WeScale Fireside Chat Key Takeaways with Áine Kerr
Four days in Galway, 33 women founders, and a huge amount of honest, practical work on what it really takes to scale.
Founders left Residential two with:
Clearer priorities for the next 90 days
A sharper handle on their numbers and processes
A stronger sense of the teams and support they need around them
Most importantly, they left knowing they’re not doing this alone; they’re part of a community of founders who are scaling on their own terms.
Fireside Chat with Áine Kerr
Pictured: Aine Kerr, Digital Entrepreneur, Journalist & Broadcaster, Advocate for Gender Equality
On Saturday night in Galway Áine Kerr shared an honest and insightful perspective on the realities of building and scaling a company. Drawing on her experience with Storyful and Kinzen, she spoke about leadership, resilience, and the importance of purpose when navigating the unpredictable journey of entrepreneurship.
1. Start by challenging fear
Áine encouraged founders to ask themselves: “What is the worst that can happen?” Often the fear of failure holds founders back more than the reality of risk. If fear was removed, the scale of ambition and possibility would look very different.
2. Build your “Brain Trust”
If you don’t have a co-founder, build a trusted group around you, people who can challenge your thinking, lift you out of difficult moments, and offer honest advice. These are the people who help move you from the “basement” perspective back to the “balcony” where you can see the bigger picture.
3. Know your strengths, and fill the gaps
Great founders understand their superpowers and their blind spots. The key is identifying where expertise is missing and bringing in people who can fill those gaps through advisors, mentors, or team members.
4. Focus on purpose and the problem you are solving
Áine emphasised returning regularly to your “why.”
She spoke about identifying the real source of customer dissatisfaction and focusing relentlessly on solving it. Markets change, signals evolve, and founders must learn to spot the moment when the problem shifts and adapt accordingly.
5. Discipline beats chaos
A strong execution rhythm is critical. Áine described a simple discipline:
Commit on Monday, celebrate on Friday.
Regularly challenge assumptions, rate your confidence in them, and have the hard conversations required to move forward.
6. Your network matters enormously
Building relationships with investors, partners, and connectors through conferences and industry events is essential. Your network often opens the doors that funding and growth require.
7. Startups are rarely linear
Áine highlighted that success rarely follows the textbook “hockey stick.” Kinzen pivoted multiple times, as did Storyful. Plan C may ultimately become the winning strategy.
8. Lead with purpose and culture
At the centre of every company is people and culture. Hiring is both a privilege and a responsibility. Founders often compete with large companies by offering purpose and mission, not just compensation.
9. Balance today and the future
Founders must operate with two hands on two levers:
One focused on today’s execution and survival
One focused on the future and long-term vision
The challenge is learning to manage both simultaneously.
10. Entrepreneurship requires resilience
Building a company requires a daily recommitment to risk, uncertainty, and perseverance. It is not easy, but the opportunity to create something meaningful makes the journey worthwhile.
11. Build your tribe
Áine spoke powerfully about the importance of community, women supporting women, alongside male allies who champion and sponsor female founders.
Her final message to the group was simple but powerful:
“Never doubt the impact of one person who decides that a problem is theirs to solve.”
WeScale will open again for new applications on June 10th 2026. Programme information is available at https://intertradeireland.com/entrepreneurship/womens-entrepreneurship/wescale
The WeScale all-island programme, led by InterTradeIreland in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, is part of the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme, funded by the Government of Ireland. The delivery partner for WeScale is AwakenHub pwered by Cranfield University.
