Baseline

A mobile app for individuals with bipolar disorder, offering an AI-powered chat for daily companionship, predictive insights from biometric data for better self-management, and personalized tools to empower friends and family in providing effective support.

Co-Founder

COA AI studio

We're revolutionizing business efficiency and customer engagement with our advanced AI solutions tailored for various industries. In just 4 weeks, we've helped multiple clients streamline their operations, cutting costs by up to 25% and reducing repetitive tasks by 16 hours a week. Our vision is to integrate intelligent, custom AI agents into businesses, enabling them to operate on autopilot while achieving better results and lower costs. With a passionate team of seasoned experts, we're poised to drive impactful change and innovation in your industry. Let's connect to discuss how we're leading the future of business automation and customer satisfaction with AI.

Partner

Techstars

Empower emerging entrepreneurs with the tools, insights, and strategies they need to succeed in the competitive world of technology startups. Leveraging my extensive experience in the tech industry, I offer personalized mentorship, helping young companies navigate the complexities of business development, tech innovation, and market strategies to turn their ambitious visions into successful realities.

Startup Mentor

Popup

When we started Popup back in October 2021, we knew we wanted to create something unique—a no-code platform that would give entrepreneurs and merchants more control over the customer journey. 

Our vision was to empower anyone, anywhere in the world, to build and run their online Popup Stores with ease and flexibility.

Raised 3.5m from Accel and Seedcamp to bring our vision forward.

Looking back at my time with Popup, it was an amazing journey filled with growth, learning, and collaboration.

Co-Founder and CMO

Viceroy Group

From September 2018 to November 2021, I was deeply involved in Viceroy Group, an exceptional e-commerce portfolio of 7 direct-to-consumer brands and an agency that builds brands for creators. Our ambitious mission was to become a billion-dollar company by positively impacting the lives of one billion people.

As a Co-Founder, I played a crucial role in shaping the vision and direction of our company. I firmly believed that our brands should represent more than just products; they should provide solutions and improve the lives and well-being of our customers. I was passionate about creating brands that not only met the needs of our customers but also contributed to making the world a better place.

Our motivation for starting Viceroy Group was rooted in the belief that businesses can and should drive positive change. We were dedicated to making a difference in areas like sustainability, charity, raising the minimum wage, education, and health. It was this passion for making a positive impact that propelled our company forward and fueled our success.

During my time at Viceroy Group, I had the privilege of working with an incredibly talented team of individuals who shared my vision for using e-commerce as a force for good. Together, we built brands that resonated with our customers and stayed true to our mission of changing lives.

Co-Founder and CMO (Exited)

Shopify Plus

I had the fantastic opportunity to work as an EMEA Strategic Merchant Success Manager at Shopify Plus, and I'd love to share a bit about my time there.

Based in the beautiful city of Galway, Ireland, I was responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of some of the biggest e-commerce brands in Europe and the Middle East. As an EMEA Strategic MSM, my role was to support and guide our clients through their e-commerce journey and help them reach new heights.

Working at Shopify Plus was an incredible experience that allowed me to connect with talented entrepreneurs and business owners from all over the region. I was able to learn from their successes and challenges, and in turn, provide them with the tools, strategies, and support they needed to grow and thrive.

During my time at Shopify Plus, I witnessed first-hand the power of e-commerce to transform businesses and create new opportunities. I was inspired by the stories of brands that started from scratch and grew to become household names, thanks to the power of Shopify's robust platform.

Being an EMEA Strategic MSM at Shopify Plus also taught me the importance of understanding the unique needs and preferences of different markets across Europe and the Middle East. I gained valuable insights into how to tailor e-commerce solutions to cater to diverse audiences and make a meaningful impact on their lives.

EMEA Strategic MSM

Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

From April 2008 to January 2013, I was based in Ireland and had the exciting challenge of coordinating and implementing marketing activities for the Viviscal brand in four different countries: the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Each country had its unique market dynamics and consumer preferences, so I had to constantly adapt and fine-tune our marketing strategies to achieve the best possible results.

My role as an International Marketing Manager allowed me to travel extensively, immersing myself in the diverse cultures and business environments of these countries. I had the pleasure of collaborating with local teams, understanding their perspectives, and tailoring our marketing approach to resonate with the local audiences.

One of the key aspects of my role was recruiting PR agencies and negotiating deals with publishing companies for events, TV, and print ads. This required me to develop strong relationships with various stakeholders and ensure that our brand message was communicated effectively across all channels.

International Marketing Manager

Lumen

As a Brand Strategist at Lumen, I had the fantastic opportunity to work with the corporate and consumer identity division, helping to define brand guidelines, tone of voice, and identity for some of the biggest companies out there, including Ferrero, Alfa Romeo, AC Milan, and Smirnoff Vodka.

Working with such iconic brands was truly an exciting and rewarding experience. I got to dive deep into the essence of each brand, understanding their unique values, goals, and target audiences. My role was to help them develop a clear and consistent brand identity that would resonate with their customers and set them apart from the competition.

