Mary Maloney from Coder Dojo was our first speaker.
I was very interested to learn about Coder Dojo as I had never heard about it before. Coder Dojo is a global network of free, independent, community based and volunteer led programmes for young people.
At Coder Dojo they understand that digital is the way forward. Young people between the ages of 7 and 17 learn how to code and develop websites, apps, programs, games and explore technology, in an informal and creative environment.
The work being done at Coder Dojo is nothing less than ground breaking and futuristic. And it is obvious that the trend is catching on.
-Over 600 Coder Dojos have been set up in over 50 countries.
-15000 children are learning how to code each week
-5 new Dojos are being set up each week
-200 in Ireland alone
I think Coder Dojo is a fantastic way to get children openly involved in coding. Coder Dojo is also becoming a community and a place to make friends and develop friendships with like minded people. Dojos are being established in Pakistan and Palestine, this shows it is becoming an international development. Coder Dojo is creating a new generation of coders who will shape the way we all live!
Next up…
A cloud computing specialist and Director of cloud business development EMEA for Oracle.
I had heard of Oracle before the mini-conference but I didn’t necessarily know what they did. I learned that one thing they do is make databases to store large amounts of information.
Richard made us think just how much the cloud has helped the digital world. He presented 5 reasons why we should love the cloud. His reasons for loving the cloud was the way it has driven innovation and simplified IT industry.
He highlighted the fact that until recently technology had a very long life cycle, but now technology has become extremely rapid due to the growth of innovation and IT. We can see this as new versions of the iPhone are out every few months.
He brought up the concept of “Digital Disruption”. This is the new development of services like Uber, Netflix and Amazon which has completely changed the way we shop and live!
Next we met…
John Massey is the EMEA business development lead at SAP Ireland. SAP is the market leader in Enterprise application software. It tries to generate new opportunities for innovation and help companies fight software complexity.
John explained that the transition to cloud computing is difficult. People have not yet embraced this new technology, and they must be trained and educated about this new digital wave as it is transforming the way we do business dramatically.
To show the impact of the cloud he used the example of LinkedIn. Today 50% of hiring is done through LinkedIn. All of the information people put on LinkedIn is transferred on the cloud and analysed. This helps companies hire the best and most skilled employees.
Since learning this I have updated my LinkedIn profile, as I never knew how important it was before, John concluded that the cloud is great and makes life a whole lot easier!
Last but not least…
Shay Garvey from Frontline Venture Capital. Frontline Venture is Europe’s first community focussed fund, helping create a platform for innovative technology entrepreneurs building capital- and efficient businesses in high growth markets.
Shay revealed that the cloud has done noting but help start up businesses over the last few years. He explained there has been a massive productivity gain because of the cloud and other software services and tools. Companies using cloud computing and up-to-date technology know it is an important factor in the key to its success.
-In 2010, it took 6 months for 60% of companies to generate over $250,000
-In 2005, it took 18 months for only 20% of companies to achieve this growth.
Therefore, because of advances in cloud and technology it is far easier to become profitable quickly!
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