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👋 Céad míle fáilte! The wait is almost over. In just a few days, we’re revealing the results of our St. Patrick’s Day Founder Sentiment Survey, and the data is spicy.

Here’s a sneak peek: 37% of Irish founders abroad are currently unengaged or unaware of existing diaspora networks. For us at irish insights, that’s not just a statistic. It’s a massive validation of why we’re building this community.

If you know someone launching a startup, job hunting, or looking to stay connected to the Irish business world, please forward this email and invite them to join us! 🤝

Today’s edition is a 3 minute 30 second read. ⏩ In a rush? Here's the TL;DR

💡 Insights: What 100+ sales meetings taught me about selling tech in Australia.

✈️ Abroad: Tines Boston expansion, IDA CEO interviewed on CNBC, Eoin Tonge appointed CEO of Primark & guess which Irish unicorn secured $250 million.

🏠 Home: Women-led startups raised €131m last year according to new TechIreland report, Startup Ireland plans to create 1,000 new start-ups, Kanya & Scopey Onsite raise a combined €2 million.

👨‍💼 Founders: Ahead of St. Patrick's Day, we are highlighting some of our most exciting founders across the globe:

Let’s dive in 🤿

LATEST UPDATES
News from abroad ✈️

Thomas Kinsella and Eoin Hinchy, co-founders of Tines.

🇺🇸 Boston expansion: Tines is executing one of the most aggressive U.S. expansions in the automation space. By opening a new hub in Boston and adding 100 new roles, they are scaling to meet a massive surge in enterprise demand. Their secret? "Intelligent Velocity." To lead the era of AI-driven operations, they shipped 357 product features in a single year and recorded a staggering 302% growth in Large Language Models (LLMs) usage. The message to the market is clear: the future belongs to those who build at the speed of AI.

🇺🇸 $250m raise: Intercom is fueling the most ambitious pivot in the customer service industry. By securing $250 million in debt financing they are scaling at a breakneck pace to dominate the AI agent market. Their momentum is undeniable: they recently surged past $400 million in ARR, with their flagship AI agent, Fin, on track to contribute $100 million of that alone. To lead the era of automated support, CEO Eoghan McCabe is evolving Fin from a chatbot into a suite of specialized agents.

🇪🇺 Gateway to Europe: Ahead of the annual St. Patrick’s Day diplomatic push, IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan took to CNBC to reinforce Ireland's position as the primary strategic gateway for U.S. firms into Europe. While the "skilled talent" and "innovation ecosystem" narrative is well-rehearsed, the scale of the two-way relationship is reaching new heights. New data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows Ireland is the 5th largest source of FDI in the U.S., with investments reaching $389 billion by the end of 2024. Check out the full interview here.

🇬🇧 Penny’s new leader: Associated British Foods (ABF) has appointed Irishman Eoin Tonge as the permanent CEO of Primark and Penneys, following a year as interim boss. Tonge, a former Goldman Sachs and M&S executive, will lead the retail giant amid a potential demerger from ABF. Despite a challenging Christmas trading period, he is tasked with driving international growth and digital engagement. The leadership changes, including Filip Ekvall as Chief Commercial Officer, indicate a strategic shift as ABF reviews its group structure.

At home 🏠

📰 Have a story that needs to be told? Drop us a note here.

💡 INSIGHTS
What 100+ sales meetings taught me about selling tech in Australia

Selling tech into Australia? It's not what you'd expect.

Australia is a goldmine. It is sophisticated, wealthy, and English-speaking. But for international founders, it is a minefield. After hundreds of conversations in fintech, AI, and construction, here is why "perfect" products fail here and how to actually win.

1. The Build-It-Ourselves Ego 🛠️

"Our internal team has been solving this for years."

Australian legacy teams aren't hostile; they’re proud. They’ve built complex workarounds that "work well enough."

  • The Fix: Don’t try to replace them. Position as an augment. Show the one urgent gap their internal build cannot close.

2. The Integration Graveyard 🪦ྀི

"Our systems won't support it."

From 20-year-old banking data formats to construction sites with zero bandwidth, integration is where momentum stalls.

  • The Fix: Lead with a low-friction POC. The less you touch their existing stack on day one, the faster you move.

3. The Procurement Black Hole 🕳

“We need to run this through the board.”

In the US, a $50k POC is a rounding error. In Australia, it can take 12 months and a CEO change to approve.

  • The Fix: Stop selling from the outside. Build an internal champion. Give them the one-page ROI business case they need to fight the battle for you.

Want the rest of the playbook?

In the full deep dive, we cover the final two hurdles that stop 90% of international entries:

  • The Regulatory Moat: Why GDPR isn't enough for APRA and local union laws.

  • The "Local Hero" Requirement: Why your Silicon Valley case studies are being ignored by Aussie execs.

  • The Bottom Line: The 5-step checklist for a successful Australian GTM.

FULL STORY 👉 What 100+ sales meetings taught me about selling tech in Australia

🧠 BRAIN FOOD
5 other things we are snacking on this week

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