The Dublin AI Founder & Investor Evening 2026

⌖ Dublin · UCD Innovation Academy, O'Brien Centre for Science

Hosted by Innovation Academy UCD

UCD students can tackle real campus challenges at this three-hour, in-person hackathon in Dublin on 27 October 2026, working ideas into potential solutions. Make an idea for UCD more tangible The UCD Student Hackathon offers a focused opportunity to explore how campus life could be improved through student-led ideas. Rather than working with an abstract brief, participants will address genuine challenges faced by UCD students and consider practical ways to respond. Taking place from 4pm to 7pm at the UCD Innovation Academy in the O'Brien Centre for Science, this hands-on session is designed around collaboration and active problem-solving. You will have three hours to examine a challenge, exchange perspectives with other students and develop an idea into a potential solution that could make UCD better. What to expect The event uses a compact, in-person hackathon format. Participants can expect to: - Tackle a real challenge affecting students at UCD - Generate and develop ideas within a focused three-hour session - Collaborate with other students and draw on different perspectives - Move beyond discussing a problem towards shaping a possible solution - Meet fellow students interested in improving the university experience You can come on your own or arrive with a team. Everyone is welcome, making the event suitable both for students who already enjoy hackathons and collaborative projects and for those trying this kind of format for the first time. No named speakers or specific technology requirements are listed; the emphasis is on participation, teamwork and making progress on an idea. Venue and practical details The hackathon takes place on Tuesday 27 October 2026, from 4pm to 7pm, in the Shackleton Lounge at UCD Innovation Academy, O'Brien Centre for Science, Belfield, Dublin, D04 N2E5. It is organised by Innovation Academy UCD. Free drinks and snacks will be provided during the event. The combination of a real UCD-focused brief, an open invitation to solo participants and teams, and a short working format makes this a practical way to contribute ideas while connecting with other students. Get tickets for the UCD Student Hackathon

⌖ Dublin · Dublin, Ireland

Hosted by Claude Community Events

Build a practical solution to a community-defined problem using Claude Code at this free, four-hour team build event in Dublin. The Impact Lab turns issues identified during an earlier Claude Conversations session into concrete build briefs. These centre on questions about AI’s effects on work, individuals, families and communities, as well as who should set the rules. Briefs will be published on the event page before the lab, and each team will choose one challenge to tackle with Claude Code. How the evening works - 17:00: Doors open and teams select a brief - Build in teams of up to five; solo attendees can be matched with others on arrival - Pizza will be served during the build - Around 20:00: Short, live team demonstrations begin - Winners will be announced before the 21:00 finish Judges will consider how directly each build addresses its chosen problem, whether it works during the live demo, and whether someone could realistically use it after the event. Every participant receives $100 in Claude API credits. The winning team receives prizes including one month of Claude Max 20x for each member. Who should attend This event is for people already comfortable building and shipping with Claude Code. It is not an introductory workshop, and there will not be time to learn the tool during the session. Bring a laptop with Claude Code installed and working, plus your charger. You should also create an organisation in the Claude Console beforehand, as the API credits cannot be applied to a personal Claude.ai account. The event takes place on Thursday 29 October 2026, 17:00–21:00 GMT. Attendance is free, but places are limited and host approval is required. The exact Dublin address is revealed to approved registrants. Request approval and register for the Impact Lab

⌖ Dublin · Croke Park

Hosted by Business Post

Ireland’s Economic Outlook Forum returns to Croke Park, Dublin, on 5 November 2026 for high-level debate on AI, investment and national competitiveness. Organised by Business Post, this annual summit brings together 400 influential business leaders, policymakers and senior economists to examine the forces shaping Ireland’s economy. Scheduled immediately after the national Budget announcement, the forum is designed to turn fiscal developments and macroeconomic signals into useful context for corporate planning, investment and long-term strategy. Economic strategy in the age of AI Advanced technology and AI form a central lens for the day, with discussions moving beyond experimentation to consider implementation, commercial scalability and national productivity. The wider programme will explore: - Technology and AI: practical adoption, scalable commercial applications and their contribution to productivity - Ireland and the EU Presidency: how the country can help shape the European agenda - Trade and tariffs: Ireland’s economic positioning amid changing international conditions - Infrastructure: building the foundations required for economic resilience - Energy and defence: security, data-centre capacity and the commercial realities of the green transition - Capital markets, corporate tax and FDI: strategic issues affecting investment and growth Speakers and perspectives Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe will place Budget 2026 in context through the themes of national competitiveness and strategic investment. Business Post Editor Daniel McConnell is also among the highlighted speakers, while Denis O’Brien will contribute to a session focused on “The Ireland of Tomorrow.” Together, these perspectives connect immediate policy decisions with the longer-term transformation of Ireland’s economy. This is a conference-style forum built around keynote contributions and strategic discussion rather than a technical workshop. It is particularly relevant to senior executives, founders, investors, economists, advisers, policymakers and technology leaders who need a clearer view of Ireland’s fiscal direction and the role AI and innovation could play in future growth. Grant Thornton is listed as the event partner. Venue and access… Register for this event

