Written by Ashley Shak, Head of Sustainability & Innovation Programmes at Dogpatch Labs Ashley Shak MCing the 2050 Accelerator Programme Showcase When you hear “sustainability”, you probably picture solar panels, composting, and that reusable coffee cup you always forget (guilty). But at Dogpatch Labs, we take a different approach — one that’s less about guilt and more about meaningful change. Yes, we care about the planet, but sustainability is about more than just going green. It’s about building a world, and a society, that future generations can truly thrive in. And to achieve big goals like the UN’s 2030…

Picture this… 11 teenagers brimming with nervous energy pace excitedly in the Urban Garden green room, practicing their pitch for the umpteenth time. Hundreds of invited guests pile into Dogpatch’s open event space, eager to nab that front-row spot. 36 young builders wait anxiously in the wings, hyping up their fellow Patchers they’ve spent 6 weeks building world-changing projects with.Welcome to the Patch Youth Accelerator Showcase 2024.From the moment 16-year-old Dubliner Rosheen Sharma, one of three teens who spent their summer in Patch creating a system to flag biodiversity endangerment, got a laugh for her first pun, “hedge our bets on…

Breaking down the dream that Hack Access Dublin represents: A society that’s inclusive to people of all abilities. The Hack Access Dublin machine has refueled and is ready to solve more challenges to make Dublin inclusive to people of all abilities. Hack Access Dublin is not just a hackathon; it is a sum of parts that keep functioning throughout the year. A machine fueled by purpose, operated by highly and diversely skilled professionals, determined to find ways to use technology and startup spirit to solve a societal challenge like the exclusion of people with a disability…

Dogpatch Labs just wrapped up the 3 day long 2017 Google for Startups EMEA Summit which involved 8 other tech hubs from across Europe and the Middle East. When I first began helping plan the Summit on my first day at Dogpatch as a Partners Associate, I understood its purpose and mission. However, it wasn’t until its start when I felt the palpable excitement and eagerness all of the members had to spitball solutions to the problems, collaborate with one another on strengthening their network and mingle with people trying to shape startup culture in their respective ecosystems.

Fadi Bishara seems to be one of the best connected and universally-liked people in Silicon Valley, and a few weeks ago I found myself sitting on the floor next to him — alongside a group of startup founders from around the world talking culture, values, mindset, and the founder’s journey. This experience was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a Blackbox ‘Partner in Residence’ representing Dublin’s Dogpatch Labs at Blackbox Connect — a two week residential programme that brings ambitious startup founders from around the globe to…