About DC

DC Cahalane is Venture Partner at Sure Valley Ventures, where he oversees the firm’s activities across the Republic of Ireland. His role involves identifying and investing in the next generation of technology startups and collaborating with private investors keen on supporting emerging AI companies through Sure Valley Venture’s Irish fund.

With over two decades of entrepreneurial experience, DC has founded four companies and has been instrumental in driving growth, partnerships, sales, and marketing for several high-profile startups and scale-ups, including Teamwork.com and Trustev. He is the founder of Republic of Work, the largest startup and innovation hub in Cork, Ireland. Most recently, he served as Group Chief Marketing Officer at Dogpatch Labs, one of Europe’s premier innovation hubs, recognised globally as a leading startup incubator and accelerator.

A well known figure within Ireland’s startup ecosystem, DC is a founding council member of Scale Ireland, the representative body for innovation-driven enterprises. He has been appointed by the Irish government to the Enterprise Digital Advisory Forum and the SME Growth and Entrepreneurship Taskforce, advising on entrepreneurship and technology policy. An experienced board member and non-executive director, DC has served on numerous boards of private companies and industry organisations.

Passionate about fostering entrepreneurship, DC has assisted over 1,000+ startups globally in launching, securing funding, and gaining visibility through his extensive international network. He is a frequent conference speaker and a regular guest lecturer at universities in Ireland and abroad.