Digital Irish Podcast

Bernard McCaul has spent almost twenty years inside GOAL, the Irish humanitarian agency founded nearly fifty years ago when sports journalist John O'Shea came home from Kolkata and decided to act. Bernard has been on the ground for the Asian tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, and the West Africa Ebola outbreak, and he is now part of the team growing GOAL's presence in the US. That vantage point — twenty years at the sharp end of the world's worst crises — makes this a conversation about how humanitarian aid actually works, not how people assume it works.In this conversation, we get into:

• Sierra Leone, 2014: what it takes to head for the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak while others are leaving — and how the Community-Led Action approach born there became a national tool that turned Sierra Leone into a leader in outbreak response.
• The AI chatbots GOAL built with Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health during the recent mpox outbreak — sharing official information with at-risk communities and feeding live data back to responders — now being deployed to the Ebola response in Central Africa.
• Why crises happen when local systems collapse, and why aid delivered without understanding those systems can do more harm than good.
• What people get wrong about aid — including how the outbreak of war, not aid failure, set Sudan back thirty years.
• Bernard's case for hope: near-universal internet access is coming, and early warning systems protecting every person on the planet are genuinely achievable.

If you're part of the Irish diaspora and want to see what fifty years of Irish humanitarian leadership looks like on the ground — and where it goes next — this one is worth your time.

About Bernard McCaul

• Bernard McCaul is GOAL USA’s Executive Director and has been with GOAL for almost twenty years, much of that leading the organisation's work in Latin America, with senior roles spanning programme leadership across GOAL's global operations.
• He has been part of GOAL's responses to the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2014–15 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. He is now with GOAL USA, supporting the organisation's growth in North America.

About GOAL

• GOAL is an organization of humanitarian crisis experts founded in Ireland almost fifty years ago by sports journalist John O'Shea. It responds to the world's most significant humanitarian crises — both sudden-onset emergencies and protracted crises — and has worked across almost sixty countries, with a mission to save lives, reduce suffering, and build resilience, and a vision of a world beyond humanitarian crisis.
• GOAL runs an Innovation Lab and Innovation Fund backing solutions like AI-driven disease surveillance, and GOAL USA is a registered charity partner of the New York and Chicago Marathons.

• Supporters can also take part in the GOAL Mile in Ireland, join immersive site visits to programmes on the ground, or donate at goalus.org and goalglobal.org.

Want to get in contact with the Digital Irish team? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

Fergal Mullen left Ireland at 18 on an athletics scholarship and has spent 25 years in venture — first inside a NASDAQ-listed consultancy, then at Highland Capital Partners in Boston, before spinning out its European arm in 2012 to co-found Highland Europe. The firm now manages close to €4 billion, sees around 3,000 companies a year, and invests in seven or eight. Very few people can tell founders what happens on the other side of the table with that much of a funnel behind them.

In this conversation, we get into:

• What “coachable founder” actually means — and why the softest criterion on Highland Europe’s list is the one that decides.

• The bar for a growth-stage cheque: €10M+ revenue, 50%+ growth, and unit economics that treat investors’ capital with respect.

• Why Highland Europe scrapped the Monday partner pitch and meets founders at their own offices — and what they read from how you treat your team.

• The pitch that won an investment without a single slide.

• How the firm separates foundational AI businesses from wrappers a single model release could erase.

If you’re an Irish founder — raising now or a few years out — this episode is a look at exactly what the other side of the table is checking for.

Fergal Mullen is a co-founder and Partner at Highland Europe, the growth-stage technology investment firm based in London and Geneva.

Prior to founding Highland Europe, Fergal was a Partner at Highland Capital Partners, where he launched the firm’s European investment program in 2007.

Over the course of his career, Fergal has been involved with a number of leading technology companies, including Coremetrics (acquired by IBM), GlassesDirect (acquired by Essilor), Wooga (acquired by Playtika), Finanzcheck (acquired by Scout24), Privalia (acquired by Veepee), PhotoBox (acquired by Exponent Private Equity and Electra Partners), He has also been involved with VistaPrint (NASDAQ IPO), AMCS Group (acquired by EQT), and Nexthink (acquired by Vista Equity Partners).

Earlier in his career, Fergal was a founding partner of RSA Ventures, the corporate venture arm of RSA Security.

Before that, he was a founder and Senior Vice President of Cambridge Technology Partners (NASDAQ: CATP), where he served on the firm’s Global Executive Committee.

