Digital Irish Podcast: Recent Episodes

Digital Irish

The Digital Irish Podcast tells a global story of Irish innovation.

Successful Irish entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, and global leaders share their journey on the path to success within Ireland and abroad.

https://irishstartupweek.com/

Calling all Irish founders and New York tech enthusiasts! This episode is your one-stop shop for everything Irish Startup Week NYC 2024. We delve into this exciting event designed to bridge the gap between the Irish and NYC startup ecosystems.

First, we chat with Chris Walla, formerly of Dogpatch Labs and the mastermind behind Irish Startup Week. Chris shares the inspiration behind the event, highlights from the successful 2023 edition, and what attendees can expect this October. He also offers invaluable advice for Irish startups looking to scale in the US and make the most of their Irish Startup Week experience.

Next, we hear from Marie Toft, founder of Emotionise.AI, who attended the 2023 event. Marie provides a firsthand perspective, discussing the event's impact, the connections she made, and how she plans to leverage them to propel Emotionise.AI forward. Plus, she shares tips to help attendees get the most out of Irish Startup Week NYC 2024.

Whether you're a seasoned founder or a curious entrepreneur, this episode will equip you with the knowledge to:

Understand the vision and goals of Irish Startup Week NYC.
Learn from the experiences of past attendees and organizers.
Discover key takeaways and success strategies for Irish startups in the US market.
Gain insights on maximizing your networking opportunities at the event.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with the vibrant Irish and NYC tech communities! Tune in and get ready to take your startup journey to the next level!

Who's on today's episode:

On May 2nd we hosted “Designing Revenue: Lessons from Spotify’s Gearóid O’Rourke“, at Spotify’s incredible offices at 4 World Trade Center.

Gearóid is a Design Director at Spotify, where he leads the team building Spotify’s Advertising Platform. Advertising on Spotify allows more that 350M people worldwide access all of Spotify’s content for free.

irishstartupweek.com

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Irish Startup Week 2024! Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, this year’s Irish Startup Week will take place from October 1st through 3rd, featuring a curated series of public and private events designed to strengthen the bond between the Irish and NYC startup ecosystems.

Registration for Irish Startup Week 2024 is now open until July 2nd, 2024.

We’re delighted to welcome Granite Digital as our newest sponsor of Digital Irish.

Granite’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship aligns perfectly with our mission, and we look forward to collaborating on exciting initiatives that will benefit our members.

The Digital Irish Summer Drinks is a chance to network, meet new people and make connections within the Irish Tech and Digital community in London.

Taking place during London Tech Week, we are keeping this one agenda free to make space for quality chats over drinks. Numbers are limited to don't miss the chance to join us by registering now.

This is collaboration with and co-hosted by Taylor Wessing, Enterprise Ireland and Sonalake!

This episode dives into the fascinating career journey of Sarah Surgenor, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
Sarah Surgenor is passionate about changing how behavioral healthcare is accessed and discussed. A communications expert with 20 years of national and international experience, Sarah began her career working in television production and program development for Ireland’s national television station, before moving to healthcare communications.
As Head of Communications and Fundraising for St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Sarah created the communications and marketing department and spent a decade establishing the service as Ireland’s foremost mental healthcare provider. In the US, Sarah has been a communications leader in the for profit and not-for-profit sectors.
In her current position as the Vice President of Marketing Communications, Sarah defines and develops strategic marketing communications for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
We explore:
Her surprising pivot from Irish television production to mental health communications.
The contrasting landscapes of mental health support in Ireland vs. the US.
Promising practices and trends emerging in mental healthcare.
Sarah's vision for the future of mental health and her own aspirations within the field.
Join us for an insightful conversation that breaks down barriers and sheds light on the ever-evolving world of mental health!
Want to get in contact? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

On March 26th 2024, we hosted “From Northern Ireland to the C-Suite of Silicon Valley: A Discussion With Sarah Friar” in New York City.

Sarah Friar is Chief Executive Officer of Nextdoor where she leads a team that revolutionizes the way people connect and build community. Before joining Nextdoor, Sarah served as CFO at Square, SVP of Finance & Strategy at Salesforce, and lead software analyst and Business Unit Leader at Goldman Sachs.

While serving as CFO at Square, Sarah launched its initial public offering in 2015 and added $30B in market cap. She sits on the boards of directors of Walmart and ConsenSys, as well as the advisory boards of HOPE Global and the Blavatnik School of Government. She is the co-founder of Ladies Who Launch, a nonprofit that celebrates and empowers women and non-binary entrepreneurs. Sarah earned her MEng in Metallurgy, Economics, and Management from the University of Oxford and her MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where she graduated as an Arjay Miller scholar. She holds an honorary doctorate from Ulster University and in 2019 was granted an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II for services to entrepreneurship.

Sarah is from Northern Ireland, has lived in South Africa, and now lives in Northern California with her husband and two children.

This episode is a live-recording of the event with Sarah, in conversation with Digital Irish and CNN Underscored's Rachel Quigley.

In this episode, we delve into the thriving Irish startup scene and the role of alternative investments in fueling its growth. We're joined by Alan Merriman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Elkstone, Ireland's alternative investment specialists, who leads a team of over 60 professionals dedicated to crafting bespoke investment solutions for diverse clientele, including entrepreneurs, executives, institutions, and, crucially, the Irish Diaspora.

Unpacking the Irish Advantage:

We explore the key factors that led Elkstone to broaden its focus on the Irish market, capitalizing on its unique position and expertise.
Alan elaborates on the strategic decision to expand across all three of Elkstone's business lines, venturing beyond a single focus. We delve into specific sectors within the alternative investment landscape that hold promise and align with Elkstone's mission.

Bridging the Gap: Empowering the Diaspora:

We unpack Elkstone's commitment to forging a stronger connection with the Irish Diaspora, fostering their involvement in alternative investments.
Alan sheds light on how Elkstone measures the impact of its investments, not just in terms of economic value but also on the overall well-being of Ireland and its broader mission of enabling impactful investments.

Join us for an insightful conversation that sheds light on:

The evolving Irish alternative investment landscape and its exciting potential.
How Elkstone tailors investments for diverse clients, including the Irish Diaspora.
Elkstone's approach to measuring the impact of its investments beyond just financial returns.

Tune in and discover how Ireland is becoming a hub for innovation and how you can be part of its journey!

In this episode, we chat with Caitríona Perry, the acclaimed Irish journalist and current Chief Presenter for BBC News. Caitríona, an award-winning journalist with deep experience covering both Ireland and the United States, offers a unique perspective on the complex relationship between these two nations.

