Dogpatch Labs

Yesterday, we welcomed Stripe Co-Founder John Collison to Dogpatch Labs, he shared openly about his founder journey, home truths behind startup success, sage advice on company building, and thoughts on navigating through a changing tech landscape. When asked about his evolution from a hands-on founder to the leader of a large organisation, he emphasised the importance of customer centricity and a ‘boots-on-the-ground’ mindset, especially in the early days of a startup. “Listen to your users. Be hands-on as much as possible. Invite honest feedback, and avoid denial. Then you’ll build something people actually want.” Collison noted that the commonality of super-successful tech giants is an obsession with customers.  "Let the market teach you things. Build, pivot, scale.” John talked about how distraction with the next product and internationalisation is the enemy of early-stage startup founders, saying, “Nail the core product. Don’t obsess over the “Act II” product. Keep the main thing the main thing.” What was your key takeaway as an entrepreneur? Tell us in the comments below 👇 #Leadership #Innovation #TechFounders #Stripe #DogpatchLabs #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #FiresideChat #ScalingUp #TechCommunity

From Dublin's Silicon Docks to Silicon Valley, at Dogpatch Labs we connect startups who want to scale transatlantically with some of the best in the biz. This week's Fireside feature: Stevie Case. The first woman pro-gamer, founding partner at 20SALES (a spin-off from 20VC), and now Vanta's CRO, which recently raised a $150m Series C. Stevie shared her go-to-market top tips, strategies for hiring founder-led sales teams, and leaving the startup audience with advice from her experience inside fast-growing companies: "Using compliance as a sales strategy is what our most successful companies do - so embed this early on, rather than avoid it." Want to connect with Dogpatch? Get in touch: https://hubs.la/Q02WBSwX0

Unfiltered conversation at members-only Startup Wake, where founders shared the tell-all version of their failed startups. No holds barred. Shoutout to the brave souls Lizzy Hayashida and Patrick Walsh for sharing the reality with fellow founders. A common thread? Listen to the market and know when to walk away, try not to repeat mistakes, and lean into networks like Dogpatch's to recover and redirect. It's evident from this Halloween startup special that being a founder can be frightening; deciding to raise another round or not, the emotional toll of failure, the self-doubt that follows, and the experience of reinvention. The positive takeaway? Customer-centricity and product focus often determine success more than strong pitches or funding alone. So focus on your customers and solve the problem they're facing (and will pay for!). Share your advice with fellow founders in the comments below 👇 Become a member at Dogpatch Labs: https://lnkd.in/eXwr7vdz

"It takes a village" is a term often bandied around the startup world. The Irish tech ecosystem's 'pay it forward' mindset perfectly illustrates this power of the network in the Irish Tech Challenge South Africa Immersion Week at Dogpatch Labs. Hear from the South African startup founders themselves about their experience with successful Irish entrepreneurs, curated mentorship from Big tech in Ireland, and the value of connecting into the Dogpatch network during Immersion Week. Discover how you can give back: https://lnkd.in/e3GidPaZ #Innovation #GlobalInnovation #Sustainability #StartupDiplomacy Embassy of Ireland in South Africa | Technology Innovation Agency | Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland | Hesus Inoma | Ashley Shak Adbot | Jabulani Nyembe | CREDIPPLE | SAMANJALO . | Momint | The Awareness Company | Smart-View Technology

Hurry! Just a few tickets left for tomorrow's workshop with Vanta. Straight from Silicon Valley to Dublin's Docklands, Vanta CRO Stevie Case of the go-to software for startup security shares exclusive insights for founders. Hear it from startup members and NDRC H2 23 alumni Solidroad's POV too. Get your free ticket below 👇

Today we connected almost 300 builders, founders and entrepreneurs in the Irish tech ecosystem at #StartupDay in Google. Kicking off in earnest with 100 startup mentoring sessions, operating in tandem with the Launchpad lounge where our team members connected with founders on all the startup supports out there, including Founders Talent Accelerator, angel investing opportunities at HBAN, all-island scaling options with our regional hub partners in NDRC programmes, and of course where you can plug into all of this at Dogpatch Labs community. Crystal ball predictions from 'Ireland - The Next Generation' panel, with thought-provoking comments from heavyweights in the tech industry Brian Caulfield, Sarah Walker, Aarthi S. and Sean Blanchfield. The hard truths for founders who talked who through what building something customers actually want (and what you're wasting your time on). These founders know what they're talking about too - just take a look at growth trajectory and investment into these companies this year: SQUID, Marker Video , StoreHero. Keeping in tow with the founder-first theme of #StartupDay, who better to wrap with than Workvivo's founder and CTO Joe Lennon, which he sold to Zoom in 2023 in a €250M deal. Missed out and want to get insights? Subscribe: https://lnkd.in/exF9zxx3 Google | PorterShed | RDI Hub | Republic of Work Lizzy Hayashida | Joe Gorman | André Balico | Dushyant Singh | Gearoid Kearney | Andy McManagan | Deirbhile Gorman | Malaika Judd | Emma Heaton-Esposito | Paige Haarhoff | Jack Cantillon | Tom McCarthy

Last month I had the pleasure of visiting Dogpatch Labs in Dublin, hosted by Menno Axt and Ed O'Riordan. They’re doing incredible work out there and I was lucky to meet dozens of founders. Dublin is a genuine tech hub and I met founders who'd previously held senior roles or were early employees at companies like Coinbase, Intercom, Stripe and Revolut. These kinds of scale-ups are home to some of the most compelling future founders. At Episode 1 Ventures, we want to continue investing in more Irish startups, so please do reach out!

Not sure I've ever been this hyped to host an event - Dogpatch Labs x Google at The Foundry in Dublin, this Friday 😤 💥 What's on the cards? 🃏 - Mentoring sessions in the AM 🤝 - Founders from 3 of Ireland's hottest startups discussing how they went from just starting out to hypergrowth 🔎 - A panel on how Ireland will tackle its current growing pains to become a country that supports aggressive ambition 🍀 - Workvivo - by Zoom co-founder Joe Lennon explores their journey from nothing to a nine-figure acquisition in a closing keynote 💰 The dream team: Lizzy Hayashida | André Balico | Samuel Klacman LAST FEW SPOTS up for grabs - register now! (In-person + virtual)

And just like that, the first of Q4’s big four European tech events is over. Anyone else in the Dogpatch community want to rewind and do SaaStock 2024 again?! Keep reading to see what our team and startup members got up to… https://lnkd.in/eyNS4n57 Lizzy Hayashida | Joe Gorman | Menno Axt | Gloria Baeuerlein | Puzzle Ventures | Cherry Ventures | coso.ai | Revium | Malaika Judd | Lorraine E. Curham | Reta Octania | Cosmin Pitigoi | Dev Ally | Dosen | Fidelity Center for Applied Technology®(FCAT) | Frontline Ventures | Zoe Chambers

Ex-Dogpatcher, DC Cahalane will take the mic for NVIDIA 's next virtual masterclass: Turning great AI into a great AI business, on November 6th. DC is a four-time founder who has spearheaded growth, sales, and marketing at Teamwork.com and Trustev, among others! Whether you're a startup looking to scale your AI enterprise, an investor seeking the next big opportunity, or simply keen on staying ahead in the tech game, this masterclass is your ticket to the inside track on AI and venture capital. Registration> https://lnkd.in/egwpqaNx