Wegene creates opportunities for families to become self-sufficient through vocational training and small start-up grants.

WHITEHOUSE: Champions of Change Blog

Balsamiq, a self-funded and profitable Italian start up says their manifesto is what they live by in order to create a new wireframing tool is easy to use, affordable and gets the job done.

FORBES: Italy's Balsamiq Pours Up New Wireframing Tools

Enterprise Ireland is making a huge bet on an industry fraught with risk and high failure rates but there is little doubt the government believes the rewards could be significant if the start-up ecosystem can become a vibrant, self-sustaining sector and, in the process, produce successful entrepreneurs that go on to start and finance more companies.

FORBES: How Entrepreneurs Can Save Ireland

The weak economy might have inspired more students to start up their own businesses - with a steady upward entrepreneurial trend in self-employment.

BBC: Graduate jobs market 'better than feared'

Up to another half-million have come in intending to start a business or be self-employed.

FORBES: New Britannia