The conversation then shifts to Caitríona's experience with BBC News, a global media powerhouse. We discuss the mission and values that guide BBC's journalistic approach, and how they strive to deliver informative and engaging news for a diverse international audience.

Caitríona also offers her expert perspective on the challenges and opportunities of storytelling in today's interconnected world. She provides valuable insights on how to effectively communicate complex issues to a global audience while maintaining accuracy, impartiality, and cultural sensitivity.

Join us for a stimulating conversation that explores the intersection of international relations, media responsibility, and the power of storytelling in a globalized world.

More About Caitríona Perry

Caitríona Perry is a multi- award-winning Irish journalist. She is Chief Presenter with BBC News, broadcasting daily from Washington DC to a global audience. She joined the BBC in August 2023 from RTÉ – Ireland’s national public service broadcaster where she was the presenter of the country’s main evening news programme and anchor of special event programmes, including leading the coverage of US elections and the visit to Ireland by President Joe Biden. Prior to that, she was RTÉ’s US Correspondent based in Washington DC where she covered the Obama-Biden and the Trump-Pence administrations, the 2016 elections and all aspects of US economic, political, cultural and sporting life. She has written two best-selling and critically acclaimed books on US politics ('In America: Tales from Trump Country' and 'The Tribe: The Inside Story of Irish Power and Influence in US politics'). She’s also worked as a broadcast news correspondent, documentary maker and a programme editor. She has reported for radio, tv, digital and social platforms from Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Australia.

Digital Irish hosts Celebration of Irish Founders at the Embassy of Ireland in London

https://digitalirish.com/icymi-a-celebration-of-irish-founders-at-the-embassy-of-ireland/

For the first time, Digital Irish was at the Embassy of Ireland in London, hosted by Ambassador Martin Fraser. This special occasion brought together London’s Irish innovators from startups, corporates, and venture capital firms, with the aim of strengthening our community ties. At the heart of the event was a panel discussion featuring some of the city’s top Irish founders, who shared their stories and the lessons learned on their entrepreneurial journeys. We also used the event as a rallying call to action for everyone in attendance to think about how they can build a better community for all by paying it forward.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to leave the fast-paced world of the private sector for the impactful, yet complex, realm of public service? In this episode, we chat with Niall Brennan, the Senior Advisor for Data Strategy to the CDC Director, who made exactly that switch. We delve into their motivations for this career shift, and explore their experience in Washington DC.

In his role, Niall provides guidance to the CDC Director on the multi-billion dollar CDC Data Modernization Initiative (DMI), as well as working directly with CDC Centers and Offices to accelerate implementation of the DMI.

Prior to coming to CDC, Brennan was Chief Analytics and Privacy Officer at Clarify Health, where he led Clarify’s analytics and informatics strategy. He joined Clarify following his role as president and CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute, from 2017–2022, and previously served as the Chief Data Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, from 2010–2017, where he led the Obama administration’s healthcare transparency efforts, built an advanced analytics enterprise, and played a key role in implementing numerous Affordable Care Act provisions, including the Qualified Entity Program and the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. He has also worked for numerous leading think tanks and Congressional advisory bodies.

Brennan is a graduate of Georgetown University’s MPP program and has an undergraduate degree from University College Dublin.

Join us for a fascinating conversation that explores leadership, purpose, and the power of making a difference, all through the lens of a remarkable individual's journey.

www.akara.ai
In this episode, we sit down with Niamh Donnelly, the visionary co-founder of Akara Robotics, a trailblazing company at the forefront of healthcare automation. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of revolutionizing cleaning and sanitization in care homes and hospitals.
Niamh Donnelly is a co-founder and Chief Robotics Officer at Akara Robotics, a healthcare robotics company building groundbreaking technology to enhance infection control and patient safety in hospitals. Niamh holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering and a Masters in AI and Machine learning. She has previously held engineering positions at Etsy and Syze (AI start-up based in Dublin) and has also worked as an AI consultant at some of the biggest insurance and banking firms in Ireland.
She has won national awards for her AI research in the area of Convolutional Neural Networks, was named by Silicon Republic as one of "20 women doing fascinating work in AI, machine learning and data science" and was awarded the prestigious 'EU Top Rising Innovator' award by the European Commission. At Akara, Niamh oversees the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning. She played a key role in the development and validation of the 'Stevie' robot, which featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2019.
Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the transformative power of robotics in healthcare, and how Akara Robotics is leading the way towards a new era of smart, efficient, and hygienic care environments. This is an episode you won't want to miss—empowering, enlightening, and at the cutting edge of healthcare innovation!

www.mediahq.com
In this episode of the Digital Irish Podcast, join us in a captivating conversation with Jack Murray, the visionary CEO and Founder of MediaHQ. From the charming landscapes of Ireland to the forefront of media innovation, Jack shares his journey and the profound impact his Irish roots had on shaping his love for storytelling.
As we delve into the roots of his passion, Jack unveils the inspiration behind establishing MediaHQ and how this platform is revolutionizing the way stories are told in the digital age. Discover the challenges he faced, the milestones he conquered, and the invaluable lessons learned on his entrepreneurial journey.
Whether you're a seasoned storyteller or just embarking on your narrative journey, this episode is packed with wisdom and inspiration. Join us for a conversation that transcends borders and explores the boundless possibilities of storytelling in the digital era.
Buy your copy of The Magic Slice here: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Slice-Master-Storytelling-Business-ebook/dp/B09HZFKYKY/

The Magic Slice: How to Master the Art of Storytelling for Business

Join us for a dynamic discussion with leading experts from Ireland's booming Fintech scene. We'll dive into the powerful synergy between government, academia, and businesses, exploring how they're:
Sparking a culture of innovation: Discover how government initiatives and organizations like Enterprise Ireland are nurturing a fertile ground for disruptive Fintech solutions.
Building the talent pipeline: Learn how universities and research institutions are equipping the next generation of talent with the skills and knowledge to conquer the global market.
Fostering collaboration: Dive into the unique partnerships between established financial institutions and startups, driving rapid development and market adoption.
Scaling for global impact: Unravel the secrets behind Irish Fintech companies' success in expanding beyond their borders and leaving their mark on the world stage.
Our panel includes:
Conor White, Daon, https://www.daon.com/ - Conor is part of the core team that founded Daon. He joined the company as Chief Technology Officer in 2001 with the goal of designing and delivering trusted experiences that put human beings back at the center of digital transactions. In 2015, Conor accepted the role of President of the Americas, where he led all Daon activities across North, South, and Latin America. Then, in 2023, he accepted the role of President, New Industries, where he leads efforts to find Daon’s “next big thing.”
Patrick Horgan, Valid8me, https://www.valid8me.com/ - CEO and Co-Founder of valid8Me. Patrick is responsible for leading the development and global rollout of valid8Me, comprising general operations, business development strategy, and client relationships. Patrick is an experienced leader in the investment management and professional services industries, recognized for building and leading teams to deliver sustainable business value.
Stephen Walsh, Keeper Solutions, https://keepersolutions.com/ - Stephen Edward Walsh has been working in the IT industry since 1994. In 2011, they founded Keeper Solutions Worldwide, providing high-quality tailored fixed-price managed services to corporates, scaling tech firms and fintechs.
Our guest host on the podcast is Maria Gagic - who is currently SVP of Financial Technology and Services in the Enterprise Ireland New York office; Maria’s role is to support Irish Fintech companies to start and scale their businesses in the USA

