David M.

🚀 Empowering Partners at the FY25 Tech Strategy Day with Kainos 🚀 Yesterday, we had an exhilarating day at the Partner Tech Strategy Day for FY25, hosting one of our fantastic partner, Kainos in the Microsoft Dublin Office. The event was a melting pot of insights, discussions, and forward-looking conversations. 🔒 Security First: From zero-trust architectures to threat intelligence, we explored how partners are safeguarding businesses against evolving cyber threats. 📈 BizApps Unleashed: We delved into the world of business applications (BizApps). We discussed the latest enhancements in Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and how these tools are driving digital transformation for organizations worldwide. 🤖 AI and Beyond: The afternoon buzzed with excitement as we explored artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Kainos shared their success stories. 🌐 Global Impact: The Tech Strategy Day wasn’t just about technology—it was about impact. We celebrated the role of partners in shaping industries, driving innovation, and creating positive change globally. 👏 A huge shout-out to Kainos for their active participation, thought leadership, and commitment to excellence. Let’s continue pushing boundaries together! 🌟 #MicrosoftPartners #TechStrategy #Innovation #Collaboration #Technology #Growth Palanikumar Annamalai Kirillos Akram Denis Condon Martina Naughton Clare Hillis David Power Grace Rogers Martin O'Neill Kevin Bushe Jing X.

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Decisions, Decisions.... The last webinar in the spring series is just a few days away. If you haven't already signed up, there is still time! you can do so at www.whitespire.ie I have covered this topic in workshops a number of times before and the takeaway that emerges is that decision making bottlenecks are heightened if trust is low or company objectives are ambiguous. In this webinar I'll talk about how to put in guiderails to allow people to make decisions with confidence within their sphere of control. Check it out on Monday! #decisionmaking #leadership #operationalexcellence

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🚀 Join Our Free Startup Webinar! 🚀 Are you a new business owner or entrepreneur in Ireland? If your business is less than 18 months old, or you're thinking about starting one, this webinar is for you! Startup Webinar: Free, Live Advice for Startups 📅 Date: Wednesday, 27th November 2024 ⏰ Time: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM 💡 Why Join? 1️⃣ Expert Business Advice Learn the essential steps for starting and managing a Sole Trader or Limited Company in Ireland. 2️⃣ Live Q&A Session Ask your questions in real-time! Tamar Heffernan, Certified Accountant at Kinore, Finance & Business Services will be on hand to provide expert advice and answer your queries live. 3️⃣ Free Webinar Recording Can't attend live? No problem! Register now, and we'll send you the recording afterward. 📝 What You'll Learn: ✅ Business set-up process: Sole Trader vs. Limited Company ✅ Documentation and compliance requirements (Revenue, CRO) ✅ Irish tax system (Corporation Tax, VAT) ✅ How to minimise tax with business expenses Don't miss this valuable opportunity to get expert insights and ensure your business is set up for success! Register today and take your startup to the next level. 🚀 👉 Register now using the link in the comments #Startups #Entrepreneurship #BusinessAdvice #IrelandBusiness #Kinore #TaxTips #StartupWebinar #FreeWebinar

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Tech companies in 🇮🇪 Ireland are in a war for talent. And HR departments are getting it wrong. They compete with: Fully remote companies like Deel and Remote. Their good-looking models like Philip Göthberg and Jakob Österberg are flaunting their lifestyle every day. The Beckham-tax in 🇪🇸 Spain or no-tax in 🇦🇪 Dubai. And better weather everywhere else 🌍 . Tech companies in Ireland have a competitive advantage that they fail to use. The tax advantages of investing in the Irish pension. I speak with people all over Europe. Those who never lived in Ireland are jealous of our opportunity. The ones that have lived here feel bad because nobody ever told them. This is what HR teams should be doing. 1️⃣ Show employees how they can become financially independent. They'll want to stay longer. 2️⃣ Show candidates how investing in Ireland gets them an instant 66% return. They'll want to come. 3️⃣ And stop setting your employees up with salespeople disguised as financial advisers. This is not a perk! Will you give this post a like if you agree?

