Born out of frustration at seeing how difficult it was for a lot of great people to access the workplace, Founder Nessa Maguire and her team Allison Kushel and Máire O’Herlihy started EudaOrg. An all-in-one software solution to help companies make workplaces fairer for all. Working closely with Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) teams, EudaOrg ensures they have one place to work from and collaborate, enabling them to work far more efficiently and with greater impact towards their DEI goals. Named in Spark Crowdfunding’s 100 Most Ambitious Companies for 2023 and recently selected as a finalist for this year’s Diversity in Tech Awards the company is set to see huge growth in the market 

1. What was your and your co-founders journey to becoming entrepreneurs?

I founded EudaOrg in late 2021 and now we are a team of three. Allison joined EudaOrg early on in our journey to support me with product development and Máire joined this year to drive our growth. I met Allison when we both worked in Vietnam. Both of us are psychologists and we helped to run a small education consulting company there. Máire and I have known each other for a long time, and when I reconnected with her last year in Dublin, she had just left her job in tech sales and was looking for a new challenge.

EudaOrg was initially born out of frustration at seeing how difficult it was for a lot of great people to access the workplace, and how many people were underemployed. What we noticed is that so many businesses struggle to create and enact inclusive policies and practises. Curiosity drove us to try and understand what was causing these problems when so much is being invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion every year ($9.3 billion in 2022). We spent the last year speaking to hundreds of diverse, equity and inclusion professionals and realised what was missing was targeted technology. This led us to bring our passion for DEI and our skill sets together to build an all-in-one software solution to help companies make workplaces fairer for all.

2. What was your eureka moment, when you got the idea for EudaOrg?

I think there have been a few eureka moments in the development of EudaOrg. One of the first I remember was when I was speaking with an organisation who needed three data analysts to build basic reporting for their diversity data, and at that, their data was limited. Another spoke of the endless admin required to get basic tasks done. DEI professionals are often overworked, working with limited resources and don’t have the tools they need to get very important work done. Technology has done so much to improve lives and create efficiency in the workplace, I wonder why there is no solution out there addressing these DEI needs? EudaOrg was born there. It’s evolved so much from those early ideas. We’ve built a solution for DEI teams in collaboration with DEI teams and involved our users at every step of the journey. We anticipate it will develop further as we scale to meet global demand.

3. EudaOrg is the first platform built for DEI teams, in collaboration with DEI teams. Can you describe how this works and what benefit it brings the client?

Until now, DEI teams have had to live in many, many systems across the business. The data and information they need is siloed in all sorts of places, and they struggle to bring it all together to help them make decisions and to report to their stakeholders. Our solution enables DEI teams to assess their organisation and its needs, analyse their data, build insights, and take action using data and scientific best practises. Alongside this, we offer robust resources so they can stay on top of industry best practises and innovative DEI education with immersive learning and, in the future, AI coachbots. Rather than logging into multiple systems a day, DEI teams have one place to work from and collaborate, enabling them to work far more efficiently and with greater impact towards their DEI goals.

4. How did you begin to launch the company? Would you have any advice for anyone launching the Diversity Equity and Inclusion market?

I feel lucky to be an Irish founder. We have a great startup ecosystem in Ireland and the support we have received from Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Office South Cork has been crucial in getting EudaOrg off the ground. Once I had the idea for EudaOrg, I conducted many interviews with DEI professionals from all types of organisations and sizes to really understand their challenges, what would make their lives easier, and how to create real organisational change.I think the best piece of advice I can give a founder is to really make sure you are building something that is solving a real challenge and involve your future users in product development. For founders in the DEI space, I think it’s important to view DEI from a global perspective. DEI needs, challenges and regulations differ all around the world and as companies increasingly globalise, it will be important to help them solve those challenges.

5. How do you go about gaining new customers? What marketing methods do you use?

As we included DEI professionals in our product development, our first customers came from those early conversations. We were building something that they told us they needed, so that’s where we started. As we work towards a general release, we will ramp up our marketing efforts. We’ve found educational events are great for helping DEI professionals understand our approach and the value our product can bring. As we take an evidence-based approach to everything we do, we love to talk to DEI professionals about the science behind what we do.

6. How did being on the New Frontiers Program benefit the company? How did each stage of the program impact the company?

The New Frontiers programme was integral to where we are today. I did Phase 1 in Cork in 2021 when I was just starting to consider taking the step. Meeting people who were passionate about supporting startups gave me the confidence to take the leap. I did the Phase 2 and Phase 3 between IADT Media Cube and NovaUCD last year. Outside of the programme and the financial support, which was great, it was incredible to be in hubs that are driving so much innovation in Ireland. I would say the biggest benefit of the programme, at every stage, has been the people I met. I met such inspiring and passionate entrepreneurs as well as those who run these programmes. Setting up a business can be lonely at times, and having that support is so important.  

7. If a company was interested in using the service what are the steps involved in onboarding the client?

We’d love to chat with anyone interested in learning more about our product. Our psychologists have a very consultative evaluation and onboarding process to ensure our customers get off to a great start. Onboarding time is roughly two weeks currently. Outside of our product in the market, as we take an evidence-based approach to everything we do, we are often at the research stage for new features. Participating in this research can be a great opportunity for organisations to get involved and learn more about how technology can support their DEI effort. For example, in September and October this year we will be researching gamified immersive learning for recruitment teams in organisations. We still have some opportunities to join this research, so feel free to reach out!

8. How did the Pandemic affect the company? What are some of the positives you took from this time?

We started our EudaOrg journey in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic. I think the time and space the pandemic gave us to develop the idea and get those early product development conversations off the ground was a positive experience. As a remote first company with a small team spread around the world, we enjoy collaborating as a team virtually and it’s great to see lots of other companies taking a hybrid approach to work because of the pandemic too. Also, DEI and culture have become even more important as companies navigate a new way of working and look to navigate new challenges like the global talent shortage. We feel that we began our journey at the right time, and we’re excited for what the next few years will bring.

9.  Have you won any awards or received any press recognition since your launch?

We’ve been in beta for the last few months as we work towards a general release so have been quiet as we have had our heads down working on that. That said, we were delighted to be named in Spark Crowdfunding’s 100 Most Ambitious Companies for 2023 and to be recently selected as a finalist for this year’s Diversity in Tech Awards

10. Are there any other organisations in the Diversity and Inclusion field in Ireland that you are big fans of?

Yes! Again, we’re so lucky to have such a great startup ecosystem in Ireland. One organisation we’re big fans of is IA Labs, a startup that focuses on Digital Inclusion and Accessibility, carrying out audits and ensuring that organisations around the world are compliant with accessibility standards. Also, a fellow Cork startup Assistiv who are doing great things to help make the workplace more accessible for adults with intellectual disabilities. Excited to follow IA Labs and Assistiv’s journeys as they grow!