Links:

www.imr.ie
Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI) https://imr.ie/what-we-do/services/smart-industry-readiness-index/

Details:

This podcast explores the human side of industrial digital transformation. We talk to leaders who are harnessing the power of technology to create a more connected, collaborative, and agile workforce.
We discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation, and we share stories of how people are coming together to create a more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future for industry.
Join us as we explore the intersection of people, collaboration, and technology in the age of industrial digital transformation.
Listen and learn how:
People are the key to successful digital transformation
Collaboration is essential for breaking down silos and driving innovation
A shared vision can help organizations navigate the challenges of change
Digital transformation can create a more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future for industry
Our panel includes:
Dr Andrew Lynch, Chief Innovation Officer, Irish Manufacturing Research (www.imr.ie). Andrew is the Chief Innovation Officer at Irish Manufacturing Research. He is the international Vice President of the EUREKA SMART Manufacturing Board of Directors, chairs the ManuFuture ETP Working Group (State Aid Strategies- Research & Innovation) and is the national delegate to the European manufacturing policy platform, ManuFuture High Level Group (HLG). Andrew has recently been nominated by EFFRA to the Made in Europe Partnership Board, an expert board which meets regularly with the European Commission to discuss the scope and modalities of the Partnership and future call topics.
Joe Peppard, Professor and Academic Director at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School - teaching and consulting in the domains of IT leadership, digital strategy and innovation, the execution of digital transformation programs, the creation of value from IT investments, and in the role, structure and capabilities of the IT unit in contemporary organizations.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with www.enterprise-ireland.com

Cybersecurity is a complex and ever-evolving field, but one thing remains constant: people are the most important element. In this podcast panel episode, we discuss the importance of collaboration and keeping people as the focus of cybersecurity work.

Our panelists are experts in the field, and they share their insights on how to build a strong cybersecurity culture, how to effectively communicate cybersecurity risks to employees, and how to create a more inclusive and diverse cybersecurity workforce.

Our panel includes:

Ryan Lasmaili, CEO and Co-Founder of Vaultree, has built his career on a profound fascination for groundbreaking technology. His journey, marked by over a decade of experience in tech startups, is distinguished by strategic problem-solving, analytical insights, and forward-thinking solutions.
Dennis Dayman is a Resident CISO for Proofpoint with more than 30 years of experience as a leader in security and privacy with a focus on information security and data privacy, data governance issues, protecting and improving data through industry policy, regulatory policy relations, and technical solutions. He is the co-author of Startup CXO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Company’s Critical Functions and Teams at StartupCXO.com. He has also held leadership roles in privacy and security at several other organizations, including Maropost, Return Path, and Eloqua. Dennis was appointed Advisor to the Data Privacy and Integrity Committee by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary.
Brian Honan is CEO of BH Consulting an independent cybersecurity and data protection advisory firm based in Dublin, Ireland. Brian is an internationally recognised expert on cybersecurity. He is a member of the Advisory Group of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). Brian has previously acted as a special advisor to Europol’s Cybercrime Centre (EC3), and is the founder of Ireland’s first Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Our guest cohost is:

Claire Walsh - who is currently a Senior Market Advisor for Cybersecurity in the Enterprise Ireland New York office, Claire’s role is to support Irish cybersecurity companies to start and scale their businesses in the USA

On this episode of the Digital Irish Podcast, we delve into the world of Life Sciences and the impact Irish Businesses are having in the field. To help us understand this space, we speak with John Power.
Serial Entrepreneur and former European Entrepreneur of the Year, John leads Aerogen, Irelands largest indigenous Med-tech company and the world leader in Acute Care aerosol drug delivery. Aerogen’s award-winning products have to date helped treat 14 million critically ill patients in more than 80 countries globally.
John is recognized as both a technology and business innovator, credited with many commercialized international patents. His company was at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic response, developing the World’s First Aerosol Vaccine Delivery System used to vaccinate over 50 million subjects.
He is an investor and Board member of several Irish and US based Med-tech companies and in his extensive career he has ‘run the gauntlet’ of corporate transactions from Boot-strap start-up, through In /Out Licensing to IPO and Leveraged MBO. A founder faculty member of the National University of Ireland Galway Bio-Innovate program, he has actively mentored many indigenous early stage Irish companies.
A Chartered Engineer and FIEI, he holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University, is an Adjunct Professor at NUIG where in 2016 in recognition of his contribution to the development of the Irish Medical Device sector John was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate. John is the current chair of Connacht Rugby.

On this episode of the Digital Irish Podcast, we host a panel of entrepreneurs and tech innovators who are working with AI to grow their business
The first part of the conversation focuses on demystifying AI and its use, before shifting focus to the specific role of AI in business and the future of AI in Ireland.
This conversation provides a comprehensive overview of AI and its potential impact on Irish Businesses. A fascinating conversation for anyone who is interested in learning more about this rapidly evolving technology.
Our guests include:
Rafael Pagés - Co-founder and CEO of Volograms (https://www.volograms.com/), a Trinity College Dublin spin out using AI to create volumetric 3D holograms for immersive communications. Rafa is an expert in immersive technologies with more than 10 years of experience, both as entrepreneur (with another startup founded in the field) and as a researcher (with a PhD in Computer Vision and 25+ published papers and patents). As Volograms co-founder, he was nominated for the Enterprise Ireland HPSU Founder of the Year Award in 2019.
Alan Gormley - CEO of Shopbox (https://www.shopbox.ai/). Alan has over 26 years at the forefront of AI working with the largest companies across Europe. Frustrated by the huge barriers to entry for most companies, Alan founded Shopbox AI in 2020. His mission is to enable any retailer to benefit from deep AI, with no effort.
Dr Amelia Kelly - CTO, Soapbox Labs (https://www.soapboxlabs.com/). Dr Kelly is an artificial intelligence engineer and manager, specialising in speech recognition and natural language understanding. Masters and PhD in Speech Tech from Trinity College Dublin. Fulbright Scholar. For the last 8 years she has helped build a cross-functional team of engineers and researchers and create the SoapBox Engine, a speech recognition and analysis system specifically for children's voices and use-cases.
Noel Kenehan - Lead, AI/ML Center of Excellence, Google Cloud Partnerships
This episode is hosted byDave Byrne, alongside guest host Martha O'Byrne-O'Reilly
Martha is Senior Vice President of Digital Technologies at Enterprise Ireland, she is based in San Francisco. In her role Martha works proactively with Irish enterprises to support them reach their full potential in the US market. Martha joined Enterprise Ireland in April '23 with over 10 years' experience working in tech both in the Bay Area and in Ireland. Her previous roles included Head of Messaging Partnerships at Meta and Global Sales Partnerships Lead at Twitter. In her own words: "It's a privilege to represent Ireland's thriving digital tech ecosystem and I'm looking forward to building successful, long-term business relationships between US customers and Irish enterprises"

