How do organisations really find, keep, and get the best out of their people? In this episode of StartUp & Down, host Eoghan Curtin (Founder of CloudPeople) sits down with two guests who live and breathe people and performance.

David Mescal is Head of People & Organisational Development at Aerogen, the Galway-headquartered medical device company known worldwide for its vibrating mesh nebuliser technology. He leads people strategy across a global business of 500+ employees, with a background spanning Tesco, Diageo and ICON plc.

Eamonn Molloy is Network Manager at Galway Executive Skillnet, driving leadership development and talent transformation across the West of Ireland. He's also a rugby coach educator for World Rugby and, now in his 13th season, a rugby analyst and commentator with TG4.

Together with Eoghan, they tackle three essential questions:

1. The honest experience of the hiring ecosystem — agencies, LinkedIn, CVs — does any of it still work, and what would the ideal process look like?
2. The most common and consequential mistakes organisations make when bringing in new people — and can you turn a "bad" hire into a good one through training, mentorship and direction?
3. The key differences between companies 10–15 years ago and today — and where they're heading in the next 5–10 years.

A candid conversation about hiring, culture, leadership and the future of work — from two people who've built high-performing teams in business and in sport.

Topics covered: hiring, recruitment, talent, organisational culture, leadership, people management, employee retention, medical devices, Aerogen, Skillnet, learning and development, high performance, sport and business, Galway, Ireland, the future of work.

StartUp & Down is a CloudPeople production. Two guests with special expertise. Three essential questions. One unforgettable conversation.

Listen, follow and share at cloudpeople.ai

The reality of building a startup when cash is tight - what to spend on, what to skip, and the hard moments every founder eventually faces.

In this episode of StartUp & Down, host Eoghan Curtin sits down with two guests with special expertise in money, finance and business in Ireland.

Niall Leyden is a Certified Financial Planner and Founder of Atlantic Wealth Management, named Ireland's Wealth Management Executive of the Year in 2025.

Shane Mooney is the Founder of Speco Sustainability (established 2004), with over 20 years of environmental and health and safety expertise, and an Enterprise Ireland panel consultant.

Together with Eoghan, they tackle three essential questions:

1. How money changes how people behave - the psychology of going from scarcity to abundance, and why some leaders thrive when cash is tight and unravel when it's plentiful.
2. The part-time hedge - is keeping a side income smart protection for early-stage founders, or does it stop you from going all-in on your business?
3. Knowing when to walk away - when does a founder need to take a hard look in the mirror and admit it isn't working, particularly when personal finances and family are on the line?

A candid, practical conversation about the financial realities of building a startup in Ireland - the cash discipline, the personal sacrifices, and the decisions every founder wishes someone had warned them about on day one.

Topics covered: startup funding, founder finance, pre-seed runway, bootstrapping, financial planning, early-stage business, Irish startups, entrepreneurship, money management, personal finance for founders, Galway, PorterShed.

StartUp & Down is a CloudPeople production. Two guests with special expertise. Three essential questions. One unforgettable conversation.

Listen, follow and share at cloudpeople.ai

Disclaimer: Niall Leyden is the Founder of Atlantic Wealth Management Limited, a firm that is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland to advise on and arrange a range of financial products. Please note that Niall's comments in this podcast are made in a personal capacity and are not recommendations or financial advice and do not form part of Atlantic Wealth Management Limited's regulated activity.

Start-Up & Down

About the Podcast

Start-Up & Down is a podcast for founders navigating the messy reality of building a company. Each episode, host Eoghan Curtin brings in an expert guest and poses three real questions from his own journey building a startup—no theory, just practical answers to the challenges founders actually face.

Your Host

Eoghan Curtin is the founder of a live auction platform for talent and the host of Start-Up & Down. He's in the trenches every day, building his company and learning as he goes. This podcast is his way of getting answers to the questions that keep founders up at night—straight from the experts who've seen it all.

Episode 1: The Psychology of Founders

Guest: Davide Cannata

Davide Cannata is an organisational psychologist, psychometrician, and applied AI researcher. He has served as Head of Research at Human Edge and holds academic ties to the University of Galway's School of Psychology. His expertise spans psychometrics, behavioural science, and AI-driven analysis of human assessment.

The Three Questions:

1. What is the psychological profile of a founder? What traits define successful entrepreneurs?
2. How should an early-stage founder manage their time and personal energy?
3. What should you consider when adding a co-founder?