BY DECLAN VARLEY
The Chief Executive and Managing Partner of a leading Silicon Valley investment firm returned to her West of Ireland roots on Tuesday to lead an exclusive event for scaling businesses at Platform94 in Galway.
A native of Castlebar in Co Mayo and a graduate of the then National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG ), Máire P Walsh now heads up climate investment and advisory firm Belayer, based in the renowned global technological innovation hub. She led the hour-long event from 10.30am tomorrow morning at Platform94, sharing valuable insights on navigating the fundraising landscape to help businesses scale on a global level.
The Belayer CEO was invited to address and meet with businesses from across the region at Platform94, the west of Ireland’s largest technology innovation centre. She shared her extensive knowledge and expertise in a session entitled ‘Insights from Silicon Valley: Navigating the Fundraising Frontier’.
Leveraging her personal and professional experience, the event focused on enabling companies to conquer their fundraising goals. This event is very much in keeping with the priorities of the host venue, where the team is committed to establishing Platform94 as an international centre of excellence for scaling technology businesses.
In her address, Ms Walsh examined four key areas, beginning with Navigating Choppy Waters, exploring the challenges startups face with fundraising, and effective strategies to navigate through them. Next on the agenda was Unravelling Investor Trends, where attendees gained exclusive access to the latest investor trends shaping the Silicon Valley funding ecosystem. This gave firms an opportunity to discover what investors are looking for in a startup and how to position their companies for success.
The third topic was Strategic Advice for Startups, presenting actionable advice from industry experts on optimising fundraising strategies. From crafting a compelling pitch to building meaningful relationships with investors, startups discovered the secrets to securing the capital needed to thrive. Finally, there was Interactive Q&A Session, where businesses can engage directly with a panel of experts, pose burning questions, seek personalised advice, and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs facing similar challenges.
A former SVP of Digital Technologies at Enterprise Ireland, Ms Walsh drove significant impact for deep tech and travel technology startups, earning her the ITLG Silicon Valley 50 Award in both 2020 and 2023.
Her contributions have also been recognised by The Irish Times, where she was named as one of the most influential Irish women, in technology, abroad. She holds an MBS from NUIG, and her career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability. Her work not only showcases professional excellence but also a profound dedication to making a positive impact on the startup world.
She joined Belayer in January 2022 and is currently CEO and Managing Partner. The firm’s mission is to connect Silicon Valley knowledge, network, and capital with the most promising European startups. It invests directly in startups, provides guidance on scaling in global markets, and facilitates connections between European startups and US global capital.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s event, the newly appointed Platform94 CEO, Marie Donnellan, said she was delighted to welcome Ms Walsh.
“One of our core focuses here at Platform94 is in providing a platform to support established innovative businesses to scale internationally. Máire specialises in investing, and in bridging the gap between Silicon Valley’s wealth of knowledge, expansive network, and capital, to European startups. She brought a huge amount of experience and expertise to this event and I think we can build a really strong and mutually beneficial alliance into the future,” she concluded.
