Jack Kirwan, Sprout & Co
Sprout & Co is known for its focus on healthy, local, and seasonal food. With seven restaurants across Ireland and supported by a 40-acre organic leaf farm started in 2018, Jack Kirwan’s vision for a restaurant with a local supply chain has been transformed into reality.
The inspiration for the brand struck while studying at cookery school, where he tasted a freshly picked tomato – a moment that sparked the concept for what would become Sprout & Co, a fresh take on a healthy fast-casual restaurant.
It has become one of Ireland’s fastest-growing food businesses, with a team of more than 150 people serving over a million customers in 2023.
Q. What vision/light bulb moment prompted you to start-up in business?
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A. I always believed healthy food could be exciting, fun and most importantly delicious.
The inspiration for Sprout & Co struck while I was studying at cookery school. I tasted a freshly picked tomato and couldn’t believe the difference between something freshly picked versus what I was buying at the supermarket. This moment sparked the idea for what would become Sprout & Co.
Q. What is your greatest business achievement to date?
A. When we started out, we were consistently told that what we were doing would always be niche. Eight years later what we do is catching on. We are on track to serve one-and-a-half million bowls of food this year which I am incredibly proud of.
Q. What was your “back-to-the-wall” moment and how did you overcome it?
A. At the start of the pandemic, we had to shut down most of our business overnight and furloughed 90 per cent of our team. If any business was destined to go bust it was Sprout, as we had grown next to offices and Dublin city was a ghost town.
We managed to keep the lights on, the heart of the business beating and gradually started to reopen and bring our people back. I learned more in that period than [at] any point of my life.
Q. What moment/deal would you cite as the ‘game changer’ or turning point for the company?
A. The pandemic accelerated people’s interest in living a healthier lifestyle, and we were well-positioned to be part of that change.
Q. Describe your growth funding path
A. Early on we brought on some brilliant investors that brought lots more than just capital. Now we are self-funding our growth with support from lenders. There may come a time when we look for an international partner.
Q. What are you doing to disrupt, innovate and improve the products or services you offer?
A. We are one of Ireland’s largest farmers of organic leaf in Ireland growing just for our seven restaurants, this is a huge differentiator when it comes to [the] freshness and flavour of our products.
Q. How is the current inflationary environment impacting your business? How do you expect things to unfold?
A. It’s a challenging time to be a farmer, supplier, restaurateur and a customer. The volatility of the last few years has meant prices have only gone up but that looks to be starting to settle a bit now, thankfully. Having a great win-win relationship with our local suppliers was crucial.
Q. What is the most common mistake you see entrepreneurs make?
A. Certainly, in the early days, it’s tempting to fixate on a large investment, thinking it will transform your business. While it can unlock growth, succeeding within constraints can be even more transformative and impressive. Constraints force you to be creative with what you have and it gives opportunities to people on your team to grow and prove themselves which contributes to a special culture.
Q. What is the single most important piece of advice you would offer to a less experienced entrepreneur?
A. Be impatient with actions and patient with results. It’s great if you’re naturally ambitious, but it’s important to pair your ambition with patience. Even the best companies needed time to grow.
Kasper Weber Anderson and Liam McMahon, Beyond Creative
Beyond Creative is a creative studio founded by Kasper Weber Anderson and Liam McMahon in late 2020. The company builds brand-tailored games, employs 25 creators and collaborates with dozens of brands.
In just a few years, it amassed a combined following of over 250,000 on its social channels and engaged more than 100 million Fortnite players through its games.
Q. Describe your business model and what makes your business unique
A. Our business connects brands with the gaming world. As former players turned creators, we help brands create cool and impactful experiences. We’re not building games from scratch; we’re building on top of existing gaming platforms Fortnite and Roblox.
Q. What is your greatest business achievement to date?
A. We’ve launched many projects and won awards for our clients, which we are all proud of. Being named on Forbes 30 under 30 in 2023 and now becoming a finalist at EY’s Entrepreneur of The Year in 2024 both rank pretty high.
Q. What was your ‘back-to-the-wall’ moment and how did you overcome it?
A. In March 2023, Epic Games announced new tools for Fortnite Creative creators. To build the best possible experience for Nike’s Airphoria, we had to migrate to and learn these brand-new tools along with Epic Games themselves. Despite the challenge, we successfully learned the new tools and delivered an exceptional project.
Q. What moment/deal would you cite as the ‘game changer’ or turning point for the company?
A. Launching “The Race to Greatness by Ralph Lauren” was a huge game changer for us. It was released as one of the first branded Fortnite games and proved to us and our clients that we could create and launch gaming experiences without the assistance from Epic Games.