Fergal attended Harvard Business School where he earned his MBA and Brown University where he earned a BSc in Electrical Engineering and a BA in Business Economics.

Highland Europe is a growth-stage technology investment firm with offices in London and Geneva. Founded in 2012, the firm backs European software and consumer internet companies that have established product-market fit — typically €10 million or more in revenue, growing 50%+ — with cheques of €30–70 million. Highland Europe has backed close to 100 companies, holds around 60 in its current portfolio, and manages nearly €4 billion across six funds.

Want to get in contact with the Digital Irish team? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

About Fergal MullenAbout Highland Europe

Kieran Corbett has seen the Irish startup journey from every side of the table. He started out trading futures in Dublin, began writing angel checks into early-stage Irish companies in 2015, and has kept backing them since moving to New York in 2016 — where he now invests at Studio VC, a seed-stage fund whose portfolio includes Wayflyer. That vantage point — Irish angel, US-based VC, and brother of a Wayflyer co-founder — makes him unusually well placed to explain what actually happens on the investor's side of a pitch.

In this conversation, we get into:

• What US VCs are actually underwriting for — and why “this could be worth millions” is the wrong answer in an American pitch meeting

• The venture math from the inside: a 24-company fund, the power law, and where your business fits in a fund's returns

• How much to raise at seed ($2.5–5M) and the roadmap Kieran expects to see behind that number

• What Wayflyer showed investors early on that most founders don't

• Why AI has made a working product table stakes — and made defensibility a much harder question

If you're an Irish founder with a US raise anywhere in your plans, this episode is thirty minutes of seeing your pitch from the other side of the table.

About Kieran Corbett

Kieran Corbett is an investor at Studio VC in New York. Originally from Cork, he began his career as a derivatives trader at Positive Equity in Dublin, where he started channelling his trading capital into angel investments in early-stage Irish companies from 2015. He moved to the US in 2016 and has continued writing angel checks into Irish startups for the past decade alongside his work in venture. He is also active in supporting Irish founders expanding to the US, including recent panel work with Enterprise Ireland in New York.

About Studio VC

Studio VC is a New York-based venture capital firm investing at the seed stage, with a focus on enterprise AI, fintech, and SaaS-enabled marketplaces across the US and Europe. 

Want to get in contact with the Digital Irish team? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

Niall Dennehy's first bank account was opened in 1987, when his mother walked him ten metres from their front door to the credit union in Ballydesmond, Co. Cork — a branch named for Nora Herlihy, the local schoolteacher who helped found the Irish credit union movement. He still gets the statement every month. Nearly four decades on, having co-founded blockchain company AID:Tech and gone through Techstars, he's a father of four in Dublin building NestiFi: an AI-powered platform that lets whole families, wherever they've scattered, invest together in a child's future.

In this conversation, we get into:

• The 1987 credit union account Niall still gets statements for, and how it became the blueprint for NestiFi

• Why the cash-stuffed-envelope economy shortchanges kids, and how a tap in the family WhatsApp chat can put relatives anywhere in the world into a child's investment account

• The tax reliefs most Irish parents have never heard of, including the small gift exemption worth up to €108,000 per child over 18 years from parents alone

• Trump accounts in the US, and Niall's lobbying push to get the Irish government to seed every newborn's account the same way

• What 1–2% in annual fees quietly does to 30 years of compounding, and why credit unions are best placed to win back the next generation from Revolut and Robinhood

If you're a parent, a grandparent, or anyone thinking about the next generation's financial future, this episode is a practical look at how families can start compounding early.

• $84 trillion is expected to change hands in the US over the next 20 years; roughly €3.5 trillion in Europe by 2030 (figures Niall cites on tape).

• $2,500 seeded at birth plus $75/month from the wider family ≈ $40,000 by age 18 and $106,871 by age 30 (NestiFi's illustration; assumes a 7.35% average annual return compounded monthly).

Niall Dennehy is the CEO and co-founder of NestiFi. Originally from Ballydesmond, Co. Cork, he co-founded AID:Tech, the blockchain company that delivered international aid transparently through digital identity, and went through Techstars in 2016. His earlier career spanned publishing, education and fintech, including roles with HP, Ericsson, LG Mobile, AIB and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. He lives in Dublin with his wife and four children — the original test users for NestiFi. [Confirm bio with Niall — drafted from the recording and public sources; no formal bio provided.]

