#79 Exploring the E-Commerce Ecosystem: CEO and Co-founder of Wayflyer, Aidan Corbett
On this week’s episode, we delve into the dynamic world of e-commerce, as Gareth is joined by Aidan Corbett, the visionary CEO of e-commerce funding business, and Ireland’s 6th home-grown tech unicorn, Wayflyer. Establishing a successful venture in this rapidly growing sector is no easy task, that’s where Aidan and his team come in; to help e-commerce entrepreneurs get the kick-start they need. This episode is jam-packed full of advice from not only Aidan’s perspective as an investor, but also through his personal journey as a tech entrepreneur himself. We get the inside scoop on the best ways to launch your e-commerce venture, including whether an MBA is actually worth the time (and money), and if coding is still a useful skill in this age of AI. Finding ‘“what feels like work to everyone else but feels like play to you”’ is a piece of Aidan’s stellar advice and is testament to his trajectory to the top of tech leadership. He demonstrates how important it is to play to your strengths and know your niche to excel in the e-commerce ecosystem. Time stamps What does good leadership mean to Aidan? (02:43) Entrepreneurial inspiration (05:38) Is studying an MBA worth it? (07:41) Can learning code still be useful? (11:28) Starting out at McKinsey & Company (14:33) Creating Conjura (20:20) The biggest e-commerce mistakes that companies make (24:55) How does Aidan assess potential investment opportunities (28:03) Why Dublin is an entrepreneurial hotspot (32:53) What social channel will make your start-up go viral? (35:50) How AI is going to disrupt the e-commerce industry (37:40) Aidan’s advice to his 21-year-old self (41:00)