Practice
Consulting.
The practice advises growth-stage technology and financial services companies, their boards and their investors on the cross-border commercial calls where the answer isn't obvious and the cost of getting it wrong is high: entering a new market, raising the next round, or selling the company. Few senior operators have worked all sides of that flow. I've taken 130 Irish technology companies into the US at Enterprise Ireland and 60 more from 20 other countries at the US Market Access Center, set up 120 international companies in Ireland, and built a US medical technology company into Europe from Dublin. Eleven years of it based in Silicon Valley, not visiting it, so the relationships with US buyers, investors and acquirers are active and named: at FirstCapital, 150+ acquirers, PE firms and VCs including Microsoft, Apple, Intel and a16z. And I stay in through the deal: pipeline reviews, live buyer feedback, the team coached to close. The cumulative figures stand at over €240m in client sales, over €100m raised, and over $400m in M&A across more than four hundred companies.
“David is extremely knowledgeable and connected in the technology sector globally but particularly in the US. We asked David to set up meetings with high level executives at some of the world's leading companies and he delivered in a big way. He does what he says, doesn't over promise.”
Most engagements start with a defined four-to-six-week diagnostic and a clear go or no-go, before any longer commitment. For eligible Irish companies, grant support is often available towards this work, and I'll point you to the right scheme.
Four service areas
Market entry, both directions.
European technology companies opening in the US, and US, UK, Asian and Middle Eastern companies setting up in Ireland and Europe. The judgement on whether, when and how to move, the offer repositioned for the target-market buyer, and the right doors opened at VP to C-suite level. Built on eleven years in Silicon Valley and five years at IDA Ireland on inward investment.
Fundraising.
Positioning at every stage, seed through to exit, and access to US and European investors. Investor materials, data room and the narrative that holds up under diligence.
Corporate development and M&A.
Buyer origination and senior access to strategic acquirers, drawing on my time as Managing Director at FirstCapital. Over $400m in career M&A, with exits including acquisitions by Facebook, The Access Group, Vista Equity Partners and Royal Mail Group.
CEO and board counsel.
A sounding board for the founder and senior team through a market move, a raise or a sale. Quiet, regular, candid.
Sectors: software, AI, telecoms, healthcare and digital health, financial services and connected devices.
The pattern
The same arc, run many times.
A billing-technology company. Positioning reset for North America. First reference customers landed, and over €5m in carrier contracts.
A mobile-application platform. Market entry mapped, partnerships built. Acquired by an enterprise software company.
A connected-vehicle company. Positioned for OEM conversations. Grown into global OEM partnerships.
How I work
Personally led.
Every engagement is led by David Smith directly, with specialists brought in only where they add something.
Strategy first, then execution.
The plan is agreed before the doing starts: positioning and sequencing first, then sales, funding and market expansion.
Speed with rigour.
Typical mandates run four to eight weeks for a defined diagnostic, producing a board-ready output.
Project pricing tied to outcomes.
Engagements are priced as fixed-scope projects or monthly retainers, aligned to the value of the strategic outcome rather than time spent.
Who I work with
If you're a CEO six months from a US launch, I can tell you what the first eighteen months will actually look like. If you're a founder or CFO raising a round, I can tell you how the investors on the other side of the table are reading you. If you're a chair weighing an approach from a buyer, I can tell you how the other side is thinking. If you're at a fund, a corporate strategy team or a corporate development team with a specific question, the structured enquiry on the Engage page is the fast route to a direct answer.