The Entrepreneur Experiment

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Aimee Connolly, the powerhouse founder behind Sculpted by Aimee. From working on makeup counters at 16 to building one of Ireland’s most successful beauty brands, Aimee shares her incredible journey of bootstrapping her way to the top. She reveals the bold steps she took—cold emailing manufacturers, self-funding her first prod...

Two of our all-time favourite guests return to the pod to announce their $36 million fundraising round! In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary Fox sits down with Dan Hobbs & Ciarán O’Mara, the co-founders of Protex AI, a startup using computer vision to prevent workplace accidents before they happen. They first appeared on the podcast in 2023 after raising $18M. One year later, per G...

Sahil Bloom went from private equity investor to one of the most influential creators and investors in the world—without a plan. In this episode, he shares his founder formula for success, why money isn’t the answer, and the hidden struggles behind entrepreneurship. We discuss defining your own version of wealth, battling imposter syndrome, and the power of taking action over planning. If you’re s...

In this episode, we sit down with Colin Harmon , a visionary entrepreneur who transformed Ireland’s coffee culture. From starting as a barista to building 3fe , one of Ireland's most respected coffee brands, Colin shares his journey of entrepreneurship, branding, and the shifting landscape of social spaces. We explore: Why traditional social spaces like banks, pubs, and churches are declining The...

With 400 episodes under my belt, I'm turning the mic on myself to share the origins of this passion project that started as a side experiment and grew into a full-fledged business. This is an AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode where I answer all the questions you sent in over the last few weeks. How does the pod make money? What do I look for in a guest?  Discover the pivot from property management to...

Join Gary as we sit down with Mary Sadlier , the powerhouse behind Coole Swan , the premium Irish cream brand taking the world by storm. From navigating challenges to owning 3% of the U.S. market, Mary shares her journey of resilience, innovation, and growth. In this episode, you'll discover: How Mary overcame setbacks to scale Coole Swan globally. The art of balancing quality and profitability in...

In this brain special of The Entrepreneur Experiment , we dive deep into the world of mental mastery with renowned brain hacker Keith Barry. Known for his groundbreaking work in hacking the human mind, Keith helps individuals and corporations achieve sustainable, meaningful change at a neurological level. In this episode, Keith shares: The art and science of hacking your own brain to unlock peak m...

Welcome to the final podcast of 2024.  In this special episode recorded live at the first-ever guests reunion in Dublin, I sit down with two of my most popular guests, Nadia Adan and Michael Corcoran. We look back on the highs and lows of 2024 sharing the lessons, wins and learnings from the year. With over 70 founders in the audience, we also delved into the trends and predictions that will shape...

What does it take to create a unicorn startup? Jack Pierse, co-founder of Wayflyer, and now co-founder of HappyStack joins us to discuss the thrilling journey of building one of the most successful startups in recent years. From securing millions in funding to scaling operations across the globe, Jack shares invaluable insights into the entrepreneurial highs and lows, including the pivotal moments...

Imagine selling your startup for $18 million in less than a year—only to watch it vanish into thin air when the dot-com bubble burst. Sounds like a wild ride? That’s just the beginning of John Dennehy’s incredible journey. John is one of Ireland’s most successful (and underrated) serial founders. He’s the only entrepreneur I know who’s managed to sell the same company twice . Yes, twice! In this e...

Every great founder needs a mentor. That is why every single week, I bring you a new one. In this Mentor Moment, James Whelton dives into the importance of finding joy in the process over just chasing outcomes. He shares a key insight: if you're spending 90% of your time on the journey, it only makes sense to enjoy it. James reflects on his own experiences and how this mindset shaped his approach...

What does it take to build the backbone of one of the biggest gaming franchises in history and revolutionize digital safety for kids? In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment , Gary Fox sits down with Dylan Collins, the mastermind behind Demonware and SuperAwesome. Dylan shares the story of creating Demonware, the tech infrastructure that powers the online experience for games like Call of D...

Today's mentor is serial founder & investor, Ray Nolan. Ray built and sold Hostelworld for one of Ireland's biggest tech sales at the time for $500 million. He gives us a brutally honest assessment of the entrepreneur ecosystem in Ireland and the faults in the political support or lack of it. If you want to listen to the full episode with Ray, go back to episode 304.  --- Thanks to my season title...