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Digital Business Ireland is calling on the Government to create a tailored AI training fund for SMEs, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to scale their business and remain competitive. 💡 Did you know? Nearly 23% of people under 44 are already using AI daily to boost work efficiency.  Larger companies are adopting AI faster than SMEs — we need to close this gap!  With AI advancing rapidly, now is the time to invest in AI infrastructure, training, and digitalisation. Let's ensure every business can harness the power of AI to drive innovation

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From a coffee shop in Dublin to $250m ARR🚀 This is the Story of Intercom 💬 👶 Intercom was founded by Eoghan McCabe, Des Traynor, David Barrett and Ciaran Lee who noticed their error-tracking app, Exceptional, lacked personal customer connections. 🇮🇪 In a Dublin coffee shop, they realized how important personal customer relationships IRL are and envisioned a similar messaging tool for the online world. 🎓 McCabe and Traynor, with strong product design backgrounds, saw online businesses becoming impersonal and complex. 📞 Around 2010, they added a chat feature to Exceptional, which drew significant interest, leading to the birth of Intercom. 💡 In 2011, after selling Exceptional to Rackspace, they launched Intercom on Hacker News by Y Combinator, gaining early traction. 💬 They onboarded customers one by one over Skype and used blog articles to attract more users, improving their product with every feedback. 💵 Their innovative approach quickly attracted investors like Google Ventures, Index Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins while receiving a total of $240M in funding with a valuation of $1.3B. ⌛ Intercom's Business Messenger revolutionized customer communication, setting it apart from other CRM tools. 🚀 Shipping features like surveys, bots, and a knowledge base, Intercom became even more useful to their customers, driving more growth. 💬 After Eoghan McCabe transitioned to chairman, Karen Peacock became CEO in 2020, but then McCabe returned as CEO in 2022. 📈 Today, Intercom has grown into a comprehensive CRM platform with over 700 employees and 25,000 customers while making more than $250M ARR. 𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Next time you visit your local coffee shop, think about how a simple conversation was the inspiration to build Intercom… ---- 🧠 𝗣.𝗦. If you like this, you'll love my new newsletter - a 4-minute breakdown of the founding stories behind the world's greatest Startups. Join 1,000+ startup nerds from companies like Microsoft, Slack, Deel, Stripe and Amazon 👉 Click "Subscribe to Newsletter" under my name

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Irish Tech Update June 2024 MarketSizer Data-Driven Decisions®: SaaS start-up raises €1m in pre-seed funding from Delta Partners to enhance market trend data analysis. Lynq: AI-powered workspace for venture and private equity investors secures $2 million in pre-seed investment. Stripe: Co-founder John Collison suggests future employee share cash-outs amid IPO speculations. CleverCards: Digital payments company raises €8m, reaching a total of €28m in funding, continuing its global expansion. AccountsIQ: Cloud accounting platform secures €60m Series C funding to expand its AI offerings and double its workforce. Apple: Plans to acquire new office space in Dublin to house hundreds of additional staff, supporting further expansion. XOCEAN: Ocean data firm raises €30m in Series B funding to support hiring and growth, especially in domain-specific roles. North American Bancard: Announces the creation of 54 new jobs in Limerick, focusing on product development and risk management. Overcast HQ: GenAI-powered video asset management startup raises $1.2m to expand its team and enhance product development. VEI Global Ltd: Invests €2m to create 20 new engineering jobs over the next 18 months amid strong growth in the US and Europe. Monzo Bank: UK neobank announces plans for an Irish office following its first annual profit, marking a significant step in its EU expansion. Drop a comment if you have seen any other developments or market event s

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https://lnkd.in/e6D8WHpT I often get asked questions on tax, and I can share what I do, but , I like to lean toward good advice. Click through for a worthy listen.

