Ludgate Digital Hub grants first round of seed funding to educational start-up

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Pictured: Ronan Harris Google Ireland with Callum Donnelly, National Digital Week, Anne O'Leary, Vodafone Ireland and Tomás O'Midheach, AIB at the launch of National Digital Week 2016

11 November 2016

Ireland’s first rural digital hub, the Ludgate Digital Hub in Skibbereen, Co Cork, is to grant seed funding to online education start-up Digedu.

As part of National Digital Week 2016, Ludgate Digital Hub recently announced a €450,000 investment package, the Ludgate Seed Capital Fund, to help start-ups develop and scale their business, attract new talent or develop their product or service.

Digedu is the first to receive funding from this package, with an investment from Ludgate of €45,000.

An online provider of courses aimed at teaching skills for the digital age to a global audience, Digedu is the brainchild of Bryan Hurley, a Dublin-based technology graduate from Waterford.

The 27-year old will now relocate to Skibbereen to establish his business at the Ludgate Hub. The funds will allow the tech entrepreneur to invest in the company’s educational platform with the business aiming to employ 10 people within the next three years.

Speaking at the announcement, Bryan Hurley, founder, Digedu said: “This substantial investment in our business at this early stage gives us the platform to develop and grow at a much quicker and efficient pace than otherwise might have been possible. Skibbereen’s Ludgate Digital Hub provides us with everything we need from high speed connectivity to mentorship in an exciting startup environment and is a unique opportunity for a small tech company to participate in a truly unique and inspiring initiative.”

Sean O’Driscoll, a founding board member of Ludgate Digital Hub, chairman and chief executive of Glen Dimplex said: “On meeting Bryan and the Digedu team we were impressed by their energy and drive to develop a global educational platform. This ambition, coupled with the business’ potential for scale gives us the confidence that Digedu can bring high value, sustainable jobs to Skibbereen; a key objective of the Ludgate Digital Hub initiative.”

For more on National Digital Week listen to an interview with co-founder Grainne Dwyer on TechRadio.

TechCentral Reporters