# PorterShed

> PorterShed is Galway’s not-for-profit technology coworking and startup support hub, operated by Galway City Innovation District. It combines paid workspace, founder programmes, events and multinational landing support, including the AI Venture Forge accelerator.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** Galway, Ireland
- **Founders:** Maurice O’Gorman (Co-founder; chair), Mary Rodgers (Co-founder; CEO), John Breslin (Co-founder; director), David Cunningham (Co-founder), Conor O’Dowd (Co-founder)
- **Products:** Hot desk, Dedicated desk, Corporate and hybrid membership, Virtual office, Meeting, event and production spaces
- **Notable:** The 2016-2021 impact study reported support for 835 jobs and 1,200 events., The 2026 Spark recap reports 3,064 jobs across member and alumni companies, and 638 additional member jobs since joining. These are different measures., Ten teams joined the inaugural AI Venture Forge cohort.

## Products & services

- **Hot desk** — Contract-free day pass, published at €30 excluding VAT.
- **Dedicated desk** — Monthly workspace from €300 excluding VAT, with fob access and shared facilities.
- **Corporate and hybrid membership** — Workspace and community packages; bespoke support for multinational teams landing in Galway.
- **Virtual office** — Business address with mail handling and forwarding. Published billing wording is ambiguous; price omitted.
- **Meeting, event and production spaces** — Bookable rooms, innovation space and podcast facilities.
- **AI Venture Forge** — Twelve-week in-person accelerator for AI-first startups and SME innovation teams; six months of membership included.
- **NDRC regional delivery** — Startup mentoring, pre-acceleration and founder support within Ireland’s national accelerator network.

## Achievements

- The 2016-2021 impact study reported support for 835 jobs and 1,200 events.
- The 2026 Spark recap reports 3,064 jobs across member and alumni companies, and 638 additional member jobs since joining. These are different measures.
- Ten teams joined the inaugural AI Venture Forge cohort.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published a recap of Stuart Lancaster’s discussion of high-performing teams.
- **2026-08** — Reported FutureHack, a student-led event with over 80 participants aged 13-19.
- **2026-04** — Marked its tenth year with Spark at Dexcom Stadium and new impact reporting.
- **2025-05** — Announced AI Venture Forge.

## Links

- Website: https://portershed.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/portershed/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/portershed/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portershed/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portershed/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/portershed
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08