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Your Competitive Edge in Ireland’s Business Market In Ireland’s quick-paced business market, adaptability is the key to staying competitive. Discover exclusive tools, strategies, and statistics that successful Irish businesses use to lead in their industries. With the right insights, you can turn challenges into opportunities. 🏆 Subscribe today and start strengthening your competitive edge: https://lnkd.in/dkgJSJVt

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Your competitive edge in Ireland’s business market In Ireland’s quick-paced business market, adaptability is the key to staying competitive. Discover exclusive tools, strategies, and statistics that successful Irish businesses use to lead in their industries. With the right insights, you can turn challenges into opportunities. Subscribe today and start strengthening your competitive edge: https://lnkd.in/dkgJSJVt

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Round two podcast session with Dr Nick Fine is now live to watch or listen on Spotify, YouTube and any other podcasting platform. Dr. Nick Fine⁠⁠ is a user research leader, known for advocating UCD standards within the broader UX design community. In this follow-up session, we continue exploring the theme of 'Better at UX Research than AI' and delve into the future of user research practices. We discuss how the UX industry and its user-centric approach will evolve over the next five years, emphasizing the significance of evaluative research in today's landscape, among other topics. Find the link to this episode in the comments. #uxresearch #ux #userresearch #productstrategy #uxstrategy #ux #designpodcast #uxpodcast

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My thoughts on the importance of UCD and usability in the financial sector. It's the same message many UXers have been sharing for a long time but in 2024 it's more important than ever. Find out more in Scott Logic's 'How to become the bank of 2023' https://lnkd.in/dZMiQFHe #UX #Usability #finance https://lnkd.in/dNma_akJ

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I talked to Claire Byrne on RTE this morning about heightened Revenue interest in whether employers are applying #BIK tax charges to staff hospitality. Listen back from 1hour 4min mark: https://lnkd.in/e7N87R8Z While I fully recognise that Revenue has to operate within the realms of the current #tax legislation, treating sandwiches, biscuits or tea/coffee provided to staff at team meetings as a #benefit-#in-#kind is taking it too far. These are #working lunches which are part of the normal commercial operation of a business and many staff wouldn't perceive them as a benefit. The #cost and #administration of this tax charge is crippling for many small businesses and as a result many are culling these small extras - which will have an impact on staff morale. Contrast this to the larger companies who have staff canteens and where no BIK arises. Chartered Accountants Ireland, under the auspices of the CCAB-I, is writing to the Department of Finance on this matter. Gearóid O'Sullivan Barry Doyle Gráinne McDermott Enda Faughnan

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My random takeaways from the #aibsustainabilityconference yesterday here in Dublin… - We are in unchartered territory with sustainability. - The most effective lever we can pull to save the environment is economics.  - It should be looked at as an investment opportunity.  - Climate regulation can drive innovation, not hinder it.  - The Global South is full of opportunity.  - Emerging markets are not the high risk areas for capital investment they are considered to be.  - If impact investment is made in the Global South, returns will come.  - Solving environmental issues can also be profitable.  - Green grant based capital is not the answer to create real impact.  - There are no silver bullets. - If humans really focus on the problem we can innovate and make change happen fast. - This generation's legacy needs to be how we address the climate issue.  - If we don’t, our grandchildren will have a balloon payment to make.  - The laws of physics don’t care about politics.  - Mother nature will slap us into reality soon.  - There are far too many fossil fuel lobbyists attending COP.  - There is a huge gap between what is being pledged and what is needed financially.  - But even weak COPs push the agenda forward.  - We need to stop arguing about ‘Climate change’ and ‘ESG’ which are far too politicised and start focusing on the things we agree need to be done for the planet and for businesses.  - We need to start talking about the benefits to business.  - We are not in a climate crisis, we are in an imagination crisis.  - We need to imagine a better future and create it! Ireland is in a position to lead the charge on supporting emerging economies.  - Ireland should leverage its position to become a benign actor liaising between the Global North and the Global south.  - Dublin is a poor example of sustainable infrastructure and needs to avoid further urban sprawl.  - Lots of places to work are being built in Dublin city center but nowhere to live.  - Profit is to business as air is to human-kind, but no one ever says the purpose of life is to breathe.  - What is required is long view leadership co-created by the new generations.  - Optimistic storytelling is key to solving the environmental problem.  - Engage people and they will act.  - We are on the cusp of something better, a fairer world.  - And finally, Ed Norton is a legend and Mary Robinson is an icon. #sustainability #environment #cop29 #climate #business #economics #esg #mytakeaways

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Advise (RecommenderX), a data analytics and AI platform provider for the retail industry, has raised €1.55m in funding. The company, which saw 250% revenue growth in 2024, plans to use the funding to support global expansion and double its headcount in the next 12 to 18 months. Read more RTE https://shorturl.at/yr4ou

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