Disrupt by the Sea

Can you answer these 14 questions about your business?

In this video, I outline the fourteen categories of questions the four sharks asked at "Disrupt by the Sea" at Ramelton, Donegal!

- What is your plan for retention?
- What is an example of how you actually make real money?
- When do you get to break-even (including your own salary and real costs)?
- What's the problem you want to solve, sustainably and profitably?
- What is your MRR, ARR, LTV:CAC, gross profit margin and potential net profit?
- How are you going to compete?
- Whose problem really is it (user vs budget provider vs decision-maker)?
- What is your moat (and it's unlikely to be technology)?
- What is your TAM, SAM and SOM? Realistically?
- Does your aggregated data hold value?
- What is your go-to market strategy and how is that nuanced for different markets?
- How are you adapting LEAN into your processes (e.g. through agentic AI)?
- How does your target market make decisions?
- What is your path to a liquidity event for the investor?

Each of the above were inspired by the four sharks namely J. Mark Baiada, John Cummins, Joan O'Shea and Marty Loughlin.

Well done to the pitchers Susie Kilcoyne, Chris Cornwall, Michael Dowling, Paul O'Donnell, Rupert Egan, Julie Wells and Stephen O'Dwyer!

Thank you sincerely to Graham Merriman and Kevin Sexton at ALPHA Innovation EU for the opportunity to be part of the occasion at the Blue Goat, Ramelton.