment of one of Europe’s largest AI cloud infrastructures, with 5,000 GPUs already active.

Also speaking is Jenny Melia, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, the state agency responsible for supporting Irish companies to grow and compete globally, bringing direct insight into how high-potential start-ups secure investment and international market access.

US venture capital perspective will come from Mike Krenn, managing director of Prebys Ventures, a $50m evergreen fund investing exclusively in San Diego-based life sciences and technology companies, reinvesting returns back into the region in perpetuity to strengthen the local innovation economy.

The programme also includes Mark Little, founder of Storyful and Kinzen; Stuart Brydson, with more than 35 years’ experience across Siebel Systems, Oracle and ServiceNow; Paul Hayes, founder and director of Beachhut PR; and Rob O’Shaughnessy, known globally to more than 40,000 developers as Rob Shocks, an educator in the world of AI development.

Collectively, the speakers represent expertise across venture capital, state policy, AI infrastructure, healthcare innovation, enterprise software and founder-led companies operating internationally.

Alongside the main stage programme, companies from across the west of Ireland, from early-stage ventures to internationally active firms, will present on a dedicated demonstration stage, highlighting the pipeline of innovation emerging from the region.

The daytime programme concludes with a black-tie dinner recognising the founders, agencies and partners who have contributed to building the ecosystem over the past decade.

A limited expression-of-interest process is open at portershed.com/spark.

Photo (l-r) Maurice O’Gorman, chair of PorterShed; Mary Rodgers, CEO of PorterShed; and John Breslin, board member, director and co-founder of PorterShed. (Pic: Supplied)