This year was our biggest event yet, with more than 300 guests descending on 8 Northumberland Avenue for an evening of celebration.

We were delighted to welcome investors, entrepreneurs and 26 of the management teams from our portfolio as we reflected on a year gone by and our shared ambitions for the year to come. The room was filled with displays ranging from beautiful flower arrangements courtesy of Bloom & Wild, to captivating virtual and augmented reality demos from Somo.

Thanks to those who chose to forgo the latest Apple iPhone launch to celebrate with us. This sacrifice certainly did not escape our attention, particularly when speaker Colin Reid, CEO of TotalMobile, opened with a line questioning whether the tech giant's newest handset would be as resistant to Irish tax demands as it is to water. In an impassioned speech, Colin shared the trials and tribulations of his journey through entrepreneurship, offering advice for new founders from launch all the way to exit. Colin successfully managed TotalMobile's sale last year (returning 9x to MMC investors).

Bruce Macfarlane also addressed the room, discussing the progress made over the last 12 months and reflecting on his own entrepreneurial journey from the founding of MMC through to our ambitions as we look to the future.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the full team at 8 Northumberland Avenue for all their hard work and for delivering a steady supply of champagne and canapés. Once again many thanks to all of our guests and to our portfolio companies for making the evening truly special.

We look forward to seeing you all at next years' event!