Some 8,000 sq ft of events space for Dublin’s start-up community developed by Dogpatch Labs in collaboration with Ulster Bank has opened for business.

The new events space is located in the historic 200-year-old iconic vaults below the chq Building at the IFSC in Dublin.

The Vaults includes a 100-person events space, additional 30-person mini spaces, various meeting rooms, a hotdesking facility and a bar.

It also includes an Ulster Bank offsite innovation initiative called the Ulster Bank Hub at Dogpatch Labs.

At the fintech crossroads

Dotpatch Labs’ managing director Patrick Walsh told Siliconrepublic.com that the location of the Labs at the intersection of the IFSC and the so-called Silicon Docks positions the start-up space ideally to capitalise on a new generation of fintech companies.

“Bringing The Vaults to life for the purposes of tech innovation and networking sends a strong message as to the ambition and vibrancy of Ireland’s tech and fintech scene,” said Minister of State Simon Harris TD.

“I look forward to continuing engagement with Dogpatch and other enterprise hubs in advancing the objectives of the Government’s IFS2020 strategy.”

‘Keep watching us, in 2016 there is every chance we could grow further as part of a phase three’

– PATRICK WALSH, DOGPATCH LABS

Walsh said some of the first events to take place at the new 8,000 sq ft events space will be a series of fireside chats in collaboration with CurrencyFair and Ulster Bank.

He said that the plan is also to make the space available for tech community events and tech meetups like Python software events in the spirit of the community-building that took place at Engine Yard a few years ago, which was fostered by entrepreneur Eamon Leonard.

Walsh said the events dimension represents the second phase of the development of Dogpatch Labs, where now some 30 to 40 start-ups are located.

“We’ve had one company, Udemy, graduate to move to their own premises only to be replaced by one of Silicon Valley’s finest young companies, Pivotal Labs, which has already grown to around 20 people.”

In recent months, Dublin’s Dogpatch Labs played a pivotal role in Google adding Dublin to its Tech Hub Network.

Walsh said that taking on Dogpatch Labs and developing it at the chq Building was an interesting challenge that only drives him further.

“We wanted to take on the hard problems of infrastructure for start-ups. I’m not a construction person, but we are trying to establish thought leadership when it comes to infrastructure for tech companies.

“Keep watching us, in 2016 there is every chance we could grow further as part of a phase three.”