- Leo Clancy is Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government agency that helps innovative Irish businesses go global
- Enterprise Ireland’s mission is to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies to achieve leading positions in global markets.
- Its network of 39 international offices encourage international companies to source Irish innovation, and support Irish companies to scale internationally.
- Before being appointed as CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo was part of the Executive team at IDA Ireland, responsible for a number of areas including Technology and Business Services markets, IT and Marketing. In that role, Leo worked extensively with global technology and services companies invested in Ireland.
- Prior to his public sector career, Leo spent 17 years in the telecommunications industry, including in a number of management, technical and engineering roles. He was part of the senior leadership team at e|net, a high-growth Irish wholesale broadband provider. He spent the early part of his career at Ericsson, working as an engineer and manager in Ireland and across Europe, the Middle East and Africa within global services on deployment of telecommunications networks.
- Leo is a graduate of Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Dublin Institute of Technology. He grew up on a farm in County Tipperary and retains a strong fundamental understanding of the agricultural and food sector.
- This episode is hosted byDave Byrne

Alan Gleeson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Contento, (www.contento.io) a content management system (CMS) for B2B SaaS and technology websites.
Alan started his career in financial services, joining Barclays on their graduate programme. After Barclays he moved to Freeserve, then one of the poster boys for the 'dot com' boom. He subsequently joined Palo Alto Software, a leading Software as a Service (SaaS) company where he acted as the Managing Director for the European subsidiary.
In recent years Alan has worked as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for several B2B SaaS companies, in a mix of full time and consultancy engagements .
Alan is based in London, is on the board of Digital Irish, and coaches at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club.
He also has an MBA from University of Oxford, and an MSc from University College Cork, Ireland.
This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

wio.io
Conall Laverty, is the Founder & CEO of Wia, an Irish startup that provides sustainability companies with cloud infrastructure to utilise the Internet of Things. He is a key figure in the global Internet of Things ecosystem and was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 for Europe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded OSV, one of the fastest growing hardware movements to develop open source ventilators with over 7,000 engineers, designers and medical professionals.
From County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Conall was previously CTO of Big Motive, a creative technology company based in London and Belfast. There he architected and developed products for BBC, Net-a-Porter and Channel 4. He was also Technical Director of Woogie, an innovation consultancy who has worked with Cambridge Silicon Radio, Deezer and startups throughout Ireland. He attained a First Class Honours Masters from Queen’s University Belfast in Computer Games Development.
Speaker engagements include Mobile World Congress, Dublin Tech Summit, RIOT, Web Summit, TechConnect, ICONs Festival, Google, Facebook.
Publications include Bloomberg, Forbes, TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance, Irish Times, Fora, Silicon Republic, Sunday Business Post, Business World
Awards and Accolades
Nominated for Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards 2020
JCI Outstanding Young People Awards for 2020
Forbes 30 Under 30 2019
Blackbox Connect 23 2018
Sunday Business Post 30 Under 30 2018
Digital DNA Young Person of the Year 2017
IIA Startup of the Year 2017
NDRC Launchpad Winner 2016
This episode is hosted by⁠ ⁠⁠Dave Byrne⁠

After building a viewership of 4 million across two online magazines, Greta Dunne designed Marker Content and launched it last year.
Marker Content is an online library of evergreen articles that you can download and edit for use on your own website or social media platforms.
Now reaching 75,000 contributors, she's aiming to build the biggest content marketplace in the world; written by writers, not robots
Through all of this work, Greta has faced personal adversity - which offered her unique perspective and learnings she is now applying to her life as a founder and business leader
This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

A born and raised New Yorker, Chris Walla moved to Ireland in 2017 to join the founding team of Dogpatch Labs, a startup incubator and innovation lab in Dublin. Over five years, Chris helped build Dogpatch Labs into Ireland’s top incubator and one of Crunchbase’s ‘Top 10 Incubators Around the World You Need to Know’, leading their business development unit.
Chris works at the intersection of startups and corporates. He has worked hands-on with 100+ startups as well as 10+ corporate partners on innovation activity. He has secured innovation partnerships with some of the world’s largest companies globally, including Unilever, Fidelity Investments, IBM, Huawei, and more.
Chris has a track record of winning landmark contracts spanning the domains of startups, corporates, and government, notably a €17M contract to run Ireland’s national startup accelerator
This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Diarmaid is the founder of Tonnta (tonnta.io), a pioneering platform that simplifies inbox management for solopreneurs. Diarmaid's early career saw him work at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the University of Galway ISS department before venturing to New York in 2017 to join On The Stage, a company specializing in technological solutions for the creative arts market.
Since starting Tonnta, Diarmaid has worked tirelessly to build both the platform and its community, with a global solopreneur market firmly in his sights. He has participated in Enterprise Ireland's New Frontiers program and the NDRC Pre-Accelerator, with the goal of developing Tonnta into a sustainable and thriving business.
As well as bootstrapping Tonnta, Diarmaid is a Product Management Consultant (diarmaid.info) and founder of Empathy Jam Galway, a project he conceived during his time in New York in collaboration with Empathy Jam NYC.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

In this episode, we speak to Edwina Fitzmaurice - EY Global Chief Customer Success Officer - about the potential opportunity for the Metaverse and the need to build a foundation with Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in mind
Edwina is responsible for customer success and products for Client Technology globally. She leads a network of customer success technology hubs across EMEIA, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. She works with EY’s largest accounts on their technology strategies and implementing innovative solutions to help transform their business.
Edwina is on the board of Women in Innovation and is the chair of the Governance Committee. She is a mentor with TechStars in Los Angeles and is an active member of the G100 and World50 business community of C-suite executives.
Edwina also works with major EY accounts to help them navigate the transformative age where technology, geopolitical, environmental and demographic change is disrupting their business.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Olus Education have announced they are raising a seed round, with an investor launch on February 16th. Olus is a SaaS based digital skills portal for primary and secondary students. The portal is unique in the market in that it focuses on supporting the students first, while teachers learn alongside the students. By focusing on a self-led approach for students and not requiring teachers to upskill first, Olus have removed the blocker to digital skills learning in a way that other solutions have failed to address.

