Business

Kilkeel design entrepreneur heading to the Summit via Lisbon

David Henderson with would-be entrepreneurs at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology this summer
David Henderson with would-be entrepreneurs at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology this summer David Henderson with would-be entrepreneurs at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology this summer

KILKEEL-based David Henderson will be among a number of Irish entrepreneurs taking part in the seventh annual Web Summit being held next week in Lisbon and which he refers to as "the World Cup and Superbowl of technology".

Upwards of 60,000 delegates will attend the world’s largest tech conference, which has in the past attracted some of the tech world’s top speakers including Elon Musk and Gary Vaynerchuk, while even Bono has attended.

Created in 2010 in Dublin by Paddy Cosgrove and held in the RDS until 2015, last year it moved to Portugal, where it again takes place from next Monday to Thursday.

"The Web Summit has been a happy hunting ground for my business since I first attended in 2014," said David, managing director of David Henderson Design (DHD), which has made contacts annually which have totally transformed the business.

What was once a locally-focused design firm, DHD is now punching above its weight on the global scene, with notable contracts coming from various parts of the United States and beyond, and it is helping inspire the next wave of global business stars.

Indeed David and his team spent much of the summer lecturing, consulting and designing at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a direct result of contacts made at the Web Summit.

"We've always come away with amazing new collaborations, contracts and clients including start-ups from London, LA and Boston," David said.

Earlier this year DHD was invited to roll out branding programmes on behalf of MIT's Sloan School of Management as part of a prestigious program called LaunchX. It has been running for five years and brings together high school entrepreneurs from all over the world in a four-week program.

"We now find ourselves central to the professional development of many people who will go on to become some of America’s brightest entrepreneurs, all because of our past involvement at the Web Summit," David added.