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Building, exploring, learning
After months of late nights and countless iterations, we are ecstatic to launch the private beta of Amber. It’s been a deeply personal project - building the kind of typewriter experience I’ve always wanted for my own writing. Still lots to figure out, but it feels good to have shipped our latest creation out in the world.
Justin cooked up the kb1 over the Christmas break and it was just featured in Monocle 🤯 I’ve been flipping through Monocle since I was a kid (it seems to be my go to when in a waiting room or in an airport), and it’s CRAZY to see something we’ve been building featured in the magazine.
“A new portable keyboard is giving smartphone users an excuse to revert to type” - Monocle
Fast Company just named Cleft one of their 25 Best New Apps of 2024:
“Cleft brings the power of AI to voice notes in a way that feels natural and intuitive” - Fast Company
We finally got Cleft Notes into the App Store. It’s been a wild journey building something that helps people think and capture ideas in a way that feels natural.
Took some much-needed time off in Costa Rica. Found a nice rhythm between running in the morning and breathing in the afternoon. Amazing how a change of scenery can refresh your perspective. Rest is good. Repeat.
“Finally, a voice notes app that understands how people actually think and work” - Lifehacker
Named “Top Remote Enabler 2024” by Remote.com - wild to see how far we’ve come in the remote work space.
TechCrunch on Cleft:
“A refreshing take on voice notes that puts privacy first with on-device processing” - TechCrunch
Featured on The Vergecast discussing the future of note-taking.
Started a new chapter with Justin Mitchell, founding Cleft AI. We’re building tools for people who think differently - because we do too. It’s both exciting and terrifying to start from scratch again.
meetingRoom featured in Gartner’s Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle. Seven years of work in the VR space starting to show real impact.
Spent the last year diving deep into Ireland’s immersive tech scene. Just published a comprehensive study with Skillnet Ireland. Fascinating to see how many brilliant people are pushing boundaries in this space.
Had a great chat on the Digital Irish Podcast about the future of work and how the pandemic has transformed virtual collaboration.
Published our Bank of Ireland VR case study in Springer. Real validation of enterprise VR adoption.
Featured in The Irish Times discussing the reality of the sudden shift to remote work during the early days of the pandemic. Looking back, it’s wild how right and wrong we all were about what was coming.
“There is no silver bullet, and this is not the new normal. The things that work for larger companies will not be the same for smaller companies. This is going to take teamwork and patience”
The article captured that strange moment when the world was trying to figure out how to work remotely overnight. We’d been building for this future for years with meetingRoom, but nobody expected it to arrive quite like this.
A milestone month. Got shortlisted for MIT’s Innovators Under 35 (still can’t quite believe it). More importantly, co-founded Eirmersive to help grow Ireland’s immersive tech community. There’s so much potential here.
Featured in The Sunday Times and Business Post talking about remote work and Irish entrepreneurship.
From “should and might” to “can and must” - exploring enterprise VR adoption. After years of building in this space, wrote down my thoughts on why VR for work isn’t just coming - it’s inevitable.
Remote Working – Has Its Time Come?
Wrote about how extreme weather events are pushing businesses to rethink remote work. Little did I know what was coming in 2020…
Big leap - launched meetingRoom. Started with a simple idea about making remote meetings feel more human. Somehow that turned into partnerships with companies like Nike and Shell. Still learning something new every day.
Ran what turned out to be the world’s largest blockchain hackathon at DCU Alpha. 48 hours of pure chaos with 130+ brilliant minds building the future. The winning team created something special - a secure ticket resale platform that actually makes sense.
Won the PCH Hardware Hackathon with BlueTape - a simple idea to help people buy clothes that actually fit. Sometimes the best solutions are the obvious ones.
Won Ireland’s first IoT beef hackathon with TenderScan - a quality sensor for real-time beef tenderness testing. Sometimes the best ideas come from the most unexpected places.
Hosted Meghan Markle for a whirlwind 24-hour tour of Dublin for a launch event. Surreal to think about now, but at the time she was just a talented actor from Suits helping us promote our latest venture. Sometimes the most unexpected connections come from just doing what you love (and watching Suits religiously before it was cool lol).
Founded Wooq - building social discovery tools for nightlife and events. First real dive into the startup world.
Saved the UCD Ball! Months of campaigning paid off. Annie Mac, Katy B, and The Rubberbandits brought the house down. Nothing quite like seeing thousands of people having the time of their lives.
Started Pamplemousse, my first real venture. What began as a simple idea to run events turned into a full-fledged entertainment and social media marketing company focused on the Irish youth market.
Over two wild years, we:
- Hosted 250+ events with 333,000 attendees across venues like Dtwo, the Village, Krystle, Dicey’s, and even Tommy Doyle’s at Harvard Yard
- Worked with brands like Apple, Vodafone, Pleasetalk and Redbull between Dublin and Boston
- Built a team specializing in on-site promotions and brand development for the college market
In other news, somehow convinced people to elect me as Entertainment Officer at UCD. Suddenly responsible for events for 25,000 students. No pressure! Looking back, running both simultaneously was crazy, but the energy of those years was unmatched.