š CĆ©ad mĆle fĆ”ilte! "Ah here... not another Stripe story," we hear you say. We do try our best to spice things up at irish insights, but when the lads casually announce theyāve processed 1.6% of the entire worldās GDP and hit a ā¬135 billion valuation, itās a bit hard to focus on anything else.
Then thereās the kicker: Stripe is reportedly eyeing an acquisition of PayPal in a move that would see them swallow the very pioneer that paved the way for them.
Im starting to think we should just start giving them their own dedicated section every week. āStripe insightsā has a nice ring to itā¦
Bottom Drake = my current facial expression
Todayās edition is a 2 minute 30 second read. ā© In a rush? Here's the TL;DR:
š¤« Unfiltered: A behind-the-scenes look at the irish insights journey to 5,000 subscribers, with real numbers, key wins, and setbacks from the past six months.
āļø Abroad: KineMo enters the Juventus Forward cohort, Denis OāBrien pivots to heavy industry, and Meta plans with, wait for it, Stripeās Bridge (yes, them again š¬) for stablecoin payouts.
š Home: Manna and Uber drone partnership, Benchmark Sports launches GAA coaching app, Resurrect Bio $8.1 million raise for gene-edited crops, and Appleās new Dublin office.
š¢ Searching: Kim McCarthy is pursuing a Master's in Marketing at Trinity and is now on the hunt for mid-level marketing roles. Check out her bio and help her get hired! š
Enjoy ā
LATEST UPDATES
News from abroad āļø
(L-R) Juventus legend Giorgio Chiellini and KineMo Co-founder & CEO Leo Peyton.
š®š¹ The Italian Job: Leo Peyton, co-founder of KineMo, has had a hectic few weeks. Heās been tearing it up from Turin to Milan, officially landing KineMo in the first-ever Juventus Forward cohort. Itās a massive win, putting their tech deep into the rehab and screening labs of one of the worldās biggest football clubs. The fun didn't stop at the Allianz Stadium, though; he also headed to Milan with Enterprise Ireland to talk shop with Olympic bosses and government ministers alongside heavyweights like Kitman Labs.
š³šæ The Kiwi Turnaround: Telecom veteran Denis OāBrien is joining forces with the Smurfit brothers and placing a strategic bet on the southern hemisphere, securing a 24.3% stake in New Zealandās Whakatane paper mill. Itās a high-stakes play. Despite a global industry slump and rising energy costs, the mill just wrapped a massive NZ$128 million tech overhaul to boost output. For O'Brien itās a pivot of his own, moving into heavy industry just as he scales back his famous Digicel empire.
šŗšø Stripe again: Meta plans a major shift in H2 2026 by integrating Stripeās Bridge for stablecoin payouts on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. After the Libra project's failure, Zuck is focusing on becoming a distribution leader for existing tech. Utilizing the 2025 GENIUS Act and Bridgeās OCC trust charter, Meta aims to reduce fees on small cross-border payments. For Stripe, this validates its $1.1 billion Bridge acquisition, transforming social media into a fast global financial network.
At home š
Manna x Uber: Manna is partnering with Uber to enter the European drone delivery market. The partnership will be tested in Ireland before expanding to other European cities.
GAA Tech Launch: Benchmark Sports, founded by Brian Conway, has officially gone live with a collaborative planning app designed to help coaches and clubs streamline training sessions.
Crop Tech Capital: Resurrect Bio co-founded by Cian Duggan, has raised $8.1 million in a Series A round to use gene-editing technology for engineering disease-resistant crops.
Apple Expands: The tech giant will open a new Dublin office in Park Place this year for up to 300 workers to complement expanded Cork operations.
š° Have a story that needs to be told? Weāre listening. Drop us a note here.
š¤« BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Late nights, 45k emails, and the Road to 5,000
We donāt shy away from the numbers. Even the "Revenue: $0" ones.
The Numbers are Screaming: Weāve officially crossed the 2,200 subscriber mark with engagement rates that put most corporate newsletters to shame.
The "Founder Fiesta": Our audience profile has shifted significantly. Weāre becoming the go-to hub for founders, and the global spread (from Dublin to Brisbane) is widening.
LinkedIn Growth: Impressions are up nearly 5x, proving that our little corner of the feed is getting a lot more crowded.
Growing Pains: Weāre being honest about the "LinkedIn Trap," our stagnant (for now) revenue, and why we haven't pulled the trigger on that 300+ person WhatsApp waitlist yet.
The Road to 5k: Weāre chasing a massive "North Star" goal for 2026, and weāve got a high-stakes plan for St. Patrickās Day to make it happen.
š FULL STORY: Late nights, 45k emails, and the Road to 5,000
š¤ COMMUNITY
Talent Spotlight: Kim McCarthy
Currently: Completing an MSc in Marketing at Trinity College Dublin.
Seeking: Mid-level Marketing roles (Dublin or Remote).
Availability: Starting April 2026, with the aim of moving to NYC in October on a grad J1 visa. šŗšø
Proven ROI: Doubled e-commerce revenue and achieved 20x ROAS in her recent Head of Marketing role.
Global Pedigree: Managed campaigns for the New York MTA and Jacobs, partnering with brands like Glossier.
Full-Funnel Expert: Hands-on with Meta, Google Ads (Certified), SEO, and Influencer strategy.
Data-Driven: Advanced skills in Google Analytics, $A/B$ testing, and budget optimization.
š§ BRAIN FOOD
5 other things we are snacking on this week
Patrick Guiney (co-founder of DevAlly), discusses how accessibility is becoming as important as SEO.
Irish manās beachside Gaeilge chats go viral in Australia.
The CSO reported that 36,284 new homes were finished in Ireland in 2025, which is a 20% increase from 2024.
Europe is firing on all cylinders, $8bn has already been invested into Startups in 2026!
Awesome analysis from Hugh Brennan of Wayflyer as he digs into the trends across both Capital Gains Tax and Corporation Tax from the last few years.
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