SPECTRA Partners meet in Ireland

SPECTRA partner CREW hosts the project meeting activities and visiting SPECTRA partners from Bulgaria, Germany and Denmark, that participated in and supported the inaugural Irish Creative Business Cup as part of the SPECTRA activities

The SPECTRA partners had the opportunity to visit the brand new CREW Headquarters, situated on the campus along the Atlantic Technological University in Galway on 20th and 21st March 2024.

CREW is Ireland’s first Innovation Hub and Business Incubator focused on accelerating the development of innovative entrepreneurs in the Creative Industries including film, tv, gaming, animation, immersive, virtual production, and creative technologies. The CREW Creative Enterprise Hub will serve as a regional centre for the Creative Industries, delivering programmes and masterclasses in entrepreneurship to founders from the West Region. The hub will also provide meetup spaces and innovation areas for the Creative Industries welcoming industry experts, hosting meetups and networking events.

Along with planning detailed project activities and spending time evaluating the applications from the recently promoted ‘sprint and pitch’ competition on F6S, the partners also had the opportunity to participate in and support the first ever Irish Creative Business Cup. The competition came about through working with the SPECTRA partner Creative Business Network, who run the global network of Creative Business Cup competitions, held by national partners in 80+ countries.

The winner of the inaugural Irish Creative Business Cup, a global event held at the CREW Creative Enterprise and Innovation Hub in Galway on March 20th. Five shortlisted companies were invited to the final to pitch their innovative Creative Industries Startups to an international jury of experts and investors.

After rigorous evaluation, the jury, which included the SPECTRA partner Media Deals, has declared Grá Chocolates as the winner of the Irish Creative Business Cup, positioning them to represent Ireland in the Global Finals scheduled for June in Copenhagen.

Throughout the competition, finalists were connected with international mentors and advisors, offering invaluable guidance in refining business models, scaling operations, and navigating the global market. This mentorship program played a pivotal role in fostering the growth and success of the participating startups.

Furthermore, the winner gains access to the prestigious global Creative Business Academy, offering unparalleled support for internationalising their business. Membership provides resources, networking opportunities, and guidance to expand reach and impact on a global scale, solidifying their position as a leader in the creative industry. The initiative has been one of the good practices shared as part of the SPECTRA.

The Irish Creative Business Cup was made possible through collaboration and partnership between the SPECTRA coordinator, the Western Development Commission and CREW, who are the national host for Ireland.

The Bulgarian SPECTRA partner BIC Innobridge have held their first national Creative Business Cup only recently, and this enabled further exchange of experience with the SPECTRA partners during the Irish meet-up.

During the two days, the SPECTRA partners also engaged in networking activities, meeting and interacting with a range of regional and national stakeholders, including SMEs, enterprise agencies, university representatives, industry experts and others.

The SPECTRA partners are looking forward to the upcoming stakeholder and investor forum in Copenhagen, Denmark in June, when the Creative Business Network will host the global finals.