In this episode, I sit down with Phillip McGlade, the CEO of Therapie Clinics, to uncover the secrets behind building Europe’s largest aesthetics chain—a business turning over €100 million annually. With 77 clinics across the globe, Therapie has become a household name in beauty and wellness. But Phillip isn’t stopping there; he’s now expanding into fertility clinics, tackling deeply personal and...

In this episode, Gary sits down with Conor Sheridan, the mastermind behind Mad Egg & Nory, to dive into the nitty-gritty of the restaurant world and how he's shaking things up. This is the second time Conor has been on the pod and we catch up on a whirlwind few years for Conor as he raised $25 million to build Nory, the operating system for restaurants. Conor is building the ultimate operating sys...

Today, we have a world exclusive. Will O'Brien unveils his stealth startup to the world for the first time. Will is my pick for the rising star of season 22 and this episode will clearly show why. Not only is he backed by some of the hottest investors in the world, he is solving a problem that could potentially save the world.  Will shares the rationale behind keeping his company under wraps for s...

Every great founder needs a mentor. That is why every single week, I bring you a new one. Bad writing and communication is holding your business back.  Learn how to unlock this marketing superpower in today's Mentor Moment.  Eamon Fitzgerald has used writing and in particular email newsletters to grow a business worth millions. Eamon is the founder of WineSpark. --- Thanks to my season title partn...

Today, we sit down with Briain Curtin, the Irishman leading the marketing behind one of my favourite brands, Whoop. I've been using Whoop since 2019 to elevate my fitness, help recovery and guide me on my longevity journey. As VP of Global Marketing, Briain is the brains behind campaigns with global superstars such as Rory McIlroy, Christiano Ronaldo and Michael Phelps. Briain shares how Whoop has...

Every top founder needs a great mentor. Each week, I bring you a brand new mentor who can help you on your journey. This week is a great friend of mine, my real-life mentor and accountability buddy, James McCormack. In this raw episode, he shares the moment when he knew his life must change and the dramatic steps he took to reshape his entire world in the last 5 years.  To listen to the full episo...

In this episode, I sit down with David Jelly, founder of Property Bridges, to explore his fascinating transition from the fast-paced world of banking to becoming a trailblazer in PropTech. David shares his journey of becoming disillusioned with the traditional financial system and his bold leap into entrepreneurship. He reveals the critical moments and insights that pushed him to start Property Br...

Every succcessful founder I've met has a mentor. Each week I bring you a new mentor so you can access some of the world's best founders and have them for 10 minutes each week to guide you for the week ahead. Your mentor this week is health and fitness entrepreneur Rob Lipsett. Rob is a regular guest on the pod as he represents a new breed of location-flexible, works off his own schedule, and has b...

Paul Quigley, the founder of Newswhip, shares his extraordinary journey from the legal world to becoming a trailblazer in media analytics.   We analyse the early days of the Irish startup scene, where camaraderie and a post-economic crash environment gave rise to companies like Intercom and Boxever. Drawing parallels to today's world, Paul discusses the potential for groundbreaking startups emergi...

Will and Adrian, the innovative minds behind Sons, a trailblazing men's healthcare brand, share their journey of transforming male pattern hair loss treatment with honesty and accessibility. Their personal experiences with subpar hair loss clinics drove them to create a brand that not only delivers evidence-based solutions but also shatters the stigma surrounding hair loss.  With backgrounds in bu...

In this week's Idea Lab, I share the progress from our finance experiment. Every day for 12 months, I am investing €10 into Bitcoin and €10 into the stock market. Today, I reveal the one-month update and share the progress so far. Have we made a profit or loss, and what has he learned so far. I also share the three books that have shaped my philosophy for this experiment.   --- Thanks to my season...

Each week I bring you a brand new mentor to guide your founder journey. This week, it's Charlie Butler, the CEO & co-founder of Bounce Insights. Charlie's episode was one of the most popular from 2023. Today, he teaches us the art of having radically honest conversations and how this is the bedrock for building trust. Check out the full podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsg_1O8x0l8&t=524s --...