Sponsors: Grant Thornton

⌖ Dublin · Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Hosted by Fruition Group Limited

A candid, interactive look at how AI is changing hiring, talent acquisition and HR, taking place in central Dublin on 5 November 2026. Rather than asking attendees to simply watch experts talk about AI, Above the Noise: AI, Hiring and What Actually Matters creates space for the talent community to discuss what the technology means in practice. Hosted by Fruition Ireland as part of Sourcing & Social, the evening combines a drinks reception, an interactive panel and small-group conversations with fellow HR and recruitment professionals. The event runs from 5pm to 8pm GMT on Thursday, 5 November, at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 118 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. The setting is the college’s rooftop terrace in Dublin city centre. A conversation shaped by the room Fruition Ireland’s Country Director, Stephen Daly, will host the discussion. The format will move between questions for the panel and facilitated conversations at tables of eight to ten people. This gives attendees the opportunity to compare perspectives, raise questions and hear how peers across the industry are thinking and feeling about AI. The focus is deliberately practical and open. Instead of presenting a one-way expert narrative, the session aims to represent a genuine cross-section of the community’s views on the rise of AI and its consequences for hiring. Relevant themes include: - What AI actually means for Talent and HR teams - How people working in sourcing and talent acquisition are responding - The questions and concerns that may be missing from mainstream AI discussions - Which changes matter most to people working across the industry Who should attend? This event is designed for people working in Talent, HR, recruitment, sourcing and talent acquisition, as well as those interested in the relationship between AI and hiring. Its discussion-led format should suit attendees who want an honest peer conversation rather than a technical workshop or a conventional sequence of presentations. No specific technical experience is stated or required. View the event and registration details

⌖ Dublin · tcube coworking

Hosted by Dublin Atlassian Community Events

Dublin RovoCon 2026 is a free AI and Atlassian conference in Dublin, combining talks, demos, workshops and networking on 6 November. Designed for around 120 technology professionals, the event explores Rovo, the wider Atlassian AI ecosystem and how AI is changing search, decision-making, automation and teamwork. It is suitable for Atlassian users and newcomers working across engineering, IT, service management, product, project management and transformation. What to expect - Main-stage talks, demonstrations, practical use cases and real-world experiences - Two rounds of parallel sessions, including smaller hands-on AI workshops with limited capacity - Welcome drinks, snacks and community networking - Pizza, drinks and informal conversations after the closing session Doors open at 3:00 PM, with entry closing at 3:30 PM. Opening sessions begin at 3:40 PM, parallel tracks run from 4:40 PM, and the closing session starts at 6:45 PM before networking from 7:05 PM. The speaker and workshop lineup has not yet been announced. The organiser’s detailed schedule lists the venue as Clayton Hotel, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin Docklands, from 3:00–7:00 PM. Note that the Meetup header currently shows tcube coworking and 8:30–11:30 PM GMT, so attendees should verify the final location and time when registering. The event is supported by Atlassian, WiQU and VMotion. Attendance is free, but overall capacity and hands-on workshop places are limited. Register for Dublin RovoCon 2026

Sponsors: Atlassian · WiQU +1

⌖ Dublin · Dublin

Hosted by ODSC AI Dublin

Build practical AI skills and connect with Dublin’s tech community at this free ODSC meetup on 12 November 2026, featuring talks and networking. Taking place from 6:00–8:00 PM GMT in Dublin, the AI Skills Accelerator brings together practitioners, leaders and newcomers for an evening of applied learning, community contributions and career connections. The exact venue will be announced. What to expect Supported by Snowflake, the main session will feature a Snowflake speaker alongside Sheamus McGovern, founder of ODSC AI and the evening’s co-host. The specific speaker and session topic are still to be announced. The programme includes: - 6:00–6:30 PM: Arrivals, drinks and icebreaker networking - 6:30–7:00 PM: Main session - 7:00–7:15 PM: Up to five three-minute community lightning talks - 7:15–7:25 PM: Hiring and job-seeker shout-outs - 7:25–8:00 PM: Pizza, topic-based networking and talent matching Attendees can volunteer for a lightning talk to share an AI project, tool experiment or useful lesson. This meetup is suitable for AI engineers, developers, data scientists, product managers, founders, technical leaders, business professionals exploring practical AI, emerging practitioners, and people hiring or seeking their next role. Admission is free with registration. Register to reserve your place.

Sponsors: Snowflake