Catalyst has announced the appointment of Patrick McIlveen as its new Head of Entrepreneurship, with responsibility for overseeing its entrepreneurship support programmes.
Catalyst is an independent, non-profit science and technology hub supporting entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland from its hubs in Belfast and Derry.
McIlveen has held various roles at Catalyst over the past five years, joining as manager of a digital hub project before moving to become Programme Associate for its Co-Founders programme and then an Innovation Lead in Catalyst’s Open Innovation team.
His career includes being a co-founder of a property technology-focused startup operating Hyre Proptech Recruitment and he is currently a Department of Education appointed Director at the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education.
In his new role, McIlveen will be responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of programmes such as Hello Possible, Basecamp Boston, and INVENT, which are designed to create opportunities for new entrepreneurs and support the rapid scaling of start-ups.
Steve Orr, Chief Executive of Catalyst said: “I’m really pleased to have Patrick taking up the role of Head of Entrepreneurship.
“He brings a great understanding of Catalyst’s programmes and a passion for making entrepreneurship accessible to everyone in Northern Ireland, no matter their background.
“He has also been an entrepreneur himself, so he has a great understanding of some of the challenges the founders of innovative companies in our ecosystem face on a daily basis.”
McIlveen added: “Catalyst’s vision is 'opportunity for all from world-leading innovation', and I’m excited to drive that forward by strengthening the entrepreneurship landscape in Northern Ireland.
“Founders at all stages face real challenges, and my focus is on ensuring they have the right support, networks, and resources to build ambitious, globally competitive businesses - while making entrepreneurship accessible to all.”
