Can you believe it? In a historic European court ruling earlier this month, the Irish Fast food restaurant chain Supermac's has successfully outmanoeuvred McDonald's. 🇪🇺

After a gruelling nine-year legal showdown, the European Court of Justice invalidated McDonald's "Big Mac" trademark rights throughout the EU.

Here are some essential takeaways from this story 👇

1. David Beats Goliath 🆚:

Supermac’s win shows that persistence and strategic thinking can outmanoeuvre even the most prominent opponents.

2. Trademark Strategy Matters ™️:

The ruling underscores the importance of actively protecting trademarks to prevent forfeiture, emphasizing the role of a name in defining a brand.

3. The Importance of Evidence 🕵️:

McDonald's case failed because they couldn't demonstrate sufficient use of the 'Big Mac' trademark for specific products. Documentation matters for entrepreneurs, especially when it comes to trademarks.

4. Seizing Niche Opportunities 🥅:

Supermac's success comes from identifying and capitalizing on a specific market gap and discovering niche markets to differentiate from larger competitors.

5. Crafting a Compelling Narrative 🗣️: 

The "David vs. Goliath" story resonates deeply. Positioning your business as an underdog can garner significant support and media attention.

The Supermac's team have achieved a legal triumph and opened up potential expansion into European markets. What a story this has been, and we wish them all the best in the years to come!

Here are some of the biggest global Irish business and tech stories this week:

• Ochre Bio signs $37.5m deal with pharma giant GSK 🇬🇧

• Sustain.Life acquired in the U.S for $100m 🇺🇸

• Tines Recognized in Rising SaaS: 30 Startups to Watch in 2024 🌎

Enjoy ☕

Ochre Bio signs $37.5m deal with pharma giant GSK 🇬🇧 

Ochre Bio has entered a multi-year data license agreement with GSK to drive the understanding of liver disease to new heights. With this collaboration, GSK will have access to Ochre Bio’s cutting-edge computational biology and organ platform technologies, enabling the generation of extensive human liver datasets.

Founded in 2019 by Jack O’Meara, originally from Athlone, Ochre Bio specializes in revolutionizing the viability of donor livers through RNA treatments tested on lab-maintained human livers.

This partnership with GSK seeks to deepen the understanding of liver biology for both companies and expedite the development of liver disease treatments. The data acquired will be instrumental in creating advanced AI models to conduct more precise experiments.

This is a significant achievement for Ochre Bio, following its successful $30 million in a Series A funding round for discovering new treatments for chronic liver disease in 2022 and a groundbreaking $1.3 billion agreement with a significant German drugmaker in April. Last year, O’Meara was also recognized as one of the Irish entrepreneurs on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Europe.

Sustain.Life has been acquired by Workiva for $100m 🇺🇸

Sustain.Life, the sustainability start-up co-founded by Irish entrepreneur Mike Hanrahan, has been acquired by Workiva, an emissions-reporting compliance platform, in a deal valued at $100 million.

Hanrahan boasts a remarkable entrepreneurial history. He co-founded Jet.com, acquired by Walmart for $3.3 billion. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in Quidsi, which was acquired by Amazon for $770 million 12 years ago.

Sustain.Life specializes in assisting companies in managing emissions through operational adjustments in energy, water, and waste management. Their platform enables users, regardless of expertise, to measure and report on environmental impacts across internal operations and supply chains.

Following the acquisition, Workiva launched a new offering named Workiva Carbon, which integrates Sustain.Life’s technology and expertise with its existing software suite. This integration aims to streamline emissions management for organizations, enhancing transparency and aiding compliance with global climate regulations.

Tines Recognized in Rising SaaS: 30 Startups to Watch in 2024 🌎

Tines, a no-code automation platform for security teams, has been featured in TVC's "Rising SaaS: 30 Software Startups to Watch in 2024" list.

Founded in 2018 in Dublin, Ireland, by Eoin Hinchy and Thomas Kinsella, they bring over a decade of experience as senior security operators. This follows the company’s Series B funding round, which raised $50M in May last year.

Tines addresses critical pain points in security operations by automating repetitive tasks and enhancing efficiency and response times.

Initially designed for security teams, Tines' no-code automation platform has found applications beyond its initial scope. The platform’s versatility and ease of use have made it valuable for various organizational functions, proving that smart, secure workflows can benefit entire organizations.

TVC's recognition of Tines highlights its potential and industry admiration, positioning it as a notable player in the SaaS sector. As the company continues to innovate, it exemplifies how combining automation with human ingenuity can lead to more efficient and engaged teams.

Fundraising News 🚀

Irish-affiliated businesses have achieved an impressive total of €68 million in fundraising victories! 🥂

• Lynq, an AI-powered workspace for venture and private equity investors, raises €2,000,000 in a pre-seed investment, with backers including Finn Murphy’s Nebular fund.

• Finbourne, an investment and data management platform, will use its €65,000,000 funding to expand its operations across the USA, Singapore and Australia.

• MarketSizer, which provides companies with data to help them understand market trends and make better decisions, has scored €1,000,000 in pre-seed funding.

A huge congratulations to these fantastic companies from the Irish Insights team! 👏👏

🧠 Brain Food

Here is your quick serving of Irish Insights-related wins, trends, events, media and resources that we think you’ll enjoy digesting 🍽️:

🔎 Founder Focus - Síobháine Slevin is the co-founder of Realta Logic. She shares her experiences and challenges of starting a business without an established network in a new country.

🧑 Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave thinks there is a bootstrap boom. What do you think?

🦄 Enterprise Ireland is working on new plans to develop more €1bn Irish companies

⛪ Derry Girls star was one of the Irish trio invited to an audience with Pope.

🎧 Listen to an excellent three-part series featuring Paddy Meade, Ireland's most successful auctioneer, on That Great Business Show with Conall Ó Móráin.

😂 Laugh out loud with Ireland’s top 3 Dad jokes of all time.

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