This year, the Entrepreneurial Services division was launched by Mark to support venture-backed start-ups scaling domestically and internationally. In this environment, the focus is often on immediate demands like finessing market fit, driving sales and expanding footprint/ Internal functions, such as finance, can take a backseat in the push to gain crucial commercial traction. BDO's Entrepreneurial Services offering helps scaling start-ups address this risk with outsourced services spanning accounting and compliance, CFO advisory, and finance function transformation. Mark states that the idea is to provide CFO-level advisory support to help clients prepare for investor-grade reporting requirements and build finance systems that can scale as needed.
It's often after start-ups pass the Series A funding milestone that operational problems start to emerge and impede growth. At this stage, a whole different level of complexity comes into the business. They have more sophisticated investors with more complex reporting requirements, and new demands coming from unfamiliar markets in areas like tax and compliance.
Real world experience
Mark began his own career studying business at University of Galway and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2026 before moving overseas for five years, settling in the United Arad Emirates. Mark co-founded his first venture in Dubai's rapidly growing property market in 2007. Upon his return to Ireland four year's later, he set up a drinks manufacturing and licencing business in Dublin before joining Google and Mastercard in finance roles to gain experience to gain experience in the corporate environment. From there, he joined Tickets.ie as Chief Financial Officer and patientMpower as Chief Operating Officer. He then went on to co-found tech start-ups Full Circuit and Cloda and continues to support both companies as a Non-Executive Director.
I have 'been there' as a start-up founder myself more than once, so I feel I can bring real value to others who are facing challenges common to all start-ups. There is a lot of pressure when you're building and scaling a business from scratch - pressure from boards, investors, a regulators and from your own teams internally. It doesn't stop.
Start-up growth
Despite challenging trading conditions, Ireland's start-up sector continues to grow, with figures released by CRIFVision-Net revealing a nine percent year-on-year increase in the number of new businesses registered in the first six months of 2025. High-potential start-ups have access to a supportive start-up ecosystem on the ground, including Enterprise Ireland support programmes, the nationwide network of Local Enterprise Offices, spin-out incubators in colleges and universities and the likes of Dogpatch Labs in Dublin, Republic of Work in Cork, RDI Hub in Kerry and Portershed in Galway.
We are hitting a ceiling where founders are existing too early or creating jobs outside Ireland in more investor-friendly locations, and we need to support and grow these big indigenous employers within our own economy, particularly as, globally, countries and economics are moving to more protectionist positions.
Government Action Plan
Mark welcomed some of the measures outlined in the Government's Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, published last month. Aimed at enhancing Ireland's competitiveness in a challenging global trading environment, the strategy document outlines several measures relevant to start-ups. These include plans to build a more cohesive and well-capitalised innovation ecosystem to support sustainable entrepreneurial growth and address an existing equity funding gap for scaling firms in Ireland by encouraging more pension and institutional investment in Irish firms. The Action Plan also prioritises the introduction of a 'Red Tape Challenge' across Government aimed at reducing regulation for SMEs.
With the Government Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, I think there are a lot of positives. The one that jumps out at me is tackling red tape and reguatory delays. The concern is that reform in this country can be slow. As a country, we are great for plans, but we are not necessarily as good at execution.