Why doesn’t a country good enough to produce Ryanair and Stripe have a normal venture fund industry? Alan Merriman spent three years lobbying the Irish government just to be allowed to launch one, and what he ran into along the way says more about Ireland’s capital gap than most economic reports ever will.

Merriman built Elkstone from a boutique advisory firm into one of Ireland's most active venture investors, and in this conversation he's candid about what it actually took to get there. In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why Ireland’s tax code made venture investing nearly impossible before 2022, and what it took to change it
• Why Merriman puts the quality of a founder at eighty percent of any investment decision, and what he’s really screening for
• Why Elkstone bets on the country instead of a sector, and what that says about the depth of the Irish market
• What Merriman calls “network compounding,” and his pitch for why the Irish diaspora is worth more than its checkbook

If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to build serious venture capital in a small country, or how Merriman makes the case for engaging the Irish diaspora as more than a source of sentiment, this one's worth the full listen.

ALAN MERRIMAN LINKS

• LinkedIn
• Elkstone

IRISH STEW LINKS

• Website Home Page
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Media Partner: IrishCentral
  
  

Episode Details: Season 8, Episode 22; Total Episode Count: 163

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Through its ongoing “Global Irish Nation Conversation” Irish Stew is all about connecting the worldwide Irish family, so sitting down with Dr. Martin Russell, one of the world's foremost diaspora engagement strategists, felt like a meeting of kindred missions. The proud Corkonian has spent nearly two decades turning diaspora theory into practice, working with governments and communities across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Balkans, all while championing Ireland's potential to be a global leader in the field.

Hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty open with a thought-starter on the "diaspora World Cup" unfolding across North America, then trace Russell's journey from a would-be mathematician at UCC to a scholar of the Irish diaspora's role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Along the way, Russell unpacks the famous 70 million Irish worldwide figure, his four pillars of diaspora engagement, and the crucial distinction between migration and diaspora.

"Other partners come and go and that's fine. That's the nature of life. But your diaspora are a community of consistency if you do it well," Russell says, making the case to governments worldwide.

The conversation turns to Ireland's new Diaspora Strategy 2026–2030, which Russell's research helped inform, the duty of care owed to the vulnerable Irish abroad, and the threat of "diaspora fade" in Irish America. His answer? "The quick answer is don't let it happen, be active."

A masterclass in belonging from a thought leader who's incredibly bullish on the diaspora's future.

MARTIN RUSSELL LINKS

• LinkedIn
• The Diaspora Institute
• The Networking Institute

EPISODE REFERENCE LINKS

• Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy, 2026-2030
• NY Times: Is this the diaspora World Cup?
• EU Global Diaspora Facility
• Institute for Integrated Transitions

BOOKS

• Fragile Neighborhoods by Seth Kaplan
• Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides by Jeffrey Cohen
• On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation by Kim Samuel

IRISH STEW LINKS

• Website Home Page
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Media Partner: IrishCentral
  
  

Episode Details: Season 8, Episode 21; Total Episode Count: 162

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From Crumlin and Tallaght to the City of Brotherly Love, Irish Stew spins another Philadelphia story, appropriately timed to America's Fourth of July celebration of the Declaration of Independence forged in Philadelphia 250 years ago.

Recorded in advance of Philadelphia's Irish American Business Chamber & Network's Ambassador Awards Luncheon, cohost John Lee talks with John Cummins and Adele Farrell, who drew on the grit of their working-class Dublin roots to build business success and rewarding lives in America.

They tell of brutal Boston winters, tropical job sites in Puerto Rico, founding their breakout company NEXA Enterprise Asset Management, successfully exiting from it, and founding their new business initiative, Cummins Business Ventures.

The pair underscore the importance of the Irish American Business Chamber and Network in their success story, calling it the “missing piece” they wished they'd found on day one. They look forward to the Chamber’s signature Ambassador Awards event every year, especially in 2023 when John and Adele received the IABCN’s prestigious Taoiseach Award.

The episode wraps with a heartfelt Seamus Plug. This October, in partnership with the IABCN, John and Adele are launching a fundraising gala benefiting The Autism Hub, a new Dublin-based charity providing assessments, therapies, and family support for autism services in Ireland, a cause that's become deeply personal for them both. Hosted by their Rise Above Fund and the IABCN, The Infinity Gala will be held on Oct 15 in Warrington, PA.

It’s a warm, genuine, and often inspiring Global Irish Nation Conversation about finding your tribe in Philadelphia, three thousand miles from home.

LINKS

• John Cummins LinkedIn
• Adele Farrell LinkedIn
• The Rise Above Fund
• Irish American Business Chamber & Network
• Infinity Gala

IRISH STEW LINKS

• Website Home Page
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Media Partner: IrishCentral
  
  

Episode Details: Season 8, Episode 20; Total Episode Count: 161

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