Click here for a short explainer video, here for a sneak peak at the portal, and here to register interest for the investment opportunity.

Link to Gavin Molloy from Olus interview: https://digitalirish.com/olus-gavin-molloy/

Barry Haughey is the Founder of HoloGen, a digital artist and educator with over 20 years working in the Irish education and youth work sectors. Throughout his career he has worked with a diverse range of harder to reach young people, striving to incorporate digital learning and future skills into his programmes.
More recently he has founded HoloGen, an immersive technology consultancy for business, educational and youth organisations to establish and harness immersive technology for learning and working. HoloGen is currently working with a number of educational institutions from the UK, EU and North America.
If you’re interested in dropping into one of HoloGen’s Friday meetups, email hello@hologen.org for onboarding details.
https://www.hologen.org/

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

In this episode, we speak with Stuart Dempsey, founder and CEO of GamerFest, Ireland's biggest gaming and esports festival.
During a 20 year career in marketing Stuart has worked in a variety of sectors before establishing his live events company in 2017, targeting the gaming space in particular. Since then his company has gone from strength to strength, delivering its most recent GamerFest event in Dublin, working with a range of multinational brands and partners and welcoming 5,000 visitors to the event.
https://gamerfest.ie/
This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Gemma Allen is the vice president of B2C technology at IDA Ireland. In her current role with IDA Ireland, she is responsible for building relations with Executive decision makers, business leaders, political stakeholders and key industry players to secure foreign direct investment into Ireland. Allen is based in New York City and has over 17 years’ experience working with the world’s largest technology companies in the U.S. and Europe.
She is a contributor for Nasdaq.com and writes as a thought leader on topics related to Women in Tech, workplace culture and the future of work.
She is a board member of the NYC Foreign Trade Commission and a member of various industry bodies and forums such as Women in Tech Industry (WITI), Chief, and Innovation Women
She is the founder of ‘Neart Na Mna’, a support forum for women to drive awareness and support for postnatal depression in the workplace.
She lives in Brooklyn NY with her Husband Leo and two children, Esme and Edie.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Bobby Healy is CEO and Founder of Manna Drone Delivery. Healy started off his tech career building games for Nintendo at the age of 16.
After Nintendo, Healy founded the airline technology company Eland Technologies, which was then sold 12 years later. Healy then went on to build the largest mobility marketplace for airlines in the world, CarTrawler.
Now, Healy is building Manna, the largest drone delivery operation in Europe, with over €30 million in funding from leading investors such as Molten Ventures, ffvc, Team Europe, Partners of DST Global and Dynamo Ventures. Healy continues to be an avid computer programmer and is a frequent speaker on the international circuit on subjects related to technology.
https://www.manna.aero/

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Sandra Healy is CEO and founder of inclusio. Sandra's career spanned 20 years in the global telecoms industry and five years at Dublin City University where she established the DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion.
She is an Organisational Psychologist who over the last 15 years, has championed and driven diversity and inclusion practice across industry and is considered a leading expert in this space. In 2014, she provided critical expertise and sectoral knowledge establishing the EU Diversity Charter Ireland.
Sandra is a member of the Expert Advisory Group for Ireland’s Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council for An Garda Síochána (Ireland's Police Force). Sandra won Entrepreneur of the Year at the Diversity in Tech Awards in 2021.
inclusio.io
This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

James Brogan is CEO and Co-founder of PepTalk. Former founder and MD of marketing agency, Legacy Communications. Ex Dublin footballer and All-Ireland winner.
PepTalk is the first team experience (TX) platform designed specifically for the hybrid work environment. They help organizations understand what the cultural environment is really like within their teams and then create actionable solutions to address the issues. The platform is underpinned by behavioral psychology designed by global experts. Peptalk is currently working with PayPal, Verizon and Northern Trust.
www.peptalk.com

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Begum is a researcher at Insight Centre for Data Analytics and a lecturer at School of Computer Science and IT, University College Cork. She is also the Ireland Ambassador of Women in AI. She is an advocate for increasing diversity and inclusion in the AI space, and passionate about designing AI solutions that are trustworthy.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Sean Davis is the New York based Enterprise Ireland Regional Director for the Americas, taking up the post in August 2016, leading a team based in 9 offices across North & South America.
This followed a 5 year posting as the Enterprise Ireland Regional Director MENA based in Dubai, 2012 to 2016.
From 2006 to 2012 he managed the Enterprise Ireland Cleantech, Industrial & Life Sciences team, based in New York.
From 2002 to 2006 he was the Market Development Manager for the US and Canada with the US subsidiary of the publicly traded Singaporean company Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd, managing market teams in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, and, sales agents in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
He was an owner and GM of an import company in New York City from 1999 to 2001, and, owner of a Brooklyn NY based bar/restaurant from 2001 to 2013.
He spent 10 years in Ireland with the Irish retail chain Superquinn in a variety of management roles before relocating to the US in 1996.
He holds a diploma in Management (DIT), Marketing (DIT) and has a degree in Business Studies from the University of Glamorgan.
This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

HoloToyz is a new Irish business innovating the toy industry globally.
They launched with a range of children’s books, stickers, tattoos and wall decals that come to life through Augmented Reality and have recently signed deals with Nickelodeon (Paramount) and SEGA.
The company believes children should be able to play and learn through new technologies in a safe environment, whilst not losing touch with the physical world.
https://holotoyz.com/

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Paul joined Zai in October 2016, having been a customer of the company for several years before. Prior to joining Zai, he founded "Accelerate Success", to provide mentorship and capital to select high-growth ambitious software companies. He also founded Cadency, a SaaS workflow and finance automation business, in 2011, and grew revenue to circa US$60 million over 4 years prior to selling the business in 2015.
In 2008 he founded Concuity, to provide SaaS-based healthcare services to large scale healthcare providers and, having grown revenue to US$10 million in just over 2 years, sold the business to a public company in 2010. In 1999 as Chief Financial Officer, he took Trintech public via an IPO on NASDAQ and was also a director of the company from 1998 to 2010 and President from 2005 to 2010. He’s a very keen sports fan and golfer, is intellectually curious and totally committed to nurturing young entrepreneurial talent.
https://www.currencyfair.com/
https://www.hellozai.com/

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Please join our last Digital Irish event before the summer break on Thursday, June 16th from 6pm at the Irish Consulate, where we are delighted to host a special panel with Glamour’s Samantha Barry, Newswhip’s Paul Quigley and Malachy Browne from the New York Times, moderated by Conde Nast’s Rachel Quigley.

