TechTides secures £10,000 through Local Economic Partnership
5 November 2026
TechTides founder Alastair Cameron has secured £10,000 through the Derry Strabane Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Enterprise Partnership Fund.
TechTides founder Alastair Cameron has secured £10,000 through the Derry Strabane Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Enterprise Partnership Fund.
The company was established to bring discussions on future technology beyond the traditional centres of innovation and into regional communities across Ireland.
The funding award will support the development of TechTides in growing their regional technology conference programme.
Launched in Derry in 2025, TechTides brings together speakers, startups and the wider technology community to encourage collaboration and connections.
The latest TechTides conference took place at the Millennium Forum in Derry on October 27th 2026 where the award was announced.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Grace Uí Niallais, said TechTides was helping put Derry on the map as a centre for tech networking.
“I want to congratulate Alastair on securing this funding,” she said. “It recognises the innovative work he is doing to support entrepreneurship and grow the technology sector across our region.
“It is particularly encouraging to see Derry playing a lead role in a programme that is connecting our regional tech community with wider opportunities across Ireland.
“Good luck to Alastair as TechTides continues to grow, I look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on our local economy and entrepreneurial community in the future.”
Alastair brings extensive experience of supporting entrepreneurship and innovation across Northern Ireland. He previously co-founded Startacus, served as Head of Startup Programmes at Digital DNA and worked as Entrepreneur in Residence at North West Regional College. He is also a Maserati100 awardee.
"We're delighted to receive support through the LEP Enterprise Partnership Fund,” said Alastair. “This funding will help us take innovative and experimental enterprise development ideas and turn them into real-world opportunities, allowing us to test new approaches, build partnerships, and create lasting impact for our business and the wider economy."
The £10,000 award is being provided through the LEP Enterprise Partnership Fund, a competitive funding programme designed to support innovative, partnership-led initiatives that strengthen entrepreneurship, improve business productivity and drive inclusive economic growth across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.
The fund forms part of a wider £5.15 million investment secured through the Department for the Economy’s Regional Balance Fund which is supporting targeted economic development initiatives over a three-year period.
The Enterprise Partnership Fund aims to encourage innovation and experimentation, support pilot initiatives and harness the expertise of partners across the local enterprise ecosystem to improve outcomes for entrepreneurs and businesses. For more information on the Local Economic Partnership programmes go to www.derrystrabane.com/LEP