NestiFi is a Dublin-headquartered, AI-powered family wealth platform that financial institutions deploy under their own brand. It lets parents, grandparents and relatives anywhere in the world contribute to a child's investment account from a link in the messaging apps families already use, with an AI advisor (“Seb”) and gamified financial literacy built in. A B2B2C play targeting credit unions and community banks on both sides of the Atlantic, NestiFi is backed by Enterprise Ireland as a High Potential Start-Up, closed a 108% oversubscribed crowdfunding round on Spark Venture Funding in July 2026, and has announced a partnership with Vyrdia, a credit union service organization whose network spans more than 30 US credit unions with $6.5 billion in combined assets.

Want to get in contact with the Digital Irish team? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

Key StatsAbout Niall DennehyAbout NestiFi

In this episode, we sit down with Elena Levine, Founder and CEO of Forcoda and the newly launched Forcoda Ventures. Elena has spent over a decade building a US-based product and engineering agency from the ground up as an immigrant founder, shipping more than 200 projects for enterprise clients including M&T Bank, Shake Shack, Oral-B, and the University at Buffalo — while also helping startup clients collectively raise over $100m. Today, she runs curated investor luncheons in major US cities, sits on the founder side and the investor side of the table, and has rare 360-degree visibility into what actually moves a fundraising conversation forward.

In this conversation, we get into:

• Why clarity of thought is the single biggest differentiator Elena looks for in early-stage founders — and how investors read it in the first 30 seconds of an email or meeting.

• How to research investors properly before reaching out, including the underrated move of talking to founders already in their portfolio.

• What “smart money” actually means in practice, and how to spot the investors who will pick up the phone at 10pm on a Saturday — versus the ones you’ll regret bringing onto your cap table.

• Why approaching investors too early can damage a relationship for years, and how to find the right moment to start the conversation.

• The fine line between ego and confidence — and why Elena, raised in Russia, had to relearn how to talk about herself when she landed in the US.

If you’re an Irish founder preparing to raise capital in the US — or any non-American founder building a credible US footprint from abroad — this episode is packed with practical, candid advice from someone who has lived every side of the table.

Elena Levine is the Founder and CEO of Forcoda, an AI-first product and engineering agency she has built from the ground up over 12 years, shipping 200+ projects for US enterprise clients including M&T Bank, Shake Shack, Oral-B, and the University at Buffalo. Forcoda works across two tracks — rapid MVPs and prototypes for startups, and AI readiness, roadmaps, and agentic infrastructure for enterprise. She also founded Forcoda Ventures, which connects founders with US investors through curated luncheons in major cities, and is currently raising the firm’s first fund focused on early-stage fintech and AI companies. Having built her own company as an immigrant founder in the US market, Elena has a first-hand perspective on what it takes to land enterprise clients, raise from US investors, and build a credible American footprint from abroad.

Forcoda is an AI-first product and engineering agency founded in 2014. The firm has shipped over 200 projects for enterprise clients and funded startups, and operates two distinct tracks: rapid MVP and prototype delivery for early-stage founders, and AI readiness, roadmaps, and agentic infrastructure for enterprise. Its sister venture, Forcoda Ventures, runs curated investor luncheons that connect founders with 15–20 hand-picked US investors per session, and is raising a debut fund targeting fintech and AI companies.

Want to get in contact with the Digital Irish team? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

About Elena Levine
About Forcoda

Digital Irish podcast celebrates Irish innovation and the Irish startup ecosystem: connecting founders, investors, and innovators across Ireland, the diaspora, and beyond. Each episode features candid conversations with VCs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing the real story behind building companies: the setbacks, the playbooks, and the lessons you don't find in press releases. Whether you're plugged into the Irish startup scene or part of the Irish community abroad, Digital Irish is your window into one of the world's most connected startup communities.

In this episode, we sit down with Stephen Tallon, a Partner at McCann FitzGerald, one of Ireland's leading law firms, where his practice focuses on emerging companies, venture capital, and M&A. Stephen trained in Ireland before spending almost a decade in London at Orrick, a global firm with deep roots in Silicon Valley, where he worked on some of the biggest deals across Europe and the US — including transactions involving Stripe, Revolut, and Salesforce Ventures. He's since returned home to Ireland with his family and joined McCann FitzGerald, which has one of the largest and most experienced emerging company and VC teams in the country, advising founders from pre-seed all the way to exit.

