Ken McGuire

Tag: keith bohanna

  • Video Blogging Is In For 2009

    I was wondering was 2009 going to be the year for video blogging in Ireland and if the month of January is anything to go by, I reckon I’m not far off.

    For the past few months I’ve been happily sitting behind the camera (N95) showing off food (those brownies were delicious), the office, talking gigs, talking theatre and more through Qik. Pat Phelan, Bernie Goldbach, Joe Garde, John Keyes and more are at it.

    But it’s when more and more people start getting in front of the camera that it becomes interesting. Ross has been showing people around the Mycrofilms offices, the “other” Ken in Kilkenny has recently started video blogging, Niall Harbison has been making great waves with daily video updates on the blog and now another Kilkenny man is at it as Keith Bohanna has started with some videos about the development of dbTwang, set to launch this spring with a closed beta.

    Interesting that all the Kilkenny heads have ties to Young Irish Film Makers in some degree. Part of my blogging resolutions for 2009 (yes, I made those as well) includes getting back in front of the camera myself though it will be another month or two yet and relates more to KilkennyMusic.com and My Music (also set to launch in ’09). For now though, I’ll be happy qikking away.

    Check Keith’s video here…

    Keith’s reading habits of late correspond to my own – I’m seeking out and enjoying getting video content that I can watch or listen to while working or take something on the go with me. So I’m looking forward to the onslaught of videos to be pushed out by Irish bloggers in 2009 and I’ve a feeling we’ll see a dedicated video blogger category coming up at the 2010 Blog Awards if not sooner.

  • Search Engines, Guitars, Food All Get Investment

    When someone emails you with some good news on the investment front for startups, and is happy to answer your questions via email, I’m happy to talk about it. (edit: as Keith was).

    RevaHealth, headed by Caelen King, have announced the securing of a €1.25m investment through Mianach Venture Capital and supported by Enterprise Ireland, EI backing RevaHealth.com as a High Performance Start Up in 2008 (though judging the EI terminology, should HPSU not be High Potential Start Up).

    On the site itself, it “currently stores information on over 60,000 clinics in the UK, Ireland and 50 other countries worldwide. RevaHealth.com helps people take control of their healthcare choices and find the most suitable clinic and treatment for their needs”.

    I asked Caelen what we could expect on RevaHealth.com as a result of the new investment in the business, specifically in what new features users could look forward to.

    “New features that we are investing in include advanced map and geo-coding, semantic search functionality (it is very difficult to match consumer health terminology with professional health terminology) and integration with 3rd party content (mash-ups).”

    Would users like an iPhone app as part of the development? Considering there’s information to be had on over 60,000 clinics

    You can also follow RevaHealth on Twitter here.

    db Twang

    While congratulations have been passed on in person and on Twitter, if you didn’t hear about it, db Twang also managed to secure €110,000 angel round funding in December. I’ve been following the development of the project since close to day one having worked on early elements of it, but to get this funding and signal the intent of raising up to another €500,000 between Q2 and Q3 is fantastic.

    db Twang, based here in Kilkenny, also achieved High Potential Start Up status from Enterprise Ireland back in December.

    This is a startup to watch. If you haven’t already signed up for notice of the launch, get thee to dbTwang.com now. With 400+ registered interest users and talk of a closed beta taking place in March you’d do well to get in quick.

    iFoods.tv

    Bringing more good news to the table this week was Niall Harbison who announced that iFoods have secured (or did before Christmas but have now made it public) a €400,000 investment, with the possibility of adding a further €200,000 in the coming months.

    Having watched the guys on Dragons Den and the request for £100,000 at the time, the investment of up to €600,000 in the business is yet another golden moment for Irish startups.

    Ireland’s own Dragons Den should be starting soon on RTE.

  • Kilkenny Business Award Winners

    Back in 2006 I shared a table with some of the McDonalds, Pack Publishing and Kilkenny Active gang, myself and John (Aidan was away on holiday) tucking into a sizeable steak as we’d been nominated for and were attending the Kilkenny Business Awards (nominated in the best service provider category). Nominees had a 20 euro (I think) discount on ticket prices, bringing the cost to 100 a head for the night).

    The awards were held in Kilkenny on Saturday night in the Lyrath Estate Hotel and Keith has the lowdown on the results. You’ll be able to catch Keith in conversation with some of the winners on The Bottom Line, KCLR96FM’s business show which airs later tonight.

    Overall, there were six categories with 39 finalists, I’ve highlighted the winners below in bold.

    Kilkenny Retailer of the Year Award (Sponsored by FBD Insurance)

    • Lamber de Bie Flowers*
    • Pat McDonnell Paint Sales
    • Flowers by Lucy
    • Superior Tiles
    • Kilkenny Book Centre
    • Field’s Jewellers

    Kilkenny Service Provider of the Year Award (Sponsored by Electro City)

    • Kilkenny Borough Council Garden Crew
    • Premier Recruitment Group,
    • Blue Wall Technologies
    • Springhill Court Hotel Leisure Club
    • C&C Security
    • Creative Catering
    • Taxback.com*
    • Gibbins Removals & Storage
    • James Phelan Demonstration Farm

    Best Small Business Award 2008 (Sponsored by Kilkenny Chamber)

    • Vendemia Organic Wines
    • Surf Box/Ormonde Technologies*
    • Smart Placements
    • Rothe House Trust Ltd
    • Blueberry Larder
    • Kilkenny Print & Graphic
    • Hullaballoons
    • Kompass Records
    • The Reptile Village

    Kilkenny Tourism Provider of the Year Award (Sponsored by Kilkenny Local Authority)

    • Team Dynamics
    • Tullahought Community Group
    • A Rural Experience
    • Woodstock Gardens & Arboretum
    • Springhill Court Hotel
    • Kilkenny Rivercourt Hotel*

    Education & Training Provider of the Year Award (Sponsored by FÁS)

    • Empower Training
    • Sharon Roynane Kelly
    • Kumon Kilkenny
    • Busy Bees Early Learning Centres*

    Manufacturing/Product of the Year (Sponsored by SEBIC)

    • QEF Ltd
    • Kelsey Horseboxes*
    • Chesneau Leather
    • Fineline Furniture
    • Enviroclad Systems
    • Moth to a Flame Ltd.

    Taxback.com were also presented with the “overall winner” award on the night while Kilkenny’s Kieran Crotty was given a lifetime achievement award. For more background on the awards themselves, check out this article in the current edition (dated April 10th) of the Kilkenny Advertiser.