S3E5: Clare McGee - Business Whisperer & Derry Girl
Clare McGee wears multiple hats, most notably as a principal of Innovate-NI, a management consulting company established 2016 in Derry, Northern Ireland. Along with cofounder Dr. Barney Toal, the company focuses on small business development, entrepreneurship, digital and social innovation projects.
Clare is also a cofounder of AwakenHub, a social enterprise organization whose mission is to level up opportunity, access and connectivity for women founders throughout the Island of Ireland by removing barriers to scale, investment and success.
Learn how Clare's efforts may significantly redraw the map of Derry through her participation in the Eden Foyle River whose goal is to create a shared space for all the people of Ireland's fifth largest city
Clare McGee's Links:
- Innovate-NI
- AwakenHub
- Eden Foyle River => https://www.edenproject.com/new-edens/eden-project-foyle-uk
00:00 - Introduction
02:46 - Awaken Hub Origins
06:53 - Clare's Origins and the Impact of "Derry Girls"
10:26 - Derry & The Peace Bridge
12:50 - How Clare Became Interested in Business
16:39 - Ireland & Entrepreneurialism
20:32 - Awaken Hub & the Challenge of Self Advocacy
25:53 - Awaken Hub Vision
27:27 - Awaken Hub & The Diaspora
28:57 - NORIBIC
31:48 - Bringing Woz, Tim Smit and Eden to Derry
37:48 - Innovate NI and Keeping Balance
42:13 - Business Collaboration in Northern Ireland
44:35 - Brexit, Border Ambiguity and Shared Space
50:46 - Clare Looking Forward and Her Seamus Plug
54:05 - John & Martin Recap
56:19 - Credits
Co-Founder & Director
Clare is a firm believer that collaboration rather that competition is the key to success. She is passionate about enterprise and innovation and bridging this with education. She has supported the start-up and growth of hundreds of businesses especially in the tech and creative industries across NI. She is an advocate for embedding entrepreneurial mindsets in the young upcoming talent and has hosted and supported many events and festivals across NI in enterprise, start up, social innovation, STEM and creativity
