Ciara Walsh, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of JustTip
Recap: April’s Start-up Café with Ciara Walsh
On 24 April 2025, the Startup Café brought together aspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, and business enthusiasts for an enriching morning full of insights, workshops, and networking opportunities. Hosted at the Greenway Hub, Grangegorman, this event was the perfect platform for entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey to connect, learn, and refine their business ideas.
The event kicked off with an inspiring talk from Ciara Walsh, Co-Founder & CMO of JustTip, who shared her entrepreneurial journey, from the initial idea to scaling the business. Ciara’s story highlighted the importance of resilience, finding the right partners, and learning from failures.
During the Q&A session, Ciara offered valuable advice on navigating the challenges of starting and growing a business. She shared a particularly insightful lesson on building a team:
“ When you're building a team, we tried using headhunting, but it doesn't always work out. Many of our team members came from networking events like this one. It's much better to meet like-minded people who share your vision and values.”
Her words resonated with the audience, emphasising the power of networking and collaboration when building a successful business.
The workshop session, led by the Startup Café team, focused on four short steps to help participants find and refine their business ideas. This hands-on session provided valuable tools to break down the complexities of ideation into clear, actionable steps. Attendees learned how to evaluate their ideas, identify target audiences, and explore the feasibility of their concepts. The interactive format enabled everyone to actively engage in the process and gain practical insights that they could apply immediately to their entrepreneurial journey.
As the workshop wrapped up, one of the participants volunteered to pitch his business idea in front of the group. This Pitch Open Mic session was a standout moment, giving him a chance to present his concept to the group and receive real-time feedback. The feedback was constructive, insightful, and practical—just what every entrepreneur needs when refining their pitch. This session gave participants a taste of what it’s like to present their ideas in a real-world setting, boosting their confidence and providing immediate takeaways. It was a great opportunity for everyone to learn from each other and understand what makes a pitch compelling, whether you're looking for funding or just want to get your idea out there.
The event concluded with a relaxed networking session, where participants had the chance to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and exchange ideas. The connections made here are invaluable—whether it’s finding potential co-founders, collaborators, or simply people to share experiences and advice with.
If you’d like to see more highlights from the event, check out the recap reel on our Instagram account here
Are you’re looking to get started on your entrepreneurial journey, meet like-minded people, and get honest and actionable advice? The Startup Café is the place to be.
Looking ahead: We’re already gearing up for the next Startup Café, and we can’t wait to see more aspiring entrepreneurs take the stage.
Register now for May’s Startup Café on 29th May to continue your journey of learning and growth!
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/may-start-up-cafe-tickets-1311455150659?aff=erelexpmlt