Endeavor Ireland

This founder is redefining how we think about tech ownership📲 In a recent interview with Charlie Taylor, Endeavor Entrepreneur Karl Gilbert, co-founder and CEO of Raylo, shared how growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, which, combined with his background in investment banking inspired him to launch his own business. Founded in 2018, Raylo offers a subscription-based model for new and refurbished smartphones and other consumer electronics, enhancing both affordability and sustainability in tech access. Recently, the company launched Raylo Business, a service that brings flexible, cost-effective tech leasing to small businesses. With over £20 million raised from investors like Telefonica, Octopus Ventures, and Channel 4 Ventures—and an expanded £125 million debt facility from NatWest and Quilam Capital— Raylo is set for high-impact growth. Karl joined the Endeavor network last month at the 100th International Selection Panel in Dublin. His global ambition and think-big mindset truly embody what it means to be an Endeavor Entrepreneur. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/edCgNkER

Last week, Heidi Davis of Peri was named Founder of the Year at Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Awards! Founded in 2022 by Heidi Davis and Donal O'Gorman, Peri uses AI-enabled technology to personalize menopausal symptom management and reduce the risk of future diseases. Heidi's win highlights her resilience and Peri’s potential as they prepare for a U.S. launch. The Founder of the Year Award is the culmination of the HPSU Founders Forum, which provides seed-funded Enterprise Ireland clients a platform to strategize and develop their growth plans. These awards celebrate the dedication of start-up entrepreneurs. Alongside Heidi, other nominated founders included: Mike McGrath of Kwayga Alison Liddy (Ph.D) of Relevium Medical ⚡️Raj L. L. of Affinity EV Mark Kirwan of Positive Carbon Aidan Finn of Binarii Labs Barry Mc Cann of NUA SURGICAL Criona Turley of Capella Darren O'Reilly of Whole Supp Finalists presented their 12-month business growth plans to a panel of judges, including Jenny Melia, executive director at Enterprise Ireland; Kieran McLoughlin, co-founder and managing partner at VentureWave Capital; Aileen Hayes, director at Endeavor Ireland; and Eddie Dillon, CEO and founder of CreditLogic. Congratulations to all the nominees, and especially to Heidi!

Every month, Endeavor Ireland brings together scaling founders and leaders for our network breakfast series. This month, we had an engaging discussion on board management and investor relations, led by Endeavor Entrepreneur Aidan Corbett of Wayflyer. These breakfasts offer founders the opportunity to tap into each other’s knowledge and expertise. A big thank you to everyone who joined us! Looking forward to the next one. #Ireland #Endeavor

From founding one of the world’s biggest fintech companies to advancing entrepreneurial ecosystems globally. Endeavor Entrepreneur and Global Board Member Guillaume Pousaz, founder and CEO of Checkout.com, transformed a bootstrapped company into a global fintech leader, providing payment solutions that power the digital economy. His multiplier effect has been extraordinary—26 former Checkout.com employees have gone on to start their own companies, further amplifying his impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. In 2018, Guillaume was selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur, and just a year later, Checkout.com attracted its first $230 million in investment. This launched a period of hypergrowth, which Guillaume fueled by traveling the world 300 days a year. Today, Checkout.com is valued at $40 billion and serves global giants like Alibaba.com, Patreon, and Pizza Hut. Yet, Guillaume views this success as merely “chapter zero” in a much larger journey. 🇨🇭 Raised in Switzerland, Guillaume founded Checkout.com in 2012 with a mission to simplify payments for large enterprises. 🚀 Checkout.com now processes payments in over 150 currencies, supporting thousands of businesses across industries such as ecommerce, fintech, and crypto. 💡 Since joining Endeavor, Guillaume has been an active mentor, a board member for Endeavor UAE and Endeavor Global, and a key contributor to Endeavor’s mission of supporting high-impact founders. 🌍 Guillaume continues to pay it forward to the next generation of founders through his mentorship and investments—he has mentored over 30 founders and invested in 28 entrepreneurs, including the Irish company Noloco and Irish fintech Wayflyer, led by Endeavor Entrepreneur Aidan Corbett. 👥 Most recently, Guillaume was one of 26 panelists interviewing candidates from around the world at Endeavor’s 100th International Selection Panel in Dublin, where he was involved in the selection of Endeavor Ireland’s new Entrepreneur, Karl Gilbert of Raylo. “I believe it’s the responsibility of entrepreneurs to enrich and give back to the ecosystem,” says Guillaume. “It’s an honor and a privilege to spend time with scaleup entrepreneurs who will shape the future.” #OneEndeavor #Ireland

