💡 No Office, No Problem?

👋 Céad míle fáilte! Denis O’Brien says remote work is dragging Ireland down, killing productivity, freezing the public sector, and making grads too comfy. Bit dramatic? I think so.

The hybrid model is where most companies are landing post-Covid. And from what I’ve seen, when you focus on results and trust your team, remote work works.

Plus, it’s boosting inclusion and helping attract top talent because apparently you don’t need to be in the office to do great work or microwave fish…Just my two cents.

💼 Hot Job: Cybersecurity Lead at Deciphex. First internal cyber hire shaping the DNA of security for a fast-growing AI pathology company. Ireland based, fully remote with end-to-end ownership and real autonomy.

✈️ Abroad: Quintas Capital just dropped 18 million dollars on an Irish founded floral empire running thousands of same day deliveries across the UAE and Ireland.

🏠 Home: Manna just scored backing from Cathie Wood, the star investor behind the 60B dollar ARK Invest empire, in one of the company’s biggest credibility wins yet.

👩 Founder: How Laois native Barbara Turley turned Sydney entrepreneur built a 350-person virtual assistant company

🧠 Brain food: Russell Crowe chats about Muff Liquor on the biggest podcast on the planet, The Joe Rogan Experience. A massive moment for the Co. Donegal distillery.

P.S. Click here for a cleaner reading experience:

LATEST UPDATES
News From Abroad ✈️

🇦🇪 Irish capital is backing UAE growth: Quintas Capital making an 18 million dollar bet on Petal Group, the Irish founded floral ecommerce operator behind Flowers.ie, FlowersDirect.ie, BloomMagic.ie and Flowers.ae. Founded by Garreth Knowd, the business delivers thousands of same day orders each week through a tech enabled fulfilment model, and Quintas sees it as a landmark move as it accelerates its Irish to Middle East expansion strategy.

🇰🇪 The Irish-Built Digital Bank Winning in Africa: Umba, founded by Tiernan Kennedy, has hit profitability in Kenya for the second quarter in a row. It’s now the country’s only fully digital bank, offering branchless accounts, low-cost payments and fast credit for SMEs and drivers who keep the economy moving. Backed by 6x revenue growth in 2024 and boosted by its microfinance acquisition last year, Umba is scaling fast across one of the world’s toughest fintech markets.

🇨🇦 Big Moves in Canada: A joint trade mission led by Minister Peter Burke brought more than 40 Irish companies to Toronto and Montreal to deepen ties across tech, construction and sustainability. With Ireland–Canada trade already topping €6 billion a year, the visit focused on unlocking new partnerships, boosting exports and opening doors for Irish innovators in one of North America’s fastest growing markets.

🇺🇸 Powering Up in the US: Dublin’s CEL Critical Power has opened a new $40 million, 400,000-sq-ft manufacturing hub in Williamsburg, Virginia, creating 250 skilled jobs next year and scaling to 500 by 2030 across R&D, engineering, manufacturing and testing. Backed by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and veteran hiring programs, the move boosts CEL’s global footprint to over 500,000 sq ft and powers its ambition to hit $500 million in annual revenue by 2030.

Back Home 🏠

• Lative has raised $7.5 million to scale its AI sales planning platform, replacing spreadsheet-heavy processes with real-time visibility and smarter forecasting.

• AwakenAngels, Ireland’s first women led investment syndicate, has helped 8 female co-founded startups raise 4.5 million euro. With 118 investors and a growing academy, they’re opening new funding routes across the island.

• OpenAI is partnering with the Government, Dogpatch and Patch to launch ‘OpenAI for Ireland’ to boost AI skills, support founders and create more opportunities for young builders.

• Manna has secured a major investment from Cathie Wood, founder of the high profile $60 billion ARK Invest firm, giving Bobby Healy’s drone delivery company strong new momentum as it scales its rapid delivery tech.

💼 IRISH INSIGHTS JOB BOARD
What Irish firms are hiring? 5 Trending jobs

• Cybersecurity Lead at Deciphex. Remote Ireland. Own all internal security for a fast-growing AI pathology company.

• Senior AI Product Manager at Poppulo. Cork. Lead AI product strategy and ship high-impact ML features for a global comms platform.

• Director, Customer Success at LearnUpon. Salt Lake City. Lead a high-performing CS team driving retention, expansion, and customer value.

• Senior Software Engineer at LearnUpon. Belgrade. Ship large-scale LMS features using Go/Rails/Kafka.

• Strategic Partner Manager at CluneTech. Bahrain. Manage payments partnerships and revenue growth for TransferMate.

Hiring? Post a job for free

Hunting? View all 88 open jobs on the irish insights Job Board 💰

Interning? Want a placement with a global Irish company?

👩 FOUNDER FOCUS
Laois-born trader turned Sydney entrepreneur builds a 350-person virtual assistant company

Living abroad: “I left Portlaoise for a backpacking year in Australia… and ended up building my whole life here.”

The leap: “Corporate life didn’t fit with becoming a mum. While consulting, I saw small businesses drowning in admin, hired virtual assistants to help… and accidentally built a company.”

Bootstrapping: “I lived modestly for years to build a financial cushion. Today The Virtual Hub has 350 staff in the Philippines.”

Digital-first edge: “We’d been remote for a decade by the time COVID hit. While others scrambled onto Zoom, we were already there.”

On AI: “At first I was nervous. Now I see AI as a superpower that frees people from repetitive work.”

Abroad advantage: “Australia was a gift. Being Irish helped me stand out, even without the usual networks.”

Advice: “Trust your instincts. Save aggressively. And build in a way that works for you, especially if you’re a woman or a mum.”

👉 FULL STORY: How Laois-born Barbara Turley built a global virtual assistant powerhouse from Sydney.

[We first featured Barbara’s story last year but it’s one we still think about. If you missed it then, it’s worth your time now.]

🧠 BRAIN FOOD
Boojum burritos, “We ride at dawn”, Cowboy whiskey and Troy’s tears of Joy.

💬 Quote: “They tried to burn us once. Now they just shadow ban us. The witches are awake. We ride at dawn.” Deirdre O’Neill (Co-founder of Hertility), calling out platform bias and pushing for better womens health.

☘️ Tool: &Open is a Dublin-based corporate gifting platform helping global brands send high-quality, design-led, responsibly sourced gifts at scale.

🎧 Pod: Conor Sheridan chats with Andrew Maxwell, the operator behind Boojum’s rise and is now an Imbiba investor, on scaling, selling and building standout restaurant brands.

💪 That’s Interesting: Shay Brennan-Kelly breaks down why neurodivergent users are the early warning system for poor UX.

😊 Good news: “First time I cried in years,” says Irish hero Troy Parrott. His injury time winner against Hungary on Sunday is a moment now permanently inked in the annals of Irish football.

🔥 Viral moment: Russell Crowe chatting about Muff Liquor on the biggest podcast on the planet, Joe Rogan. An unreal moment for the Co. Donegal distillery. 🥃🥔

💡 INSIGHTS POLL

Last poll results: What do you think is the biggest factor driving Irish founders to succeed in global tech?
🌱 Strong startup ecosystem in Ireland 11%
💰 Access to international funding 11%
🌍 Global networking and diaspora connections 45%
💡 Innovative mindset and adaptability 22%
🍀 Irish charm 11%

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