This week we spotlight an amazing entrepreneur who has made the leap from Ireland's tech scene to the U.S. with his exciting company, Dosen 🇺🇸

Our featured founder kickstarted his career in online gambling, playing a pivotal role in the early success of Matchbook.com and Paddy Power before moving to Los Angeles, where he's been making things happen for the past eight years.

In this candid interview, you'll discover:

• The mission of Dosen, using community-based learning to help organisations unlock their internal assets and knowledge and drive employee development. 🌟

• Unforgettable milestones and challenges he faced in his entrepreneurial journey, including securing early funding, landing initial clients, and overcoming financial hurdles. 🚀

• Valuable insights into the startup ecosystems in Ireland and the U.S., highlighting the unique advantages and opportunities each offers. 💡 

Enjoy ☕

Ronan Wall Snapshot 🤳

Can you tell me about yourself and your background?

I'm from Cork, Ireland, and I attended University College Cork. In 2004, I started my career in online gambling by joining my first company, Matchbook.com. I then moved on to Paddy Power in its early stages and helped it grow into the world's biggest online gambling company. I also spent some time in Australia and Antigua before moving to Los Angeles eight years ago.

Tell me a little bit about the decision to move to L.A.

After getting married, my wife and I decided to travel around the world for a year. We started in South America, visiting various places, and ended up on the West Coast of the U.S. Given my background, moving to San Francisco would have made more sense, but we ended up in L.A. It's a wonderfully strange mix of cultures and opportunities. So much about the place doesn't make sense, but it's intoxicating, and we love it here.

When researching, I noticed you are involved with the L.A. Cougars GAA club. What's life like in L.A. and is there much of an Irish community?

Los Angeles is a diverse city with dozens of unique and independent neighbourhoods like Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood. Unlike cities like Boston or New York, LA has no concentrated Irish area, so living here without meeting another Irish person is possible. I joined the L.A. Cougars GAA club, and during my time involved with the club, it grew from 15-16 players to about 100. It became an Irish community, facilitating health and friendships. Getting involved in something is essential in L.A. to find your people.

What is Dosen?

Dosen is an Enterprise SaaS, Community-Based Learning platform. We work with organizations to unlock the potential of their employees and assets, as a lot of valuable knowledge resides there. We then assist them in creating learning programs based on this knowledge, which they can use to train their staff. The most common programs we help develop are onboarding, management training, leadership development, mentorship, and personal development. In the last few years, people have begun to value personal and professional growth significantly over more productivity in their jobs. Organizations have started to understand the importance of this, as they need to attract top talent and help their employees advance in their careers within the organization.

Where did the idea for Dosen come from?

My co-founder, Victor Burke (another Irishman in L.A.), approached me with the idea one day. His son was transitioning from high school to college and was having trouble understanding how to make that transition. Vic also knows that I can't resist a good problem! 20 years ago, I faced a similar situation when applying to universities, and I have always had a strong passion for coaching, mentoring, and advising others. I really enjoy helping people discover the best version of themselves and equipping them with the necessary tools to achieve their goals.

You've been going for nearly four years now with Dosen. What are some of your most memorable milestones to date?

There have been many memorable moments, both good and bad, in my entrepreneurial journey. One of the significant challenges was being self-funded and running out of money multiple times, but we found ways to overcome it. The exhilaration of seeing the first dollar come in after launching Dosen was incredible. Achieving our first positive review and landing our first enterprise client, the European Bank, were huge milestones. We've also celebrated many small internal milestones, like reaching our first $1M of advice shared on the platform. Additionally, having our head of operations, Cian McCarthy, live in L.A, was a great experience for our team.

📖 Read more: Dosen Success Story - The European Bank

What tools, software, or resources have been crucial in scaling your business?

Several tools have been essential. G Suite is a no-brainer, and we use JIRA for product and engineering tracking and Slack for communication. We're very data-hungry, and Amplitude has been crucial for data analysis. Figma has become indispensable for design and sales, allowing us to create prototypes for clients. Figma is probably the biggest asset I didn't use previously, and now it's everything for us - our submissions, our sales pipeline, and our design all go through it.

What were the biggest challenges in starting a business abroad after emigrating from Ireland?

Moving abroad was quite challenging. The visa process, getting a bank account, and handling other basic necessities in the U.S. is quite complicated. When you arrive in the U.S., you are granted a 90-day visa. During that time, I secured a senior executive role at Ticketmaster. The first year was spent navigating these hurdles and getting settled. However, once settled, starting a business here became much easier due to the U.S.'s supportive entrepreneurial environment, which was crucial for the decision to start Dosen.

What are your thoughts on the startup scene in Ireland compared to the U.S.?

Ireland's startup scene has improved significantly, but it still faces challenges. The ecosystem is smaller, with fewer funds and a limited user base. However, there's immense talent in Ireland, and I love hiring Irish people for their hard work, intelligence, and diligence. The U.S. offers more resources and a broader market, so I moved here to start my business. Ireland is progressing, but there's still a need for a more global outlook from the start.

Can you tell me your plans for Dosen in the next few years? What are your biggest priorities?

We're in the early stages, having just secured our first paying customers and we're closing our first institutional investment round. We aim to reach $1M in annual recurring revenue, initiating the next growth phase. For now, we're keeping our heads down, focused on refining our product, working on product-market fit, and identifying our ideal customers while keeping our current customers happy. It's about laying a solid foundation for future growth.

Who are some of the people/organizations you follow or admire?

It's hard to overlook the incredible success stories achieved in Ireland. We probably undervalue what people like Michael O'Leary have done with Ryanair. Breon Corcoran in Paddy Power and Betfair has achieved so much. The Kerry Group, for example, is an international powerhouse. Even though these people and companies are based in Ireland, they might not always be seen in the same light as more globally recognized names, but they deserve recognition.

There are so many Irish entrepreneurs and founders who have achieved amazing things. The Collison brothers and the lads at Intercom are people I admire. I take my hat off to all of them; their stories are truly inspirational.

Part of the reasons for founding Dosen was the belief that one piece of advice can change someone's life. What's one bit of advice you wish you could tell yourself when you started your business/professional journey?

I remember a few moments when I was at a crossroads and struggling. One of my good friends, and mentor of mine at the time, told me, "It's not what you do; it's how you do it." That resonated with me and changed my perspective. It's not about the job title or company but how you perform and bring about change in your role.

If I could give my younger self advice, it would be to remember that starting this journey doesn't need to be overly expensive or complicated. Invest a little capital, take action, and learn from the process. This way, you'll attract interest from investors and talented people who want to work with you. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you'll find that opportunities start coming to you.

Finally, what does being an Irish founder abroad mean to you?

It sounds a bit egotistical, but being an Irish founder abroad is akin to representing your country in the Olympics. You're competing on behalf of everyone back home. I love it and take great pride in it. Many of our initial customers came through Irish connections, which shows the power of our network.

Being Irish abroad is a significant advantage. Irish people are incredibly supportive and willing to help each other out. I feel fortunate and grateful for the support from the Irish community. There's a sense of obligation to represent Ireland proudly and to do things the right way.

There's something powerful about being part of an Irish success story. I hope to bring our European or even complete headquarters back to Ireland one day. It's part of our vision and something we aspire to achieve.