The problem of misinformation — and the right approach to it for regulators and social media platforms — is turning into one of the most divisive political issues of the 2020s. Every major news story brings a swarm of counter stories — from covid to the capitol riot, the Ukraine invasion to vaccines. Can measures like the Disinformation Governance Board (suspended after just three weeks) and the Digital Services Act actually foster much-needed transparency? Or will the rising power of deep fake video and niche platforms see us all disappearing into our own “truths”? All this and more will be discussed by our expert panel.

Get your tickets: https://digitalirish.com/from-fake-news-to-deep-fakes/

2017 Event Details: https://digitalirish.com/icymi-the-rise-of-fake-news-leading-irish-professionals-have-their-say/

Join us on Thursday May 26 at 6:15pm at BT HQ in London for a fireside chat and drinks with Anne-Marie Tomchak to hear about how sustainability is changing the face of business. There will also be a showcase of some top startups in sustainability.

Since starting out as a journalist in RTE almost 20 years ago, Anne-Marie has been an innovator across news, technology and fashion. She launched the social media investigative unit BBC Trending, she has led editorial teams at Mashable and British Vogue and her television documentary work is on the Irish curriculum.

Now Anne-Marie is part of a new wave of impact entrepreneurs bringing fresh thinking to the way we engage with sustainability. Her company DesignTracker helps people decarbonise their homes – something that must happen for the UK to meet climate targets. She’s also a co-founder of the circular fashion non-profit ShareJoy which sells preloved clothing to raise funds for mental health charities.

This chat with Anne-Marie will look at how technology and fashion are contributing to the future of the planet and how optimists from a range of backgrounds can help solve the world’s biggest problem and transform business as we know it.

Anne-Marie will be in conversation with Ciara Riordan who is a Social Media Editor at the BBC and an award winning journalist, presenter and producer. She previously interviewed Sir David Attenborough and this went viral when she asked him what animal he would be for a day! (Answer: A sloth!).

Doors Open at 6:15pm with registration and drinks. Doors closing at 7pm when the event will start.

https://digitalirish.com/sustainability-the-biggest-opportunity-in-business-right-now/

Niall Horgan is CEO and Co-Founder of direct-to-consumer athleisure clothing brand Gym+Coffee. Founded, headquartered and operated from Dublin, in the last 5 years Gym+Coffee has scaled to over 200 team members, a best in class ecommerce experience, 12 physical retail clubhouses across Ireland and the UK, and has built a passionate community of over 500,000 around the brand.
Niall has spent over 12 years in various sales and marketing roles including time at Twitter, Slack, Sky and Irish Mainport Holdings. During this time he was responsible for setting up International sales operations, building and scaling sales teams across the EMEA region, all while working with brands and agencies on their digital marketing strategies. In 2016 he was named one of the Sunday Independent's Top 30 Under 30 in Ireland. Niall was one of Ireland's EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalists in 2021, he is one of the 6 Irish Endeavour Entrepreneurs and was chair of Digital Business Ireland in 2020/21.
www.gympluscoffee.com

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Please join us for our next Digital Irish event at Bank of Ireland NYC Hub, where we’ll host Aidan O’Sullivan of Shapeways, to discuss the past, present and future of 3D printing - more details here: https://digitalirish.com/from-novelty-to-supply-chain-game-changer-the-evolution-of-3d-printing/

During the event, we will be fundraising for Rapid Response Ukraine - rapidresponseukraine.com

They can get the most urgently required medicines to battlefield hospitals when the larger organisations cannot.

100% of their funds, go toward purchasing and supplying these medicines to where they are most needed.

On Monday, February 14th at 12pm (New York, 5pm Ireland) we’re delighted to welcome a panelist of tech sales experts to discuss their views on the evolving sales landscape post-COVID.

Joining the Zoom panel:

Sarah-Anne Collins – Director, LinkedIn
Darragh Fitzpatrick – SVP, Rollworks
Shane Murphy-Reuter – CMO, ZoomInfo
Debbie Wogan – CRO, TVSquared

Recently appointed Digital Irish board member Brian O’Reilly (VP of Sales, Customer Success & Operations at Melio) will lead the discussion.

RSVP HERE: https://app.glueup.com/event/life-after-covid-how-tech-sales-is-evolving-37779/

MORE INFORMATION: https://digitalirish.com/life-after-covid-how-tech-sales-is-evolving/

https://www.olusedu.com

Gavin is the Chief Product Officer and Co-founder at Olus Education. Olus supports digital learning in two key areas:

Core digital skills in primary and secondary schools
Advanced digital learning and computer science skills at home (extracurricular)

Olus offers much needed resources for schools and students as the demand for coding, creative media and cloud skills continues to grow; through a professional development tool, as well as a personal learning platform for 7-18 year olds.

Prior to Olus, Gavin worked as a senior ICT consultant at the City Learning Centre in London. He also worked as a primary school teacher (in Ireland and the UK), a Digital Learning lecturer in St Patrick's College (Drumcondra) and an Education and Media Officer at Trocaire (NGO). In total, he has been working in education and ICT for over fifteen years.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Jonny is the co-founder and CEO at meetingRoom, a VR collaboration solution serving Fortune 500 clients. meetingRoom bridges the gap to in-person collaboration when you can't all be physically present.

Jonny has a background in events, marketing and technology startups and is determined to promote the adoption of smart work-related technology as a contribution to decarbonisation and the future of work.

Jonny was ranked Top 25 Remote Enabler by Remote.com this year, is a Trinity MBA & was a Dublin winner in Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’s 2018.

In this episode, Jonny discusses how the pandemic has made it even more important for businesses to invest in systems and technology for closer collaboration, and what the future of the office looks like.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

www.goodrays.com

Eoin is a recognised public speaker and cannabis and CBD industry leader.
Eoin has spent a decade studying the international cannabis market. Beginning as part of his Undergraduate Degree at Trinity College, Eoin spent a year studying the leading markets in California and Canada. Since returning to Europe, he has spent the last 6 years growing some of the industry’s most influential brands; Prohibition Partners, Cannabis Europa, PSYCH and European Cannabis Week, helping build them from concept to high-growth businesses.
In 2020, he launched Goodrays, a premium cannabis drinks and edibles brand that delivers all the de-stressing benefits of CBD to adventurous and health conscious consumers. Built by a team with a history of creating powerful and dynamic brands, Goodrays is defining a new category of relaxation products with cannabis

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Stephen Murphy is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Prohibition Partners, the leading source of intelligence and insights into the global cannabis industry and Co-Founder of Cannabis Europa, Europe’s premier medical cannabis conference.
Stephen is also Co-Founder & Director of Prohibition Holdings, a global leader in cannabis data, events and media, managing a portfolio of some of the best-known brands in the industry. With a background in technology, digital media and corporate finance, Stephen works with investors, entrepreneurs and regulators to identify, qualify and maximise the opportunities in this emerging frontier.
This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Fiachra is a marketing specialist, innovation enthusiast and entrepreneur with a long-held passion for the health benefits of cannabinoids and a focus on commercial opportunities within the rapidly-expanding global recreational and medical cannabis markets.

