ThinkBusiness.ie

Community Foundation Ireland has quietly reshaped Irish giving since 2000, channelling €200 million into communities across the country while building a model built on data, trust and long-term partnership.

In this episode, CEO Denise Charlton joins the ThinkBusiness Podcast to explore how strategic philanthropy works in practice, from backing causes before they find public support to helping a new generation of wealthy families think through purpose, legacy and impact. She discusses Ireland's unique culture of anonymous giving, the rise of donor-advised funds, and what policy change could unlock the next chapter of Irish philanthropy.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Welcome to the podcast. Today I'm joined by Matthew Coffey, co-founder of SQUID Loyalty, the Irish tech company on a mission to make customer loyalty simpler and more effective for businesses and consumers alike. What started as an idea between two engineering students has grown into a platform used by thousands of businesses across multiple international markets. We'll discuss entrepreneurship, customer engagement, the future of loyalty programmes, scaling a startup from Ireland, and the lessons Matthew has learned building a fast-growing technology company.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Welcome to the latest ThinkBusiness Podcast, powered by Bank of Ireland. As AI rapidly moves from buzzword to business tool, many SMEs are still asking the same question: where do you start, and how do you turn AI into something that delivers real value?
As Google and Bank of Ireland join forces to provide 10,000 Google AI Professional scholarships to Irish SMEs at no cost, we speak with Kira Brakhage, AI specialist at Google, about how small businesses can use tools like Gemini Notebook to work smarter, save time, and unlock new insights from the information they already have.
From turning meeting transcripts into instant action plans and accelerating staff onboarding, to conducting low-cost market research and transforming documents into engaging audio content, Kira shares practical, real-world applications that SMEs can put into practice straight away. She also addresses one of the biggest concerns for business owners today: how secure sensitive company data is when using AI-powered tools.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Today we’re tackling a problem that every consumer and every business leader can relate to: why is customer service still so frustrating in an age of AI, automation and digital transformation?
Despite years of investment in technology, new research from ServiceNow reveals that Irish consumers are losing an astonishing 284 million hours every year dealing with customer service issues. Even more striking, nearly half of consumers say they would switch brands after just one poor customer service experience.
So what’s going wrong? Why are businesses still struggling to deliver seamless customer experiences? And with AI dominating boardroom conversations, are companies focusing on the right solutions—or simply adding more complexity to already broken processes?
To help us unpack these questions, I’m joined by Paul Turley from ServiceNow, a company at the forefront of helping organisations modernise customer service and employee experiences through digital workflows and AI-powered solutions.
In our conversation, we’ll explore why customer service remains one of the biggest pain points for consumers, the common mistakes organisations are making in their AI and customer experience strategies, and the practical steps businesses can take to improve service without committing to massive technology budgets.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

By 2030, more than one in three people in Ireland will be over the age of 50, while the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to exceed one million. As Ireland's population ages, the need for stronger community connections, health supports and wellbeing services has never been greater.
In this episode, we speak with Martina Calvey, founder of Hello GoodLife Ireland, a Mayo-founded social enterprise that is building a nationwide network of health and wellbeing hubs designed to help people stay active, connected and independent as they age. Martina explains the inspiration behind the business, the challenges and opportunities presented by Ireland's demographic shift, and why she believes communities hold the key to healthier, happier ageing.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.