Team · SVV

DC Cahalane

Venture Partner

Four-time founder, investor and ecosystem builder

DC is a venture partner, four-time founder and government advisor who has spent two decades building startup ecosystems across three continents, as an operator, an investor and a policy advisor. He sits on portfolio boards including Symbe and Kerno.

He has guided more than 1,500 startups through formation, funding and growth, and has worked with NVIDIA, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta on startup engagement. He writes on AI regulation and European competitiveness, including for FT Adviser, and his book on building entrepreneur ecosystems is out in 2026.

Writing

DC’s SubstackHow To Build Entrepreneur Ecosystems That Actually Work

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28 Sept 2026A Startup Is a Phase. A Business Is the Point.Too many founders are in love with the game and have quietly stopped trying to finish it.
3 Sept 2026The Asymmetry of ConsequencesFounders bear the consequences. Programmes bear the reporting. Nothing else about ecosystem policy makes sense until you fix that.
1 Aug 2026Ecosystems Are Measured in Exits, Not EventsYour Ecosystem Is Busy. Is It Working?
26 Jul 2026Stop Calling Everyone a MentorCoaching, mentoring and expertise are three different jobs. Most startup programmes can't tell them apart — and founders are paying for the confusion in dead companies.
6 Jul 2026The New Jobs EquationIf tomorrow’s companies are half the size, your country needs twice as many of them.
6 Jun 2026Greenhouses, Not Weather ControlThe hardest lesson in ecosystem policy: the more you try to control innovation, the less of it you get
15 more on Substack

In the press

16 Sept 2026FT AdviserAI regulation shift could open up opportunities in UK start-upsFor investors writing cheques into early-stage AI companies, the next few months are crucial.
17 Sept 2025Silicon RepublicEurope’s regulatory discord is killing our start-ups – here’s the fixEU Inc, a proposed single pan-European legal entity, could ensure our most innovative start-ups choose Europe over Delaware

Events

Coming up

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9 Nov 2026Attending · LisbonWeb Summit

Recently

Sept 2026PanelInnovation Summit 2026Closing panel: What Will Separate Tomorrow's Winners from the Rest
22 Jul 2026Hosting · LondonFounders vs VCs: Agent Wars LondonFounders and investors build AI agents head to head, with Antler, Alludium and Syrena
10 Jun 2026Speaking · LondonThe AI Summit LondonBarry on what breaks when companies adopt agents; DC chairs “Do Investors Back Teams or Technology?”
Jun 2026Panel · DublinFierce Tech Founders SummitQuickfire founder questions with Lorraine Curham, Michelle Fogarty and Ian Browne
27 May 2026Panel · DublinDublin Tech SummitBarry on seed terms with Propelor BIC; DC on three panels, including fintech funding with Audrey AI and Enterprise Ireland
15 May 2026Speaking · LondonLondon Venture Capital SummitThe future of cybersecurity