Why Patch?

Before we get into the who, what, when and where of Patch, we’d like to share a short note on the ‘why’ from our founder, Tom McCarthy:

Dear Patcher,

As organisations grow, they often lose sight of why they exist and who they were created to serve. I hope that never happens to Patch, and that this letter serves as a guide to our founding principles.

I founded Patch to help talented young people meet their full potential. My aim was to support young people in Ireland to develop the awareness, values, skills and network necessary to achieve success on a truly global scale.

If Patch is successful, our most able people will go on to achieve more. More people will choose to become leaders, develop new technologies, form impactful social enterprises, and build successful companies. Patch should both raise young people’s aspirations and increase their likelihood of success.

We don’t expect this success to be achieved overnight. While it’s great for Patchers to build a viable product or gain interest from investors during the summer accelerator—and those examples certainly generate good publicity for Patch—we shouldn’t be distracted by short-term outcomes. Our focus should remain on supports that raise the bar for Patchers throughout their career.

I wish you the very best of luck.

Tom McCarthy