Digital Irish Podcast

Hosted by Digital Irish

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Digital Irish 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, innovators, 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.

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August 25, 202652 min

A World Beyond Humanitarian Crisis, with Bernard McCaul, Goal

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

August 11, 202645 min

The 12-Hour Flight Test: Backing the Right Founders with Fergal Mullen

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

August 4, 202638 min

Investor-Market Fit: How Irish Founders Should Pick a US VC with Kieran Corbett

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

July 28, 202646 min

Investing From Birth: How Families Can Build Wealth Together with Niall Dennehy

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

July 21, 202646 min

Irish Founders' Playbook for Winning the US; with Dylan Scully, Frontline Ventures

Dylan Scully is an early-stage investor at Frontline Ventures, a transatlantic venture fund investing in B2B tech and AI across Europe at pre-seed and seed, and in the US at Series B and beyond. Frontline’s thesis: to build a category-defining company, you need to win both Europe and the US; it’s not an either/or. In this conversation, Dylan draws on his background as a founder (Matchday) and his time at Accenture’s global innovation team to give data-backed, practical advice to Irish founders thinking about US expansion. We cover the “SaaSpocalypse” debate, what enterprise buyers actually value, the real cost of entering the US market, and what gets Frontline excited at the pitch table. Show Notes Frontline’s dual fund strategy — early stage across Europe, growth stage in the US, and why the transatlantic network matters The “SaaSpocalypse” — will enterprises build everything in-house as code costs go to zero? Dylan’s clear-eyed view on why most won’t, and why AI-native startups beat incumbents bolting on features Build vs. buy in the age of AI — why enterprises buy opinions, reliability, and a product roadmap — not just lines of code; the Donna portfolio example on AI agents sitting in front of systems of record Is now a bad time to expand to the US? — Frontline ran sentiment analysis via portfolio company Signal AI: for every 1 negative European article about the US, there were 13 positive ones The 40% rule — European B2B software companies generate ~40% of IPO revenue from the US. Flip side: US software companies generate 30–40% of IPO revenue from Europe. The interdependency is massively underestimated. Exploring the US from day one — treat it as a separate product-market fit exercise; 4–6 trips/year; the Workvivo/Zoom playbook for using European subsidiaries to get warm intros to US HQ What founders get wrong about US costs — salaries, agencies, visas, travel all add up. But founders equally underestimate the value: one homogenous market, shorter sales cycles, bigger budgets, higher ACVs The 300% rule — when pitching US VCs, weight your US revenue and users 3× higher than European equivalents. A US investor won’t be impressed by your 1,000 European customers if you have 20 in the US. What Frontline looks for — team and market account for 95%+ of the decision. Speed of learning + strong contrarian opinions backed by data are the leading indicators they watch for. Guest Bio Dylan Scully is an early-stage investor at Frontline Ventures, focused on pre-seed and seed investments in B2B tech, software, and AI across Europe. Before joining Frontline, he founded Matchday (sports fan engagement platform) and spent several years at Accenture as Commercial Strategy Lead for their global innovation team, working with C-suite clients on adopting emerging technology. Links Frontline Dylan Scully on LinkedIn Dylan’s Substack Frontline US Playbook Contact — Want to get in touch? Email podcast@digitalirish.com

June 16, 202636 min

VC Demystified: You Are Your Own Best PR Manager: Elena Levine on Communicating Credibility to US Investors

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

June 10, 20261 min

[Trailer] Digital Irish Podcast

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.

June 9, 202648 min

VC Demystified: What the Term Sheet Is Really Saying with Stephen Tallon

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

June 3, 202638 min

The Honest Test: Are You Actually Ready to Raise? with Marty Loughlin, Digital Irish Venture Fund

Marty Loughlin is back for round two. Where the first conversation was about why Irish founders think globally, this one's about what actually happens inside the room. Dave and Marty get into how DIVF makes decisions, what they do after the cheque is written, and some pretty blunt advice for any founder preparing to raise. 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 What Marty looks for in a first founder meeting DIVF's playbook after the cheque is written How to know if you're actually ready to raise The pitch deck advice every founder needs to hear Get in touch Marty Loughlin: marty.loughlin@digitalirish.com Learn more about DIVF: digitalirishfund.com podcast@digitalirish.com

May 27, 202641 min

Building the Irish Diaspora Venture Engine with Marius Smyth, Digital Irish Venture Fund

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