Shane McCarthy

About

Shane McCarthy is the CEO of The Grassroots Gazette and Equitas, two startups in the equine industry, and a long-time champion of startup ecosystems and founder networks. Originally from Limerick, he played a key role in building one of Ireland’s most engaged startup communities, leading Events and initiatives like Wild Atlantic Startup (WASUP), Startup Weekend Limerick, Young Innovators Limerick, and was involved in the Startup Gathering in Limerick too. A international facilitator for Startup Weekend in a previous life and a former New Frontiers participant, an award winner with the Entrepreneur Experiernce, he has always tried to help founders navigate early-stage growth, funding, and scaling. Now based in Portlaoise, Shane sees a major gap in the Midlands for a connected startup network—and he’s setting out to build it starting with Laois. Shane is collaborating with Eamon Callaghan, the founder and visionary behind Vision 85 on this new event. Our goal is to connect startups and startup founders in Laois and the surrounding areas.