Máire O'Herlihy

"Ah, sure it's grand" - an easy going Irish expression that belies a cultural attitude that possibly holds the startup ecosystem back. One of the things myself and Fiona Kelly set out to do when we opened Baseline Community + Workspace a little over a year ago was to agitate for behavioural change in Irish founders, investors, and the wider system that aims to support them. We don't believe we can wait for government to catch up with other ecosystems, it has to be pushed by founders. So it's great to have the opportunity to lead a conversation on how to level-up the ecosystem from the ground up, from a founder's perspective: Baseline member Meji Abidoye grew up in Nigeria, studied in the US, and worked for Google and Amazon, before taking part in Y Combinator last year to start Abundant, a company that creates high quality training data for agents and multimodal AI. Biotech entrepreneur, Jack O'Meara, co-founded Oxford based Ochre Bio to discover new RNA therapeutics, leading the company to sign a $1bn partnership to develop novel regenerative treatments for advanced liver disease. Jack has recently moved back to Dublin, started a new company in an adjacent space which is yet to launch, and has raised significant capital for it. Baseline member Cameron Yarbrough moved his family from the Bay Area to Dublin last year. As a therapist and executive coach, he built up a practice working closely with Silicon Valley founders, CEOs and leaders. This led to him found Torch, a leadership platform which raised almost $90m to scale. He's working on something new, to be launched later this year. One of the first people in Ireland to recognise the potential of the web for creating new types of global businesses was Ray Nolan. Years before there was any kind of startup ecosystem, Ray and Tom along with a small team were busy pulling the rug out from under a global travel system that was still largely paper based, and slow moving. Hostelworld was acquired in 2009, and Ray has continued to create, invent, and drive forward other businesses including eDesk, as well as being a long term supporter of Irish founders, and investor in Irish startups. So, it's a very different mix of backgrounds, but also real perspective grounded in other ecosystems that is relevant for the theme of this conversation. We're delighted to partner with Stripe for this edition of Stripe Snacks. If you'd like to join, sign up here, space is limited and we're nearing capacity. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eiiq7t7U 📅 25th September 2025 🕑 17:30–20:00 📍 Baseline Community + Workspace > 61 Thomas St, D08 W250. cc Stripe / Jamie Heaslip / Jenna M.

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Quick thought on supporting startups in Ireland. We talk a great game, but the infrastructure tells a different story. Today, I saw the registration for an upcoming industry conference about a critical topic for Ireland's competitive aspirations by a state funded body. - Standard Ticket: €220 - NGO/Charitable Body Ticket: €110 - Student Ticket: €50 Early-Stage Startup Ticket: ...Doesn't exist. For a bootstrapped or pre-seed startup, €220 is not just the ticket price. It's a day of a founder's time away from building, coding, or selling. It's a significant barrier to entry. I personally know three founders who would have attended to learn and network but were priced out. I am a strong advocate for not going to events as a founder but the potential to network in Ireland on these industry critical issues is frankly rare. If we want to foster a world-class innovation hub, we need to ensure the most innovative players, the startups, are actually in the room. A simple "Startup Founder" ticket would be a start. #IrishTech #Startups #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Ecosystem #Accessibility

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11 solid quarters of growth, and counting! This morning's announcement where we shared revenue growth in the second quarter of 2%, and a rise in EBITDA of 5% year on year, is a clear reflection of the strength and consistency of eir Ireland's strategy. We remain firmly committed to building Ireland’s most advanced telecommunications infrastructure, combining the nation’s largest fibre network with 99% 5G mobile coverage to deliver world-class connectivity to homes and businesses. Our fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network, the largest in Ireland, is now available to over 1.4 million homes and businesses. This milestone means that approximately 3.6 million people across the country can access high-speed, full-fibre connectivity, reinforcing Ireland’s position as one of Europe’s most digitally connected nations. We have also reached 99% nationwide 5G coverage, with mobile network traffic rising 65% year-on-year. The rollout of more than 850 new mobile sites and fibre backhaul to 1,300 locations has significantly improved speed and capacity, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Building on our first-to-market launch of WiFi 7 in Q1, this quarter, we introduced 5 Gigabit (5Gbps) fibre broadband service, setting a new benchmark for speed, performance, and reliability in Irish homes and businesses. This new standard in performance and reliability comes at a pivotal moment as we accelerate the transition to full fibre, ensuring Ireland’s digital infrastructure is future ready. I'm proud that with every quarter we’re building stronger networks, providing better services, and connecting for a better Ireland. #eirforall

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Enterprise Ireland's Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF) offers early-stage Irish startups €50,000 or €100,000 in funding via a Convertible Loan Note (CLN) to help develop products, build teams, and reach key milestones needed to secure future seed investment. The fund supports startups with global potential, helping cover operational costs, product testing, and skill development. The Irish BICs (Business Innovation Centres) provide hands-on support throughout the application process. Monthly webinars are available to guide applicants, with the next one hosted by Propelor BIC on Sept 16th Click here for more info https://lnkd.in/ejP8g9jP and here to register for this webinar https://lnkd.in/ens4QCzi

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