Trinity has appointed Louise Grubb as the new chair of Tangent, College’s entrepreneurship hub.
She succeeds Brian Caulfield in the role.
Grubb is the CEO and founder of animal healthcare company TriviumVet, which works globally “to develop and commercialise medicines and diagnostics for use in companion animals”.
Speaking to The University Times, Grubb said she was “flattered” to have been named chair.
A Nutrition and Dietetics Trinity graduate who also holds an MBS in International Marketing from DCU, she described herself as a “science head”, who did not originally plan to go into business.
When Grubb decided to make the move into the commercial world, she said she “felt at a loss” and didn’t know where to start. She hopes that Tangent can provide undergraduate students with “creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, whether or not they decide to start a business”.
“Those skills, that confidence, going into work in any enterprise, having that sort of awareness of innovation, creativity, it’s an asset to your employer,” she said.
Second- and third-year Trinity students can enrol in Tangent’s undergraduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship, which Grubb said will allow them to “use a different side of their brain” and make the transition to entrepreneurship easier if an opportunity does come along.
The certificate is a part-time, online programme worth 10 ECTS which “aims to develop the core skills of innovation and enterprise in the Trinity undergraduate student population”.
Currently, Grubb said there are approximately 2000 undergrads who take part in the programme.
Grubb will also oversee Tangent’s goal to help establish 500 start-ups by 2026.
Each summer, Tangent’s student startup accelerator Launchbox takes ten teams and provides access to funding, as well as a “network of investors and mentors”.
Grubb said that “the plan within Tangent is to open Launchbox up and increase the numbers that can be on that type of accelerator programme, because it’s very unfortunate if you have to turn people away.”
Tangent – which calls itself Trinity’s ideas workspace – was launched in 2019 as part of Trinity’s €80 million business school.
Speaking at the time, Provost Patrick Prendergast called the centre the “logical culmination of Trinity’s engagement and focused entrepreneurship strategy”.
Tangent is partnered with Bank of Ireland, which last year ended its long-held relationship with College. This included the end of a sponsorship agreement with Trinity Sport and societies, as well as the closure of the bank’s branch located in the Hamilton.
At the time, Trinity media relations officer Catherine O’Mahony said that despite the conclusion of the broader relationship, “We very much look forward to continuing our association with Bank of Ireland particularly through its partnership with Tangent”.
Earlier this year, Trinity launched a new postgraduate certificate in climate entrepreneurship, which will be run by Tangent.
The certificate will help students tackle climate change, improve environmental sustainability and “empower individuals, businesses, and society to play their part” through the lens of innovation and creative thinking.
Tangent is also collaborating with the School of Natural Sciences in running the course.
