# Andrew O'Shaughnessy

> Andrew O'Shaughnessy is the Irish founder and former CEO of Poppulo, the employee communications software business previously known as Newsweaver. His career connects a family textile mill, work at Intel, an early internet venture and a shift from email marketing to workplace communications. Following Poppulo's combination with Four Winds Interactive, he stepped back from executive management and became an investor and mentor to other founders.

- **Role:** Founder and former CEO at Poppulo; investor and entrepreneur mentor
- **Organizations:** Poppulo, Newsweaver, Intel, e-search, Dripsey Woollen Mills, AxisBIC Entrepreneur Experience
- **Nationality:** Irish
- **Education:** University College Cork
- **Known for:** Built Newsweaver/Poppulo into an international employee communications software business., Led the 2017 Poppulo rebrand., Secured $35 million in 2019 growth investment while existing shareholders retained majority ownership.

## Career timeline

- **1980s** — Joined the family textile business, Dripsey Woollen Mills, after studying computer science; the business subsequently closed.
- **1988** — Moved to London following the textile business closure.
- **Later, date unverified** — Returned to Ireland and worked at Intel in Kildare.
- **1996** — Founded e-search, an online searchable directory, according to his 2021 interview.
- **2002** — Newsweaver established as an email marketing business, according to contemporary 2015, 2017 and 2019 reporting; other accounts date the wider business lineage to 1996.
- **2011** — Attended the first Entrepreneur Experience at Garryvoe Hotel seeking advice for Newsweaver.
- **Early 2010s** — Shifted Newsweaver toward employee communications; his 2021 first-person account dates the pivot to 2012.
- **2017** — Newsweaver rebranded as Poppulo.
- **2019** — Announced $35 million (approximately €30 million) investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity.
- **2020** — Selected as an international-category EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.
- **2021** — Poppulo and Four Winds Interactive announced their combination; SmartSpace was included in the wider transaction.
- **After the 2021 merger** — Stepped down as CEO after settling the merger and retained a board seat, as described in June 2025 reporting.
- **2022** — Named Tech Person of the Year at the it@cork Leaders Awards.
- **2025** — Publicly discussed investing, including Squid Loyalty, and mentoring entrepreneurs; spoke on culture and communication at a Dublin event.

## Achievements

- Built Newsweaver/Poppulo into an international employee communications software business.
- Led the 2017 Poppulo rebrand.
- Secured $35 million in 2019 growth investment while existing shareholders retained majority ownership.
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 finalist in the international category.
- Tech Person of the Year, it@cork Leaders Awards 2022.
- Newsweaver received a 2017 workplace award for listening and communicating with employees; its SWOT to Strategy project involved workshops with representatives from every team.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Resolve Partners reported his participation alongside Caroline Keeling in a Dublin discussion on leadership, culture and communication at scale.
- **2025-06** — Discussed his post-CEO investment and mentoring activities, including backing Squid Loyalty, in a published interview.
- **2025-03** — The National Software Centre included him among recent Tech Industry Alliance TechBrew speakers.
- **2024-03** — Joined a Cork Local Enterprise Week panel about resilience in business.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/andrewo5

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/andrew-oshaughnessy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21