TWELVE technology companies from the North and the Republic have secured an opportunity to impress some of Silicon Valley’s most influential executives and investors in Belfast next week.

A group of US business leaders from technology and venture capitalist organisations will be in the North to take part in a special two- day event showcasing high potential technology talent.

The event has been organised by the California-based Irish Technology Leadership Group, an independent alliance of high-level technology leaders in Silicon Valley who are Irish or Irish-American.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, the group will host the Silicon Valley Comes to Ireland event in Belfast. During the event, co-sponsored by The Irish Times, the shortlisted firms will get the chance to attend a series of exclusive workshops. More than 80 companies from across the island applied to the group to win a place in the closed-door sessions, which will give participants access to international funding opportunities.

Companies attending include Dublin-based decaWave, Ntera, Muzu, Dial2Do, Locle, Redmere and Sentry Wireless. Wicklow-based Kinometrics and four Belfast firms including Kainos, SiSaf, Vertical Wind Energy and B-Secur have also won a place in the workshops.

Although the workshops are by invitation only, there is general public access to a chief executive panel discussion, which will take place in Belfast City Hall on October 21st.

Among the US delegation will be Belfast-born David Kirk, a former senior vice president of AOL and Cisco and an entrepreneur.

Carl Guardino, the president and chief executive of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a public policy body which represents over 200 key firms, will also attend.