In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Áine Kerr, the award-winning journalist, serial entrepreneur behind startups including Storyful (acquired by News Corp), and Kinzen (acquired by Spotify). From teaching in Dublin classrooms to building Storyful alongside Mark Little, leading global journalism partnerships at Facebook, and launching her second successful startup, Áine shares the lessons she’s learned from a “squiggly career” defined by reinvention, resilience, and purpose.
Áine reveals the realities of startup life, why suffering and recommitment are part of the journey, and how she built extraordinary teams that continue to shape the future of technology and media. Whether you're a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is a masterclass in perseverance, finding your “why,” and creating impact-driven businesses.
Show Notes
In this episode, we cover:
🔥 How Áine transitioned from teacher to journalist to tech entrepreneur
🚀 The early days of Storyful and the lessons from its sale to News Corp
💡 Why she started Kinzen and how it was acquired by Spotify
📈 The importance of radical transparency, resilience, and “recommitting to the suffering” of startup life
🤝 How to build high-performing teams that outgrow even the founder
🌍 Ireland’s entrepreneurial tipping point and why local ecosystems matter
🧠 The power of asking the right questions and leading without ego
🎯 Why duality (fear and courage) is key to any founder’s journey
💬 “If you have radical clarity on your why, people will back you; even if you have to do half a dozen resets and pivots.” – Áine Kerr
Links & Resources
Áine Kerr on LinkedIn
Kinzen
Rethink Ireland
Gaisce – The President’s Award
The Shona Project
Dogpatch Labs
AwakenHub
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EE437 - The €100M E-Commerce Blueprint: Fran Quilty on the Data Every Brand Needs
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Fran Quilty, co-founder and CEO of Conjura, the analytics platform powering the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce brands. From spinning out Wayflyer to building one of Ireland’s most exciting SaaS companies, Fran shares the unfiltered reality of transitioning from a services business to a scalable product, raising venture capital, and staying ahead in a rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape.
Fran breaks down how AI is fundamentally changing the way brands operate, why marketplaces like Amazon, TikTok, and Walmart are driving revenue shifts, and the lessons he learned building two companies simultaneously. If you want to understand where e-commerce is headed, and how data and automation will define the next decade - this is an episode you can’t miss.
In this episode, we cover:
📈 How Fran and his co-founder spun Conjura out of consulting and discovered the e-commerce goldmine
🚀 The split that created Wayflyer—and how it became one of Ireland’s biggest startup success stories
🔄 Lessons from moving from services to SaaS: why focus beats feature creep
🛒 E-commerce in 2025: the rise of marketplaces, social selling, and channel fragmentation
🤖 The AI revolution in analytics—why agent-based AI will change how brands operate
💡 The 80/20 rule for e-commerce: why 20% of your products drive 90% of your profit
🇪🇺 Why Europe is the fastest-growing e-commerce market right now
⚡ Fran’s advice for founders building in fast-moving industries
💬 “AI won’t just give you insights—it will execute for you. That’s the future.” – Fran Quilty
Links & Resources:
Follow Fran Quilty on LinkedIn
Conjura: https://www.conjura.com
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1:29:40
EE436 - Mentor Moment: From Trading Phones to Powering Teslas: Barry Napier’s $1Bn Story
Barry Napier didn’t follow the typical founder path. In this bite-sized Mentor Moment, he shares how trading phones around the world laid the foundation for building Cubic Telecom - the company he’d go on to sell 51% of for €473 million. From street smarts to striking deals with Tesla, it’s a story of grit, vision, and relentless execution. To listen to the full episode with Barry, go to episode 355.
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Enterprise Ireland: https://bit.ly/EIreland
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EE435 - From €1M in Debt to 1,000 Clients: Inside Ireland’s Quiet Tech Giant
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary sits down with Kevin O’Loughlin, founder and CEO of Nostra, one of Ireland’s leading IT services and cybersecurity companies.
From being €1 million in debt and living on pasta, to building a company helping 1,000+ businesses across Europe, Kevin shares the deeply personal story behind his mission to impact a million lives.
This is not your typical tech founder story. Kevin reveals:
- How a recession forced him into radical self-reflection.
- Why personal discipline became the foundation of his professional comeback.
- The systems, vision boards, and daily habits that guide him.
- How he's using AI to empower teams and scale his company—without compromising values.
If you're an entrepreneur grappling with uncertainty or looking for clarity on how to scale with purpose, this episode is a must-listen.
Show Notes:
In this episode, we cover:
🧨 How Kevin built Nostra out of a financial crisis and €1M in debt
🧭 Why his vision to “help a million people” fuels every decision
💻 The truth about modern cyberattacks - and why most companies aren’t prepared
🧠 Why daily meditation and visualisation are key to his success
📊 The practical ways Nostra uses AI to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and make better decisions
📈 Why consistent, boring growth beats big risky bets - and how he plans to build Ireland’s largest company
🔐 The single piece of IT advice he gives every business owner
⚡ The two internal mantras that guide company decisions: “What’s the right thing?” and “Would you sell it to your family?”
Resources & Mentions:
Nostra – Kevin’s company providing managed IT and cybersecurity services: https://nostra.ie/
Whoop – the health tracking device Kevin and Gary both swear by
Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” – the framework that shaped Kevin’s personal mission
[ChatGPT / Copilot] – Kevin uses AI daily to summarise emails, research problems, and automate planning
Enterprise Ireland – early supporter in Nostra’s hiring and UK expansion
Datto – the company Kevin recommends for off-site immutable data backups
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2:11:29
EE434 - Mentor Moment: The Mindset Behind Raising $26M with Conor Sheridan, Nory
In this weekend's Mentor Moment, Conor Sheridan, founder of Nory, shares the mindset shift that helped him go from startup operator to scaling a global restaurant tech company.
From embracing boldness in a culture that often discourages it, to mastering the underrated power of “the next logical step,” Conor breaks down the thinking that led to raising $26 million and building a 10-year roadmap.
This is a must-listen for any founder struggling with imposter syndrome, over-planning, or self-promotion. It’s also a reminder that telling your story with conviction isn’t arrogance - it’s your biggest marketing opportunity.
Want more? Listen to the full episode [Ep. 389].
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Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration on Business, Brain and Body, as well as exclusive events, courses and more, straight to your inbox. It's free! https://www.mrgaryfox.com/subscribe-1
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Every week, I sit down with extraordinary founders to explore how they build thriving businesses, maintain peak physical health, and cultivate sharp, resilient minds.
This is your journey to learn from the best—world-class entrepreneurs, elite thinkers, and peak performers who have mastered success in business, body, and brain.
This isn’t just a podcast; it’s a blueprint for a new kind of founder—one who balances ambition with wellness, hard work with mental fitness, and success with purpose.
Together, we’ll discover the habits, systems, and strategies they use to create their unique formulas for success.
Join me as you learn how to build like a founder, train like an athlete, and think like an artist—so we can all find our formula for success.
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