KPMG Ireland has released their latest Venture Pulse Q3 2024 report, outlining the current state of the VC landscape. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of global venture capital trends, with data sourced from PitchBook. Irish medtech companies Luminate Medical and Loci Orthopaedics secured the top deals this quarter. As Anna Scally of KPMG Ireland noted on RTE’s Morning Ireland, while overall investment is down compared to Q2'24, 28 deals were completed, with over $100.9 million invested in Irish companies. With falling interest rates, the new cycle of the Seed and Venture Capital Scheme (2025-2029), along with the enhanced Angel Investor CGT relief, we can expect to see a jump in VC investments in Irish start-ups and scale-ups from early 2025. A recent example of strong funding activity in the Irish startup scene is the $7.6 million pre-seed raise by AI platform Zerve AI, led by Phily Hayes, Jason Hillary, and Greg Michaelson. As we look ahead to the rest of 2024, we are interested to see how the trends mentioned in KPMG Ireland’s report emerge. Read the full report:  https://lnkd.in/ejvBtbyU

The secret to scaling across 45 countries? It’s more than just data—it’s the drive and conviction of local entrepreneurs who want to bring the Multiplier Effect to their ecosystems. From Egypt to Chile, Endeavor has built a network of role models who lead with bold vision and inspire the next generation of founders. In Ireland, that vision was driven by our chairman, The Edge, who, in 2019, assembled a founding board of influential entrepreneurs and investors—Elaine C. of Atlantic Bridge, Alan Foy of VentureWave Capital, Anne Heraty, Denis O’Brien, and Mark Roden —to guide local operations and fuel Endeavor’s expansion in Ireland. Five years later, there are now 15 ambitious entrepreneurs across 11 fast-scaling companies in the Endeavor Ireland network. These founders are not only scaling their companies from Ireland but are also mentoring earlier-stage founders and inspiring their teams to embark on their own entrepreneurial journeys - creating a multiplier effect. Check out Endeavor’s non-traditional playbook on how to build a global community of high-impact entrepreneurs, one country at a time https://lnkd.in/dBPnVxnF

There are many similarities between the military and entrepreneurship. Both demand resilience, adaptability, teamwork, and the ability to make tough decisions under pressure. Endeavor Entrepreneur Barry Conlon of Overhaul, recently sat down with Christopher Sugden of Edison Partners on the Electrifying Growth podcast. In this episode, they explore how Barry’s military background shaped his leadership style, his approach to embracing risk, and how he is scaling Overhaul into a global industry leader. Listen to the full episode here  https://lnkd.in/e34KwXWQ

With first-hand experience as both an investor and entrepreneur, General Atlantic Co-President, Head of Global Growth Equity and Endeavor Board Member, Martin Escobari was one of 26 panelists interviewing candidates from around the world during Endeavor’s 100th International Selection Panel in Dublin. The General Atlantic Foundation is proud to partner with Endeavor, the leading global community for high-impact entrepreneurs, offering deep engagement and support for over 20 years. Since Endeavor's founding, Endeavor Entrepreneurs have generated more than 4.1 million jobs and $67 billion in annual revenue. Together with Endeavor, we are committed to helping provide the tools, resources, mentorship, and networks to support thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems in underserved markets around the world.

Hosting an International Selection Panel is a lot of work—and a lot of fun! As reported by RTE, a couple of weeks ago, Endeavor Ireland had the honor of hosting the 100th International Selection Panel (ISP) here in Dublin, bringing together more than 180 global entrepreneurs and business leaders from the Endeavor network. We want to take a moment to thank the 25 extraordinary panelists who joined us for this milestone event. Their generosity in sharing their time to interview, understand, and analyze companies from all over the world was invaluable. Staff from Endeavor's local offices in New York, Brazil, Italy, Miami, Ecuador and more flew in to help with the final touches. While our panelists worked hard, the Endeavor team was in the background, ensuring everything ran smoothly and creating that special Endeavor magic. A huge thank you to everyone who made this ISP unforgettable, especially the amazing team featured in these pictures! #OneEndeavor Special thanks to @RTÉ for the feature: https://lnkd.in/gvdqcdix

The caliber of talent in Endeavor's 100th ISP in Dublin was unmatched, with founders tackling the world’s biggest challenges —from B2B lending infrastructure to fintech and more—while making a direct impact in their home countries. Endeavor selected 31 entrepreneurs leading 15 companies, bringing the organization's global network to 2,635 entrepreneurs leading 1,609 companies across 40+ markets. Congratulations to all of the new Endeavor Entrepreneurs!