Q. Describe your growth funding path
A. We have reinvested all our profits back into the company for continuous growth or as working capital. We wanted to remain in control and have not yet had a critical reason to seek external investment.
Q. How will your market look in three years and where would you like your business to be?
A. Marketing has evolved from newspapers to TV, social media and now gaming, with budgets increasingly flowing into gaming. Platforms like Fortnite and Roblox offer brand value and creativity at a scale unmatched by games. We believe these platforms are the future of gaming and are defining their value to brands.
Q. What are the big disruptive forces in your industry?
A. Brands feel disconnected from their core audience and struggle to engage with gamers through traditional titles. Platforms like Fortnite and Roblox empower players to become creators, shaping the future of gaming. With the rise of remote working, digital creators and AI tools gaming constantly evolves. We embrace this by being a creator-driven studio.
Q. What are you doing to disrupt, innovate and improve the products or services you offer?
A. AI is rapidly disrupting the gaming industry. We use AI for concept art and copywriting, but soon, AI-generated meshes, rigs and animations will enable faster prototypes. AI kick-starts projects, allowing more effort on manual polishing once potential is proven.
Q. What is the most common mistake you see entrepreneurs make?
A. I always try to do a retrospective on how I came to make a mistake and learn from it so I can do better next time I face a similar problem. Entrepreneurs will always make mistakes, no matter the field, so the most important thing you can do is learn from them to improve in the future, Liam says.
Kasper continued: With distractions just a swipe away and the next generation having shorter attention spans, I could be concerned that future entrepreneurs might give up too soon or get bored too fast.
Q. What is the single most important piece of advice you would offer to a less experienced entrepreneur?
A. The most important advice I can give is to do your market research thoroughly and always look for opportunities. The only reason I am here is that I saw the potential in the Fortnite Creative platform, even in its primitive state five years ago, Liam said.
It’s okay to work for low compensation (or almost free) initially to cover costs, Kasper said, the most important advice for a new entrepreneur is to stay hungry, find a niche to master and bring real value.
Seamus Tighe, Ecoplex Energy Solutions
Ecoplex Energy Solutions is an Irish-owned company in renewable energy solutions, dedicated to empowering businesses and individuals to take control of their energy consumption. It offers solar power, heat pumps and electric vehicle charging stations, with upcoming additions including spray foam insulation.
Founder Seamus Tighe is an entrepreneur committed to advancing Irish business. The company offers a four-step process that shows clients how to adopt eco-friendly energy solutions. Seamus Tighe previously founded Everest Snacks in 2014, starting with three granola cups that have since expanded.
Q. What vision/light bulb moment prompted you to start-up in business?
A. My light bulb moment in business came after earning a degree and spending three years as a trainee accountant during Ireland’s recession. Among the numbers, I discovered my true passion: forging my own path. Fuelled by a love for health and quality food, I entered into retail through SuperValu’s Food Academy, learning about margins and growth, all centred around customer focus. The turning point arrived with the creation of Everest Granola, where I introduced high-quality granola top hats to the “on-the-go” healthy food market.
Q. What is your greatest business achievement to date?
A. My greatest business achievement to date is the growth of Ecoplex. What started as a company of four people during Covid-19 in 2019 has evolved into a thriving organisation with over 160 employees across Ireland.
Q. What was your ‘back-to-the-wall’ moment and how did you overcome it?
A. My “back to the wall” moment in business came with the failed partnership with a multinational investor. The pressure and obstacles were immense, but we persevered. Securing a transformative deal with Vision Consulting, Ecoplex thrived through strategic planning and collaboration. We’ve boosted revenue and we have made inroads into international markets.
Q. What were the best and the worst pieces of advice you received when starting out?
A. My nan always said: “Treat people how you would like to be treated yourself”, and to this day, I haven’t forgotten this advice. The worst piece of advice I ever received was “stay true to your original idea no matter what”. In an ideal world, we would all like to believe our original idea is the Holy Grail, but in an ever-evolving market landscape, flexibility and adaptability are key in entrepreneurship.
Q. Describe your growth funding path
A. The company was established during the pandemic in 2020 when the economy was in turmoil and was very much in a stop/start mode. We maintained a tight grip on our overheads and self-funded the company for the first year’s trading. During late 2022 and early 2023, we received investment in the form of equity from Vision Holdings Limited who have facilitated us to implement structures and processes to build the company to reach €20 million turnover in the current year.