In this conversation, we get into the legal side of fundraising that most founders overlook until it's too late. We cover:

• What investment readiness actually means from a legal standpoint, and what VCs are really evaluating in those first conversations

• Why your cap table could make or break a deal before it even gets started

• What founders consistently get wrong before and after signing a term sheet

• The key terms founders should push back on and which ones are genuinely non-negotiable

• What a Delaware flip actually involves for Irish companies pursuing US investment, and when to do it

If you're an Irish founder thinking about raising investment, this episode is packed with practical, honest advice on how to protect yourself and set your company up for the long run.

About Stephen Tallon

Stephen Tallon is a Partner at McCann FitzGerald LLP, where he focuses on emerging companies, venture capital, and M&A. He trained in Ireland before moving to London in 2017 to join Orrick, a global law firm headquartered in San Francisco, where he spent almost a decade advising on landmark transactions across Europe and the US with companies including Stripe, Revolut, Butternut Box, Graphcore, Salesforce Ventures, and Macquarie. Now back in Ireland, Stephen works with founders and investors at every stage, from pre-seed through to exit.

About McCann FitzGerald

With over 640 people across four countries and more than 480 lawyers and legal professionals, McCann FitzGerald LLP is one of Ireland's premier law firms. Operating from offices in Dublin, London, New York, and Brussels, the firm provides expert legal counsel to clients in Ireland and around the world across corporate, banking and financial services, disputes, and real estate. McCann FitzGerald has a long-standing reputation for innovation and excellence, and its emerging company and VC team is one of the largest and most experienced in Ireland.

Want to get in contact with the Digital Irish team? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

In this episode, we sit down with Marius Smyth of the Digital Irish Venture Fund (DIVF) for a follow-up to our earlier conversations with Marty Loughlin. Where Marty walked us through how DIVF picks founders and the realities of pitching the fund, Marius zooms out to the layer underneath: how DIVF is building the Irish diaspora into a working venture ecosystem rather than relying on it as a goodwill network. He is leading the build-out of a physical “Green Room” for Irish founders in New York, architecting the fund’s co-investment strategy, and thinking hard about where a fund of DIVF’s size best fits in an industry increasingly polarised between mega-funds and solo angels.

In this conversation, we get into:

• Why the Irish network is a sourcing engine, not just a hospitality network — and what DIVF is building to keep it commercial rather than a mutual appreciation society.

• How DIVF co-invests alongside other funds without becoming dependent on whoever is leading the round.

• Why the right place for an Irish venture fund right now is not at either end of the cheque-size spectrum, and where DIVF deliberately sits.

• The most practical first step for a founder coming out of Ireland with no US network, plus where the gaps still are in the Irish ecosystem itself.

If you’re an Irish founder building for the US market — or thinking about the next layer of infrastructure the diaspora needs — this episode is the strategic counterpart to Marty’s tactical advice from the earlier episodes.

About the Digital Irish Venture Fund (DIVF)

DIVF is an early-stage venture firm focused on Irish and Irish diaspora founders building for global markets. The fund operates as “friendly operators” rather than traditional shark VCs — providing hands-on operating help, warm introductions, and access to a diaspora network across New York, London and Dublin after the cheque is written. DIVF co-invests alongside other funds and works alongside the broader Irish ecosystem — Enterprise Ireland, universities, accelerators, and angels — to bring strong Irish companies into the US market.

Want to get in contact with the Digital Irish team? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

Marty Loughlin from the Digital Irish Venture Fund joins Dave to unpack what makes Irish founders default to global markets from day one, why Ireland punches so far above its weight on founder output, and what the next wave of Irish startups crossing the Atlantic means for the US-Irish business ecosystem. If you're an Irish founder thinking about scaling internationally, or anyone curious about why Stripe, Wayflyer and Tynes aren't accidents, this one's for you.

Marty Loughlin is a partner at the Digital Irish Venture Fund (DIVF), the fund built on the back of the Digital Irish Angels investment group, founded in 2016. DIVF backs Irish founders scaling globally with a particular focus on those entering the US market, drawing on a network of Irish-American business leaders across the diaspora.

What We Cover

• Why Irish founders default to global from day one

• How founder ambition has shifted in the last five years

• The biggest mistakes Irish founders make breaking into the US

• What DIVF looks for, and why traction matters most

• In this episode, we sit down with Michael Kelly, a true digital pioneer and veteran of the media and AdTech landscape. For more than two decades, he has been at the front edge of every major wave in media, marketing, and technology, building, scaling, and transforming high-growth companies across the U.S., UK, and Ireland, including giants like AOL, Time Warner, and The Weather Company.

