I'll keep this short :)
I'm passionate about technology and growing businesses. I founded my first company, WestCoastSurfer, in 2010 while studying Computer Science & IT at NUIG. Since then, I've founded CloudDock and Birdleaf, and nothing motivates me more than the challenge of building a great product, and a great business. I also work with teams at other startups to advise and assist with product development, planning and strategy. I spend time on some side projects of my own, like an open source iPhone app for surfers - which introduces the section below nicely...
I'm an avid surfer. Growing up in the West of Ireland I've been lucky enough to be surfing most of my life. WindGuru and Magicseaweed are checked at least once a day to see when I might get out next. My first business, WestCoastSurfer, brought together my interest in technology, business and surfing, but now surfing is just for fun ;)
When the surf is flat, my next favourite pastime is biking. Both my parents are bikers, and I started riding pillion at age 12. Now I'm on my own bike, a '98 VFR800.
I take a lot of photos, and really enjoy amateur photography. I take almost all my photos on an iPhone 6 and GoPro Hero 4, and sometimes use an Olloclip. You can see a selection of my photos over on Instagram.
As an investor and mentor in Birdleaf, I worked closely with Cian for an extended period. Cian has a no bullshit approach to development and growth, focusing on extracting real needs from customers and testing assumptions driven by a demand for constant improvement. His ability to traverse the world of developers and coding with customer engagement and strategic planning is a significant benefit in building products to achieve growth. These skills combined with his work ethic and team leadership set Cian apart from the crowd.
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Karl Ahern, CEO @ Red PlanetCian worked with us on a large project for an enterprise client. He has strong attention to detail in technical considerations, handled client meetings with ease, and had a clear understanding of both the product requirements and the customer needs and considerations. He got up to speed with the project quickly, and was an invaluable addition to the team.
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Brian Maher, Digital Growth Partner @ Adaptive & Co....extremely helpful and available. Genuinely devoted to understanding how to develop the product in a way that would represent a benefit to his clients.
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Filipa Neto, CEO @ Chic by ChoiceBirdleaf was founded to help sales and marketing teams generate more revenue by turning email addresses into actionable insights.
As co-founder and CEO I had a hands-on role in almost all areas of Birdleaf's development, from marketing to hiring, and had a particular focus on product management and investment. Shortly after founding the company we released a paid-only, B2B product, and quickly grew a strong list of industry-leading customers
CloudDock developed a universal adaptor for cloud storage services, making them compatible. CloudDock enabled, for example, a Dropbox user to work seamlessly with a Google Drive user, without ever needing to have a Google Drive account.
Popdeem has a quickly evolving product, a fast growing customer base and developers in three cities across two countries - my focus has been to introduce a strong agile workflow, define and execute on a clear product roadmap, and oversee the launch of a new product line for the company. In addition to my work at Popdeem I also do freelance contract work, predominantly with IT startups. I've worked with Adaptive, Bank of Ireland and others. In all my contracts I focus primarily on product development, and work with companies on product strategy, roadmaps, and assistance in technical discussions with partners, customers or potential hires.
Graduated with First Class Honours Degree
Winner 2011 NUI Galway Student Enterprise Awards
Surf Club Captain 2011-2012
I've been included in the Irish Independent list of the top 30 entrepreneurs under 30, I am a two-time regional winner of "Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur", and have been named "Galway's Best Young Entrepreneur".
I'm working on a few side projects, like an open source iPhone app, and will add these here shortly...
Email, phone, LinkedIn, etc. - whatever works for you - I reply to messages ASAP.
Sydney, Australia
041 041 6604
cian@brassil.net