Q. How will your market look in three years and where would you like your business to be?
A. There is a lot of discussion in the market regarding the consolidation of Irish companies within the light retrofit scene. Several acquisitions have already been made, accelerating the consolidation of the market. Ecoplex sees itself as a platform in the market and aims to offer numerous light retrofit services, becoming a go-to brand for customers and businesses across Ireland.
Q. What are the big disruptive forces in your industry?
A. From the surge in renewables to the exciting advancements in energy storage and digitalisation, these trends are not just shaping the industry but also presenting unrivalled opportunities for growth and innovation, driving us toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Q. Is AI impacting your business and industry?
A. Absolutely, AI is definitely shaking things up in the energy sector, and in all the best ways. It can help us predict when equipment might need fixing, fine-tune how we generate energy, and keep our grids running smoothly. It’s akin to a strategic tool, identifying optimal locations for renewable energy installations and maximising energy utilisation.
Q. What is the most common mistake you see entrepreneurs make?
A. The most common mistake entrepreneurs make is lacking knowledge of basic margins and their market. Respecting the expertise people gain in their industries is crucial. Many jump on trends without full understanding, thinking they have it figured out until it’s too late.
Sharon Cunningham and Orlaith Ryan, Shorla Oncology
Shorla’s mission is to rethink, reimagine and improve on existing, proven oncology treatments.
It focuses on indications where existing treatments are limited, in shortage or inadequate for the target population. Shorla’s growing portfolio (two of which are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or FDA and are currently on the US market) will bring accessible, affordable and life-changing treatments to patients, delivering a major contribution to patient care.
Chief executive Sharon Cunningham and chief technology officer Orlaith Ryan are co-founders of the company.
Q. What vision/light bulb moment prompted you to start-up in business?
A. Identifying a clear unmet need where certain cancer treatments are unsuitable or inaccessible for the current target population was a problem we knew we could address. We share a passion for improving paediatric and women’s health, especially for those who are affected by rare cancers and who are often overlooked and underserved patient populations.
Q. Describe your business model and what makes your business unique
A. Our business model is to outsource much of the research and development and manufacturing of our drugs, and overtime as we scale, invest in the in-market resources required for commercial success.
Q. What is your greatest business achievement to date?
A. There have been several business achievements that we are proud of, notably FDA approval and commercialisation of our initial product pipeline in 2023, in addition to securing funding of $45 million in total to grow and expand our pipeline and commercial footprint.
Q. What was your “back-to-the-wall” moment and how did you overcome it?
A. Being delayed bringing our first product to market due to the pandemic and the fact that the FDA suspended overseas facility inspections was a significant challenge for us to overcome.
Q. What were the best and the worst pieces of advice you received when starting out?
A. Best advice: Embrace agility – a start-up doesn’t have the luxury of time. If a product isn’t achieving the results you need, take that as a sign that you need to move on.
Worst advice: Failure is not an option – failure along the way is inevitable and embracing it as a normal part of the entrepreneurial journey leads to greater resilience and ultimately success.
Q. To what extent does your business trade internationally and what are your future plans/ambitions?
A. We currently register and commercialise our products in the US but have short-term plans to expand our products in Europe and the rest of the world.
Q. What are the big disruptive forces in your industry?
A. New technologies that are likely to be disruptive include 3D printing, which can be used to customise everything from drugs to prosthetics, and artificial intelligence – both of which are changing the way new drugs are developed.
Q. Is AI impacting your business and industry?
A. AI could be revolutionary for the pharmaceutical industry – it could dramatically reduce the time it takes to develop a new medicine, as well as help identify new drug molecules meaning patients could have access to more new, innovative drugs in record time.
Q. How is the current inflationary environment impacting your business? How do you expect things to unfold?
A. Inflation is an ongoing challenge for pharmaceutical businesses due to rising prices [of] materials, services and operational costs. In addition, manufacturing and supply chain have been key areas, where we have had to build resilience due to increased risk as a result of inflation.
The projected easing of inflation in 2024 and into 2025 is welcome news and makes our cost base more predictable.
Q. What is the most common mistake you see entrepreneurs make?
A. Often entrepreneurs can be emotionally attached to the product or service and may not dedicate enough time and focus to developing and executing a business plan with a clear product strategy and a well-defined value proposition. In addition, having robust financial projections with realistic assumptions and a go-to-market strategy is critical to ensuring success.
Q. What is the single most important piece of advice you would offer to a less experienced entrepreneur?
A. Know your numbers – paying extremely close attention to the numbers is critical for success.
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