Collaborating with a diverse team of creatives and professionals at Lumen, we tackled various challenges and developed innovative solutions to elevate each brand's presence and impact. Being part of this multicultural environment allowed me to learn from my colleagues' different perspectives and broaden my own understanding of branding strategies and global markets.

Working in the vibrant city of Milan, the fashion and design capital of the world, was truly inspiring. The city's creative energy and dynamic atmosphere fueled my passion for branding and design and further enriched my professional growth.

Brand Strategist

Dad.
Breakdancer
Occasional Entrepreneur


80's kid moved to New York as a pro-breakdance. Escaped to Australia to avoid deportation and picked up gigs as a fire-dancer in a travelling circus.

Moved back to europe into the corporate world. Climbed up in a Fortune 500 company, overseeing teams in 7 countries. Made quick money and spent them faster. First burnout and depression hit. 

Music was the next chapter. Produced 4 albums, toured 10 countries. It was intense, it was a blur.

Then came the startups. Launched a few. Some crashed, others soared – one hit £12M in 8 months, another £16M in revenue in one year. 

Ventured into venture capital. Raised £3.5 million from the big players. 
Not all went as planned, but that’s the game of venture. 

Now? I’m using my experience to mentor startups while building and AI for the future for mental illness.

Matteo Grassi

Two weeks of airports, overpriced coffee, and name tags.
Dublin to San Diego, San Diego to  Düsseldorf.

Two different universes.
San Diego at BHT2025 was mostly AI talk everyone pitching the future with a technology that has not proven much so far.

Düsseldorf at Medica was hardware, sensors, and machines.
85,000 people building the physical side of care.

And somewhere between the two, I realized something:
this trip felt different because Hana was different.

Before I left, we’d already made the call.
We stopped trying to be a platform.
Stopped trying to “own” the patient.
We stripped everything down to what was actually working: the rails. 

The part everyone needs but no one wants to build.
Voice-first engagement.
Straight into any system.
Plug-and-play instead of “please adopt our beautiful product.”

And the minute we did that?
Every conversation on the road suddenly clicked.

No more “great product but…”
Just: “Can we plug this into what we already have?”

Yes. You can. That’s literally the point.
And while I was wandering between conference halls:

We integrated into 2 platforms with 100K users
We started powering 4 clinics across 3 continents
We moved fully onto our own model
We published research
We pre-filed a patent

Our pipeline basically doubled because now we fit anywhere.
This is what happens when you stop trying to be the show and start being the power outlet.

Everyone’s building the appliances.
Not many are  building the grid.
So we are.

If you’re building in healthcare and need the rails underneath the part that actually keeps patients connected let’s talk.

3X Founder | Building the Voice That Keeps Patients in Care | Psychologist | My mum says I am special

I've been building companies for twenty years.
There are two types of founders. 
Only one survives what's coming.

Ok lets start with type 1. Sprinters.
Raise big. Scale fast. Exit clean.
Everything optimized for velocity and valuation.
When markets cooperate, these founders become legends. Press tours. Conference keynotes. The works.
Then capital tightens.
Layoffs. Down rounds. Desperate pivots to stay alive.
I've watched this happen across sectors (healthcare, fintech, SaaS, you name it). The architecture was never designed for adversity. It was designed to sprint in good weather.

The second type builds different.
Driven by co-creation. They're building ecosystems where everyone plays a part customers, employees, partners. Wealth generation is distributed. Success is collective. They don't feel entitled to all the glory just because they initiated it.
They're asking: what needs to be true for this to exist in 50 years?
They grow slower initially. 
But they don't collapse when the founder leaves or funding freezes.

This is not a choosing your type Linkedin post. 
Which type are you etc etc
You can use Type 1 fuel to build Type 2 durability.
But you have to architect it from the beginning.

Before you raise serious money, decide what's non-negotiable. 
Actually write it down.
Because once you're in the fundraising machine those incentives rewrite your brain. The pressure to optimize for the next round doesn't ask permission.

I tell founders to run two scoreboards.
Metrics VCs understand (ARR, growth, unit economics).
And metrics that actually predict survival (employee wealth creation, leadership depth, operational resilience without you).

Most companies only track one.
Distribute wealth early. Not as retirement theater.
Employee ownership means nothing if you wait until Series D when dilution makes it symbolic.

In AI right now, I'm watching this split happen in real time.
Founders optimizing purely for exits are raising faster. 
Getting more press.

Founders building actual infrastructure the kind of clients trust across years, not quarters they're moving quieter but deeper.

The question isn't which type is "better."
The question is: which game are you actually playing?
And which game do you want the world to start rewarding?

Because I think we're at an inflection point.
The companies that win the next decade won't be the ones that scaled fastest.
They'll be the ones that built something worth keeping.

What type of founder do you think gets funded more easily?
And what type do you think should?

taplio