Scale Ireland’s Post

So since posting the above and reading the Wired article, I’ve been reflecting on this… While it is great to see so many challengers, across different industries, what does this mean for traditional and established enterprises? How will they transform or stay ahead of the competition? Consumers are demanding more and with the potential AI has to provide an abundance of time and resources, what will we do with this? Does a displacement or additional resources unlock new opportunities to engage or serve customers better? What does the future of an enterprise look like? Is there a obligation to retrain people and continue to support their development? How will challengers set the new norm, what might this look like? Will we see new market intersections and industries converge? While there are still many unanswered questions, what remains true, is that we can’t wait and see, otherwise we’ll be left behind. We need to explore and try new things. Embrace AI and innovation and how it can help drive transformation.

I'm in Berlin today as I moderated a panel at the Atlantic Labs AGM, on How AI is changing the SaaS game. My esteemed panelists were the builders. Whether AI first like Albert Astabatsyan, CFA Co-founder of Synthflow AI. Or building AI into an established large SaaS company such as Daniel Khachab, CEO of Choco. Or utilising AI for parts of it's solutions like Mariam Hakobyan, CEO of Softr which enables you to spin up an app from a few lines of code. We covered the challenges of brining AI into you existing SaaS Solution. AI first vs SaaS first and whether that was even the right question. How AI will impact the workforce and topics such as whether AI will replace many of the SaaS Apps that companies use today, like Klarna is doing. What was good to see was that there were only two AI sessions within the agenda and it didn't dominate. Whilst AI is an important revolution in the world of tech and how we work, we've seen conferences that maybe get carried away with the hype and do too much AI, and maybe forget what they are at the core. At SaaStock Europe this year, there will be some amazing AI focused talks from the likes of Tomasz Tunguz and Des Traynor to name but two. However SaaStock's content has always been about how to you build, grow and scale a successful SaaS business, led by those that are doing it or have done it. So we recognise the importance of AI and the impact in SaaS, but what you'll learn this year from some great entrepreneurs, operators and investors is really how can you build a successful SaaS company. Thanks to Atlantic Labs and my former colleague Sophie Louise Rowe for having me, and letting me get some reps in before Dublin (and for not getting too carried away with AI). Berlin is wonderful and great to see the entrepreneurial ecosystem thriving. If you want to connect with your fellow SaaS builders, experts and investors, then Dublin is the place to be next month 14-16th October. #AI #Berlin #saastockeurope #saastock #saas #dublin

In case you missed it, the Scale Ireland 2024 State of Start-ups Survey released some major insights last month. It turns out that access to funding is still the No.1 challenge for Irish start-ups and scale-ups. However, on a more positive note, is the increase in the adoption of artificial intelligence. Tech start-ups and scale ups are either planning to use AI or have already started applying it and general consensus of this integration shows a great amount of optimism. Bottom line? Ireland's start-up scene is booming, but to keep the momentum going, we do need easier access to funding. Also, aside from securing capital, we need to provide guidance through mentorship, simplify bureaucratic processes and ensure access to skilled talent. This can significantly drive scalability for Irish start-ups and growing companies. bit.ly/3TTE8HN #ScaleIreland2024 #AI #Scalability

The AI revolution and the opportunity for EU to be the New Palo Alto Europe’s innovation ecosystem is flourishing, and the article in Wired perfectly captures the essence of why this region is leading the charge. Seven of Europe’s ten most valuable tech companies founded after 1990—from Booking.com and Adyen in Amsterdam, to Wise, Revolut, and Monzo in London, to ASML in Eindhoven, and Arm in Cambridge—highlight the powerhouse that Europe has become. These success stories didn’t happen in isolation. They are products of an interconnected ecosystem where cross-border collaboration fuels groundbreaking ideas. And now, with the AI revolution accelerating, we’re poised to see even greater leaps in innovation. This shift promises to offer companies not just technological advancements but an abundance of time and resources to focus on what matters most: creating value and driving forward their missions. At Salesforce, we recognise the potential of this moment and have built tools like Agentforce to empower companies of all sizes to harness these opportunities. By unlocking the full power of AI, businesses can streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and innovate faster than ever before. As Europe continues to lead with its collaborative and pioneering spirit, the combination of a connected ecosystem and transformative AI solutions will shape a future brimming with possibility. Ref: https://lnkd.in/e4kaUTqG

Another startup to watch in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ ListAssist is the epitome of #bornglobal - with their NZ team focusing exclusively on the US, where the market size for real estate agents is ~66x larger than New Zealand. Their AI tools allow natural language queries of real estate listings. Only starting in 2022, they are humbly killing it over in the United States, winning the Top Real Estate AI Startup in the Inman Connect Awards in Miami. Last week, Chris Keall broke the story on their multi-year deal with Howard Hanna, the largest independent real estate broker in the US – with 15,000 agents and just over 1 million listings across 13 states. For scale, that's roughly the same number of agents as there are in New Zealand with just a single customer in the US. Founding team Chris McGoldrick, Brittany Bastings, Ben Van Norden and Michael Challis, have created an epic example of using AI to solving problems for a specific vertical. 💥 More of this, NZ 💥

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is trying to keep abreast of what is happening in the dynamo that is the London Economy. This week lots of press about just how strong our AI sector is with Dealroom.co analysis showing that London is the number 1 tech city outside the US. We've got something right in the AI ecosystem. Great news for anyone involved in building Next Gen Digital infrastructure. More reading here https://lnkd.in/e9ydRk4q #london #digitalinfrastructure #AI

What a crazy week it was! Hundreds of conversations Lots of discussions Many incredible projects building up And of course, most of them are AI 🤖 A big thank you to Danish Business Angels - DanBAN for having us by their side—awesome people, lots of fun and great great time! Most important thing to take home: As a startup, you have a lot to cover at the beginning of your journey. Expanding the team is crucial and eats up a lot of your time. Finances are headache and do drive anxiety. Even tho you need to learn the basics and understand what's happening. Come learn it with us as we share our experience from completing 600 different projects. Handling everything can be hectic, especially if it’s your first time. That’s why having a reliable partner like Baltic Assist is so important. Thanks TechBBQ for a great event! Till next time!

Exciting insights from South Summit Madrid have been featured in Euronews! Ikhlaq Sidhu, Dean of IE School of Science and Technology, shared compelling perspectives on Europe's innovation landscape. Highlighting AI development, he noted, "The EU is protectionist in the sense that it seeks to avoid as many major disruptions as it can." Yet, this caution can also hold Europe back, especially when innovators are entangled in compliance laws. Discover more of his insights into Europe's unique strengths and challenges in the start-up ecosystem in the article below!

Take a look at @CivStart’s AI-in-Gov 2024 cohort. This one is as #innovative, impactful, and diverse as the last. https://lnkd.in/g5WxXCnD

🔮 🔮 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗟𝗠𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗱-𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀? As in previous technology shifts, value migrates through the layers in the tech stack, starting at the bottom. We see the same pattern with GenAI, where adoption for enterprise applications has been slow, as b2venture Partner Andreas Goeldi has recently pointed out.  To understand where the space is headed, b2venture's Marisa Yasmin Krummrich explores how the middle layer in the GenAI stack might evolve and shift value from foundational models towards the application layer in her latest blogpost.  We see a multitude of opportunities and challenges for founders to make this revolutionary technology more accessible for both enterprises and end-users. 🔎🔎 Read all of her thoughts on the evolution of the LLM toolstack on our website --> https://lnkd.in/dnyAPHj7 And we always love feedback, so get in touch if you want to discuss your ideas or what you are building in the space.