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Top story
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Northern Ireland “behind the rest of Europe”
“Invest Northern Ireland’s initiatives are too little and too late.” These were the comments of Colin Walsh, chief executive of Crescent Capital and chairman of Andor, who was the keynote speaker at the Insider Business of Finance Conference. One-hundred-and-twenty corporates, advisers and investors turned out at the Europa Hotel in Belfast on 31 March to take part in an event designed to bring together business growth in Northern Ireland with venture capital funding. The event was the precursor to the glittering Northern Ireland Dealmakers Awards 2011, the premier awards dinner in the professional calendar.
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Finance
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To float or not to float
The pros and cons of getting listed on AIM were debated at the event, with Walsh encouraging more businesses to make the move. He said: “More of the better companies need to go after an AIM listing, thereby reducing the dependency on the public sector.”
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Banks ready to work in partnership
“The market has changed, but it is now a market where the banks are very conscious of working alongside venture capitalists rather than trying to compete with them,” commented Kevin Kingston of Northern Bank.
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Trust 'the key' in VC partnerships
A lack of trust in private equity funding was identified as an issue in Northern Ireland, and businesses were encouraged to face this head on.
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Community
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Dealmakers blog
Jeff Wylie, general manager (international operations) – Kana Software, shares his thoughts on the deal market in Northern Ireland.
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