Embrace ambition on your own terms

Irish companies should explore the many ways to raise capital and grow, rather than aiming to be bought out

From left: Mark Flood, partner, Renatus Capital Partners; Conor Sheahan, chief executive, CKS Finance; Lotta Edling, editorial director, Bonnier News, Sweden; Orla O’Gorman, Head of Equity Listing Ireland, Euronext, Kingsley Aikins, Founder and chief executive, the Networking Institute; Claire Carroll, senior investment adviser, Growth Capital, Enterprise Ireland; Owen Travers, managing director, AIB Corporate Finance; Sarah Murphy, managing director of Business Post Events & iQuest; Joe Barrett, chief operations officer, Applegreen; and Lorcan Tiernan, partner, Dillon Eustace Pictures: Maura Hickey