Mapping Dublins tech ecosystem, one human at a time.
Im very passionate about what we do. Thats a really big driver. And I love meeting new people. Thats the best thing about my job. I get to meet the most amazing people every day. Im the CEO and co-founder at KonnectAgain: we work with institutions around the world, providing them with alumni relations software. We track their alumni, see what theyre up to, and then we allow the alumni to engage back with their own community and create invaluable communications.
I know its probably a cliché, but its okay to make mistakes. If you can make them, if you can make a mistake every day and learn from it, thats good. You never know it all, so for me its about surrounding myself with the best people that you can possible get your hands on. I get to manage a great team of people between San Francisco and Dublin – the weathers a lot nicer in San Francisco. That said, there are a lot of similarities: everybodys super energetic and enthusiastic in both places. Our technology team is here; were based in Dogpatch. Its a really nice community environment. You can always go and can have a beer with somebody.
We have a hugely skilled workforce in Dublin. Theyre really eager to work. They want to learn. Theyre super motivated. Its a great place to start up a company. There are a lot of great companies around us. I mean, near Dogpatch youve got Google, LinkedIn, Twitter – everything really is a doorstep away. Government funding is a big reason why people set up here. I am definitely a big fan and a big promoter of Enterprise Ireland. And the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, is massively supportive towards a lot of startups, which is good for everyone.
I love constantly being challenged. I think a startup is a really interesting cycle. Its not your typical nine to five job. Its my job in the morning to make sure that ten people are happy. Cause at the end of the day, behind every great idea theres a really super team.