Latest news with #GavinSheehan
Irish Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Hewick aiming to make it third time lucky in French Champion Hurdle
The remarkable Hewick will try to make it third time lucky in Saturday's French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil. Runner-up to Losange Bleu in last year's Grande Course De Haies d'Auteuil, and fourth in the race in 2023, Hewick is back for another crack at the €390,000 feature, which is off at 3.25 Irish time and live on Sky. Even by the unlikely standards already achieved by 'Shark' Hanlon's €850 bargain buy during his career, victory in France's biggest hurdles contest might constitute a peak. He is the sole Irish contender in an eight-runner contest where local star Losange Bleu is favourite to defend his title. Benie Des Dieux was Ireland's last winner six years ago. READ MORE Also lining up is the Paul Nicholls-trained Monmiral, last year's Cheltenham Festival winner, who is part-owned by Alex Ferguson and has been supplemented into the race. Nicholls won the 'Grande Course' in 2016 with Ptit Zig. Cork-born jockey Gavin Sheehan is again on board Hewick, having guided him into eighth in last month's Grand National at Aintree. Sheehan's only other spin on the hugely popular veteran was when successful in the 2023 King George at Kempton. 'He's a wonderful horse. I said if he won the Grand National, they probably would have made a movie out of him!' Sheehan said. 'Having had that run last year and that experience will help. It's different racing over there, a different style. I've rode in it before and it's a straightforward track. The only difference is they have a hurdle on a bend. The drier the ground the better for him as well,' he added. Bookmakers rate Hewick a general 11/4 second favourite to challenge the odds-on Losange Bleu. Sunday's €900,000 highlight at Auteuil is the Grand Steeple-Chase De Paris, off at 3.05. There will be no Grade One jumps action in Ireland for more than five months, but the relentless National Hunt circus rolls into Wexford on Saturday. In the wake of Rachael Blackmore's retirement earlier this week, Darragh O'Keeffe continues to be busy picking up the bulk of rides for Henry De Bromhead, and Aspire Tower looks the one to beat in the novice chase. The last of O'Keeffe's six rides at Wexford is Pebble Bleu in the handicap chase, where the course hurdles winner Kiln Time has just a second start over fences. Inexperience is an obvious concern but a mark of 81 over fences looks exploitable for Harry Kelly's runner.
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
VC investment rises significantly in Q1 on back of megadeals
Venture Capital investment in Ireland experienced a remarkable surge in the first quarter of the year, totalling $668 million dollars across 28 deals, accordiing to the latest KPMG Venture Pulse report. It's a substantial increase compared to the same period last year, when $34 million was invested across 17 deals. There was a strong start to 2025 with three deals raising over $100 million each in the first quarter. The largest deal of the quarter amounted to $125 million and was secured by the AI-powered productivity software company Tines, achieving a valuation in excess of $1 billion. Gavin Sheehan, Partner, Deal Advisory at KPMG in Ireland, said Irish VC fundraising was very strong in Q1, 2025 led by significant fundraising by Tines, XOcean and Fire1. "Globally, a lower deal count quarter-on-quarter is reflective of a more cautious sentiment given broader geopolitical uncertainty since the turn of the year," he said. "Notwithstanding these challenges, VC investment in Ireland mirrored international trends in terms of increased deal sizes and later stage investment with robust interest in the AI, big data and medtech sectors." Global VC investment surged from $118.7 billion in Q4, 2024 to an eleven-quarter high of $126.3 billion in Q1 this year, despite ongoing geopolitical conflicts and tensions, continued concerns about global trade and tariffs, and the delay of a major reopening in the IPO market. The overall increase in deal value was largely driven by a series of mega-rounds by AI companies, including a record-setting $40 billion raise by OpenAI. Meanwhile, VC investment in Europe held steady in Q1 at $18 billion, although deal volume declined from 2,314 to 1,883 quarter-on-quarter. A growth in megadeals — including five transactions at or over $500 million — highlighted the shifting focus among VC investors towards larger, later-stage opportunities. The Irish market Ireland experienced its strongest quarter of VC investment in several years in the first quarter, driven primarily by large megadeals, including a $125 million raise by AI-powered productivity software company Tines, a $120 million raise by medical device company Fire1, and a $120 million raise by ocean data services company XOcean. Fintech and medtech sectors in Ireland continue to attract significant interest from VC investors given their robust innovation ecosystems and strong talent base, with AI solutions also receiving significant investment over the quarter. While positive coming into 2025, the sentiment of VC investors in Ireland was one of caution in the latter half of the year amid rising geopolitical uncertainties. Heading into Q2, deal volume may become subdued as investors in Ireland and globally exercise caution amid trade tensions with the US. The implications associated with any US tariffs remain to be determined; both investors and startups are expected to be quite focused on assessing potential impacts on both general operations and potential expansion plans. "Despite these uncertainties, industries such as AI, health and biotech, and fintech are expected to maintain their appeal for investment and particularly for established start-ups with proven traction," he said.
