Is WorldDesk the future for BlackBerry & Microsoft?

Season Greetings! For me, this time of year is about taking stock, closing out the last of the year’s business, (including some nasty little loose ends!) and then leaving the next few weeks to get grounded and start planning for the year ahead. At Lough...

Once in a lifetime opportunities are rare, be brave and go for it

       We’re going to kick off the holiday season by recycling an article I wrote back in February for one of the community projects I’m involved with. As you may know, “Lough Shore Investments” is named after the eastern shores of...

What’s your mission?

I’ve been doing a bit of research on mission statements over the last few days. It’s been inspired by some M&A work we’re focussed on. My personal view has always been that companies with a clearly defined (and often simple) mission do much better,...

Dublin Web Summit: World-class in every sense

We had a fantastic day at yesterday’s Dublin Web Summit. Firstly, a big thanks to Paddy Cosgrave and his team for what is fast-becoming a truly extraordinary tech event. It was my first visit to the Summit and I’m hoping I’ll be able to get back again...

Attitudes to Opium (spelt OPM)

This is a post I’ve been drafting, in one form or another, for some years now (as you can tell by the length). However, given the debate on the debt ceiling that stretched through July, it seems especially timely.  The topic speaks to the single...

The Early Bird

It’s the million dollar question, what is the one key indicator of management potential and executive talent? It’s a question long debated and discussed but perhaps the answer is as simple as spotting the ‘early bird’. Put another way, who gets into...

Do the ‘Little Leagues’ better prepare you for the ‘Big...

I happened to have stumbled onto an interesting contrast in cultures when recently speaking to two separate friends, one in Brazil and the other in Belfast. The topic was family and I had relayed that my 8 year old twins recently began tryouts for the local...

Power Growth Through Innovation

Back in the Wombat days our mission was to grow the business organically while (i) remaining quarterly cash positive and (ii) doubling revenues every year. There was no particular logic behind this approach. At some point I’d read a Warren Buffet stat that...

The best bit of business advice I ever got

All the recent ‘toing and froing’ in Northern Ireland’s blog space and via Twitter has reminded me of the best bit of business advice I ever got (courtesy of Michael O’Neill, then COO of First Derivatives Plc).  At the time I was setting up...

Valuations – Science, Art or Negotiation by David Kirk

It’s been an interesting spring, and not just in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.  LinkedIn finally IPO’d.  Offered at $45 and going into the Memorial Day weekend at almost twice that share price, the equivalent of a market cap of $8.35B.  So if...

A once in a lifetime opportunity to change Northern Ireland forever

This morning we attended the launch of the Grow NI campaign. The idea is simple: Grow Northern Ireland, reduce corporation tax. But is it really that simple? In terms of execution maybe not but we don’t have to look very far to see what a straightforward...

Gold standard innovation begins with strategic direction

If there is one concept that seems to bamboozle the management theorists and practitioners the world over then defining “Innovation” has to be it. I’ve sat through all manner of conferences and seminars that have approached the subject from every...

Does the Microsoft-Skype deal signal the next evolution of the tablet?

At the launch of the iPad last year, Steve Jobs began his presentation with a simple question, “Is there room for a third category of device? Something that’s between a laptop and smartphone.” With sales of more than 15 million iPads by the release of...

Crossing those key ‘killing fields’ is all about balance

It is a question we’re asked a lot: As so-called ‘Angel investors’, what are the key indicators we look for in early stage startups or growth companies that we consider vital to the probability of success for the company (and investor)? It’s certainly...

‘Team Northern Ireland’ is missing the point; focus on Wall Street not...

It has to be said that Northern Ireland did not put up a strong showing at yesterday’s Ireland Day at the New York Stock Exchange. It was a very one sided event, despite a solid performance by Gary Hanley of Invest NI over lunch. Only three of the...

Companies like Geopii can reinvent the island of Ireland

Later this morning we’ll be attending the inaugural Ireland Day at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).  Ireland Day will look to communicate the Ireland Inc brand and showcase our best and brightest to some of the most influential business leaders and...

A different brand of investment – Damian Cranney (Frank)

Is an Investment Company a brand? A big question that rattled around in our heads when we were introduced to the team at Lough Shore; a new investment company established in Northern Ireland with some seriously inspiring goals. We kicked off our discussions...

Simple Power: Number One of Ten

We’re delighted to announce the first addition to the Lough Shore Investments portfolio. Later today we will formally announce a strategic investment in a home grown Northern Irish renewable energy company Simple Power. Simple Power offers a fresh approach...

Lough Shore Investments – the new approach to building world-class Northern...

One of the most common criticisms levelled at Government in Northern Ireland in recent years is its relative ineffectiveness in helping local companies become public companies and indeed global companies.  The allegation is often made that the...

The Opening Bell for Lough Shore Investments

Lough Shore Investments is up and running, less than twelve months after I left NYSE Euronext in April 2010.  We seeded our first tech start up in October 2010 and hired the first full-time team member at the start of November.  Watch this space,...