‘Ireland is poised to be the corporate hub of European start-ups if it wants to be’

Entrepreneur Adeo Ressi believes Ireland can be a start-up hub, but that there are too many subsidies for young companies here

Adeo Ressi: ‘All the ingredients are here, so really all you need is a visionary to take the step’ Picture: Maura Hickey

He is a serial entrepreneur and investor who happens to be best friends with Paypal co-founder Elon Musk. Now, his Founder Institute, an idea-stage accelerator and start-up launch programme, has launched its first chapter in Ireland. Why? Because Adeo Ressi believes that the “catastrophe” of Brexit has placed the Irish start-up ecosystem at a pivotal point in its history.

Brexit has created a massive vacuum in the EU, according to Ressi and, as ...