In 2015, he launched California’s first discrete, full metal disposable cannabis pen through the medical dispensary channel. This, combined with prior experience as Marketing Director in the Chinese FMCG and travel retail segments, allowed Fiachra to bring to Altum highly relevant category experience, as well as brand-building and marketing acumen. Since 2018, he has helped lead Altum’s mission to increase the availability and understanding of cannabinoids across Asia-Pacific; achieved through consumer brands such as Felix & Co and business brands such as LIFE CBD, in addition to initiatives such as Found Café, the first CBD café and retail store in Asia-Pacific.

In this episode, Fiachra discusses the evolution of the CBD industry as a consumer goods industry, how Altum are building a brand that resonates, along with why he and many other Irish people are innovating in this area.

Mark Collins has fast become renowned as a successful entrepreneur and consultant in corporate cannabis; as well as an advisor for new businesses and entrepreneurs.

Since 2015, he has helped build brands such as Bloom Farms and Otto. He also has raised over $260MM in capital for companies as diverse as MedMen and Harborside across coffee and cannabis; most recently raising $9.4MM round for hemp-product maker HemptownUSA in 2020.

Before making the pivot to cannabis, he worked with some of the biggest brands in the world such as CNN, P&G, Kraft Foods & TimeWarner.

In this episode, Mark discusses the history of cannabis and it’s Irish connections, why he pivoted to this industry, and the variety of opportunities for entrepreneurs to make an impact in this multibillion dollar industry.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Rena Maycock was recently named in the Sunday Independents top 30 women in tech - thanks to her work as founder and CEO of Cilter.

Cilter are developing child-protection software for smartphones that keeps children safe from bullying, coercion and grooming and aims to help prevent child-suicide by alerting parents to imminent threats presented to their child via their smartphone.

Before Cilter, Rena co-founded Intro Matchmaking - which remains Ireland’s largest nationwide dating agency - and was chief executive office at iRadio Ireland.

In this episode, we discuss Rena's passion for making smartphone use safe for children, why safety online is more important than ever, and how Cilter are tackling these challenges head on.

This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Welcome to Season 2 of the Digital Irish Podcast.

A seasoned entrepreneur, Pat Phelan has built and sold a number of companies in the telecoms and software space, including Trustev and Cubic Telecom.

He is also recognized as one of Europe's most influential software innovators. He is also a serial investor in, and advisor to, a number of organisations.

What is the future of education in a virtual world? Mike Feerick, CEO of Alison, has a unique insight into how this $5 Trillion industry is about to turn on its head. Companies like Alison, who offer free enrollment to thousands of online courses that have produced over 3 million graduates are challenging the status quo of traditional education.

Much like technology transformed the music Industry and the news Industry, we are now seeing the same transformation take hold in the education industry. In this interview, we discuss why Mike believes corporates will play a key role in the education of their employees and what the future of education looks like as it moves online.

Misinformation is the cultural virus of our modern era. It is dismantling global relations, effecting public discourse, and creating uncertainty at a time when we need trusted voices to keep us informed. Mark Little, with his most recent start-up, Kinzen, is bringing a journalistic solution to the problem of misinformation. In fact, he sees this as an obligation that is driven by real purpose. In our conversation, he told me his mission in life is to make sure that every citizen has confidence in the information that they consume every day. Tune in to hear how he aims to achieve that.

Paul Byrne is by all accounts a builder of companies. Between 2007-2016 Paul built and sold three companies and during this time he developed a playbook to scale businesses successfully. In 2016 he planned on going into semi-retirement to help startups apply some of the concepts from his playbook. That work led him to CurrencyFair, where his initial one-day per week advisory role quickly transitioned into a full-time CEO role. Since Paul took over the leadership role at CurrencyFair in 2016 they turned their first profit and are now aggressively expanding in the Asian Market.

This episode is hosted by Patrick McAndrew

Ronan Dunne shares his progressive views on the role of the CEO and why he believes that the leadership playbook of the past is no longer relevant to today's workplace.

Join us for an enlightening conversation with one of the leading Irish Corporate innovators who has had enormous success in the Telecommunications industry both in the UK and the US.

Ronan Dunne is the CEO of the largest mobile network in the USA - Verizon Wireless. Prior to his role at Verizon he was the CEO of O2 UK, his 15 years in the role made him the longest-serving CEO in UK telecoms history.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

Growing up in a third-generation family business Samuel Dennigan was expected to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. Sam Dennigan & Co. is one of Ireland's leading fresh produce distributors, but after working in the business for over ten years Samuel decided that he needed to go it alone and create his own legacy.

He wanted to revolutionize the frozen food industry and use his creative skills to build a global food brand that the consumer would feel a connection to. Since launching in 2015 Strong Roots products have become staples on dinner plates in Irish and UK homes - now Sam has taken the business to the USA where they are available in all Whole Foods stores in the country.

In this episode, we discuss the benefits and challenges of working in a family business, how to recreate and overnight success, and how the global food supply chain has to change if we are to live sustainably.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

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Mary McKenna is an Irish technology entrepreneur and angel investor. In this interview, we chat about the many chapters in Mary's career that have made her an in-demand Startup advisor around the world. We also discuss the amazing opportunities that can present themselves when you default to saying 'yes' rather than 'no.' Mary co-founded online learning company Learning Pool in Derry in 2006 and sold the business in 2014 so that she could return to working with earlier stage startups and scaleups. Mary is one of the Entrepreneurs in Residence at the University of Oxford, a member of the NI MATRIX panel, an advisor to several governments and an EU Horizon 2020 innovation judge. Mary was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen in the 2014 New Year’s Honours for services to digital technology, innovation and learning.

Cian Cotter is the Managing Partner of Insight Partners, the growth-stage private equity firm based in New York City. Insight Partners recently raised a fund of $9.5 Billion in software businesses.

During Cian's time at Insight Partners, he has become a specialist in helping prepare companies to go public. We had an opportunity to discuss his thoughts on companies going public as well as the Start-up environment in Tel Aviv where Inishgt Partners have an office and have made numerous investments.

