Ep. 41: Mick O'Dwyer - Mandated, Recurring & Operationally Painful
Some people are born to drive their own bus. They have an idiosyncrasy of outlook that makes building their own thing inevitable. When these people run into a problem that they find both annoying and ridiculous and decide to solve it, good things happen. Mick O'Dwyer is one of those people. Even before BIV started, the second check I ever wrote, and first real one, was into his company, SwiftComply, and for good reason. He is a very serious entrepreneur in its most core sense. He's a taker of opportunities with, as you will hear, a clear attitude to risk, who delights in the wrestle of getting the thing done. As anyone who has met or shared a karaoke room with him will attest, he's also a great person to spend time with. The man could sell, and indeed has sold, Guinness to the Irish. Please enjoy my conversation with the excellent Mick O'Dwyer.
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Mick O'Dwyer shares his evolution from a young, ambitious engineer at Guinness to a water entrepreneur. He recounts his time at Dublin City Council, where the "ridiculous" and inefficient paper-based system for managing fats, oils, and grease in wastewater sparked the idea for his company. Mick details his journey of building SwiftComply, from developing the initial solution to moving to the U.S., making a high-stakes acquisition, and scaling the business.
00:00 - From Guinness Factory to Government Engineer
08:29 - Discovering the Wastewater Compliance Problem
12:38 - Building the First Version of SwiftComply
16:58 - Turning a Consulting Gig Into a Tech Company
20:32 - Going Global After a U.S. Conference Breakthrough
22:43 - Why Moving to Silicon Valley Was a Game-Changer
30:43 - Using AI to Improve Utility Compliance and Efficiency
33:31 - Rebuilding Product Velocity After Acquisition Challenges
41:28 - Scaling SwiftComply With Growth Investment
46:43 - Advice to Founders: Bet on “Mandated, Recurring, Painful” Problems