• As co-founder of KellyNewman Advisors, Michael helps founders and investors accelerate growth, sharpen go-to-market strategy, and execute M&A. He shares his journey, the biggest evolutionary changes he’s witnessed in AdTech, and his current focus: how AI is reshaping marketing, measurement, and value creation.

• Now, Michael is turning his strategic attention to the vibrant Irish ecosystem. We dive deep into:

• Why Ireland could be the next hot spot for AdTech innovation.

• The specific market gaps he sees Irish startups are uniquely positioned to fill.

• The traits, technologies, and metrics that make a founder or company stand out to him as an advisor and potential investor.

• Practical advice for Irish founders looking to scale internationally.

• If you’re building or scaling an AdTech venture in Ireland, this episode is packed with Mike’s strategic insights, inspiration, and a clear call to action on how to get on his radar.

• Michael Kelly is a true digital pioneer and a highly seasoned executive and advisor. He has served as CEO, board chair, and strategic advisor across adtech, martech, and digital media.

• As co-founder of KellyNewman Advisors, Michael leverages his experience to help high-growth companies accelerate, sharpen go-to-market strategy, and execute M&A with clarity and momentum. He is currently deeply focused on how AI is reshaping marketing, measurement, and value creation across the industry.

• Michael is a two-time honoree on Irish America Magazine’s Business 100, serves on the board of the American Advertising Federation, and is a member of the Board of Counselors of The Carter Center.

• Want to get in contact? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

In this episode of The Digital Irish Podcast, we sit down with Alan Costello, one of the earliest employees at Afterpay, to uncover the inside story of its incredible journey from a small startup to a publicly listed, multinational business. Alan shares his firsthand experiences navigating the highs and lows of startup life, the challenges of rapid scaling, and the near-shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also reflects on the pressures of going public, the shift from acquisition to retention, and the invaluable lessons he’s learned about resilience, adaptability, and leadership. Join us as we explore the remarkable growth of Afterpay and what the future holds for Alan.

Okay, here are comprehensive show notes for your podcast episode featuring Alan Costello and his journey with Afterpay:

Episode Title: From Startup to Public Listing: Alan Costello's Inside Story of Afterpay's Explosive Growth

Episode Description:

In this episode of The Digital Irish Podcast, we sit down with Alan Costello, one of the earliest employees at Afterpay, to uncover the inside story of its incredible journey from a small startup to a publicly listed, multinational business. Alan shares his firsthand experiences navigating the highs and lows of startup life, the challenges of rapid scaling, and the near-shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also reflects on the pressures of going public, the shift from acquisition to retention, and the invaluable lessons he’s learned about resilience, adaptability, and leadership. Join us as we explore the remarkable growth of Afterpay and what the future holds for Alan.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of resilience and adaptability in startup life.

• The challenges and rewards of rapid scaling and going public.

• The impact of external factors, like COVID-19, on a growing business.

• The importance of agility and pivoting during times of rapid change.

Want to get in contact? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

This week we chat with John Hill, VP of Story at Whop (whop.com), about building community and driving impact at scale. We explore his journey from LinkedIn and Techstars to Whop, and the personal influences behind his drive.

Key Discussion Points:

• Whop's Mission & Impact: John shares his excitement about Whop's mission to enable sustainable income and discusses the company's rapid growth. He highlights success stories and the long-term vision.
• The Drive for Impact: We delve into the personal influences behind John's passion for large-scale impact, including his family history and upbringing.

• Irish Citizenship: We discuss John's exploration of Irish citizenship, what it means to him, and how the Digital Irish community can support him in this process. He shares his next steps and what connections would be most helpful.

Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msuaajohn/

• www.irishyank.com

  Join us as we sit down with Daniel McKenna, the charismatic Irish Yank, to uncover the incredible journey that transformed him into a renowned fitness expert and app creator.

• Discover how a chance encounter led to a career shift, and how Daniel's unwavering determination helped him overcome challenges to build a thriving fitness community. We delve into his experiences in the demanding New York City fitness scene, exploring how his Irish roots shaped his unique approach to training.

• Daniel shares insights into the creation of his fitness app, designed to empower individuals to achieve their health goals. Learn about the inspiration behind the app, the challenges faced, and the exciting future it holds.

• Get ready to be motivated as Daniel shares his inspiring message and encourages listeners to embark on their own fitness journeys. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable tips, laughter, and a whole lot of Irish charm!

• Want to get in contact? Email us at podcast@digitalirish.com

• 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!

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.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/

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.