The Bells Labs is the birthplace of world-changing innovations. The transistor, cellular phones, solar cells and the laser are just a few of the innovations that have been created at the Bell Labs in the past 95 years. Bell Labs has always been attached to a large communications company and in 2015 Nokia acquired the Bell Labs when they purchased Alcatel-Lucent.

Our guest Domhnaill Hernon is the head of Experiments in Art and Technology (EAT) at Nokia Bell Labs. Domhnaill collaborates with the artistic and creative community to push the limits of technology to solve the greatest human need challenges. In this conversation, we talk about culture and the importance of real diversity to create great ideas. Domhnaill now sees most of his work through the lens of culture because he is bringing two very different communities together of artists and scientists and is helping them to work toward the same goal and embrace the diversity of thought that often leads to great innovation.

Our first live podcast recording features Nigel Eccles, previously the CEO of FanDuel and currently the CEO of FlickChat.

In this live interview with Rachel Quigley, Nigel explains how it seemed like a total mismatch that the founders of FanDuel would be successful. They were based in Edinburgh and had no interest in sports - yet they would go on to build what was at one point the largest Daily Fantasy Sports company in the world. Today, Nigel is the founder and CEO of a new company, FlickChat, which is like a combination of Twitter and Reddit for Sports Fans around the world.

In the Startup feature, Founder & CEO of Glow DX, Blaine Doyle joins Patrick to talk about how his company is changing women's access to sexual health tests in Mexico.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

In 2017, The Economist wrote the headline 'The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.' We are living in a data-driven world and the reliance on data in all forms of commerce is continuing to expand.

This episode is all about data and its enduring impact on our lives and businesses. Cillian Kieran, Founder & CEO of Ethyca is on a mission to create trust in the internet and data-driven businesses.

He joins Patrick to talk about why data breaches are so common, how we as individuals can protect our data, and what the future will look like as nations try to protect their citizens with data protection regulation.

On the startup feature, Richie Barter takes us through his journey of founding AltViz as his first company and building it over 8 years to where they now use big data and automation to help companies solve their most complex problems.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

Ciarán Hynes is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Cosimo Ventures, a deep-tech investment firm with offices in Dublin, Boston, and New York. Cosimo Ventures is focused on technologies that disrupt global markets but Ciarán has an extremely varied background and not what you would typically associate with a venture capitalist. He hurled for Dublin seniors before working with CIE Tours in some of their European markets and went on to begin his own entrepreneurial career at 25. Since then he has founded over 7 companies in a variety of industries and has brought over 25 products or services to market in regions throughout the world.

In this conversation, Ciarán talks about how studying History & Politics has been such a valuable asset to him in business, how he thinks the blockchain could be the greatest wealth opportunity of our lifetime and the buoyant currency, ndau, that he is very excited about.

Fiona Edwards Murphy, CEO and Co-Founder of Apis Protect also joins us on this episode to talk to us about the sensory technology that her company has developed to help beekeepers prevent losses and increase productivity in their hives.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

Katie Molony is the Co-CEO of Irish Studio, the leading Irish digital media company in North America, providing the worldwide Irish diaspora with daily news, politics and current affairs. Prior to joining Irish Studio Katie was the CEO of Maximum Media which is now Ireland's leading digital publishing company with leading brands like Joe, SportsJoe, and Her.

When Katie joined Maximum in 2014 they were just a small start-up out of Galway with a loyal and active social media presence. Under Katie's leadership, Maximum Media evolved into a much more professional publication and by 2017 were named the second fastest-growing company in Ireland by the Financial Times. Before working in the digital media Katie was the Head of Marketing at The Irish Times, one of Ireland's oldest print publications. She has been on both sides of the publishing world and has seen the impact of the change in how news is produced and consumed over the past decade. We discuss the importance of making a distinction between traffic and audience and how media companies can maintain the integrity of their brand while still reaching an audience.

Fergal Nealon, Founder of StoryTracks, chats with us about how the passion to preserve old Irish stories led to the creation of his company. Storytracks is a platform where you can record and share your stories and bring them to life by pinning them to physical locations.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

Ronan Healy is the CEO of Catapult, an events production agency with offices in Dublin, New York, and LA. Ronan launched the company in 1999 in Dublin and over the past 20 years has built an agency that is recognized for its creativity. Captapult have produced iconic events around the world; from Web Summit to Arthur's Day, Elon Musk's Hyperloop One Exhibit, The Festival of Speed, and recently Smart Cities New York.

We also hear from two Irish startups.

Emma Waldron, CEO & Founder of Wilde joins us to talk about her shoppable streaming platform for women, by women. We also discuss diversity and inclusion in Hollywood and how Wilde aims to collaborate with producers in Hollywood to encourage more diversity in the industry.

Garret Flower, CEO & Co-Founder of ParkPnP and ParkOffice, the AirBnB of parking spaces. They have recently launched ParkOffice in the US, allowing companies to manage and automate their parking by using their spaces most efficiently.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

Harry Moseley has worked for some of the most respected financial services and consulting companies in the world. He was the CIO (Chief Information Officer) of KPMG and Blackstone before joining Zoom as their first CIO in 2017. Zoom is a video conferencing platform with a mission to make video communications frictionless. Zoom is a unique company amongst its Silicon Valley counterparts, with a focus on both profit and growth they have been a success story among the many dreadful IPOs of 2019.

We also hear from two Irish Startups.

Lucinda Kelly, CEO of Popertee is bringing consumer targetting to retail by helping brands and marketers find their ideal physical location to reach their audience through their location intelligence platform.

Paul Birkett, Founder of Automation Finance, has an incredibly interesting story of how he went from an 18-year career at PepsiCo to founding an investment fund in distressed residential mortgages.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew

At a time when the Irish economy was at it's lowest point Daire Hickey along with his two co-founders managed to draw some of the largest names in Silicon Valley and the world's business media attention to Dublin for a gathering of tech entrepreneurs called Web Summit. That gathering would grow into the largest tech conference in Europe and become labelled as the 'Davos for Geeks'. In 2017 Daire left Web Summit to launch 150 Bond and gives us an insight into his company which has an intentionally discreet online presence.

We also hear from two Irish startups in the FinTech Space.

Alan Meaney, CEO of FundRecs explains why Ireland is such an important hub for the funds industry and tells us about his recent move to New York to expand the companies footprint in the US.

Tiernan Kennedy, CEO of UMBA, which is a micro-loan and finance services company in Kenya, gives a really interesting insight into the hypergrowth of FinTech in the Kenyan and broader East African market.

Hosted by Patrick McAndrew