Founder · Operator · Company Builder
I have built it, broken it, fixed it and exited it.
25 years of building and exiting companies across Ireland and the UK. I am still building. When I work closely with founders, it is because I have been in the same room, with the same problems, and I know what actually helps.
About
Mark Gaffney
Founder & Operator
London - Dublin - Belfast
Currently Co-Founder & MD, Ardán Ventures
Currently Founder, Slán Mór
Mentor Techstars Global Network
Mentor Abu Dhabi SME Hub
First company 2000
I started my first company in 2000. Since then I have founded, built, scaled and exited multiple ventures across technology, software, fintech and consulting. I have also failed, restructured, pivoted and started again. That full history is what makes the experience worth something.
Today I run Ardán Ventures, an execution-led company building platform in Belfast. We take a small number of early-stage companies at a time, embed our own engineering and commercial discipline into each one, and push them through a structured nine-month commercial proof cycle. Through Slán Mór I work with established SME owners on strategic exits. Both keep me close to the real problems founders and operators face every day.
I also mentor through Techstars and the Abu Dhabi SME Hub, working with founders across global markets. The through line in everything I do is the same. Getting companies from where they are to where they need to be, with as little wasted time and capital as possible.
I am technical and commercial. I have designed and built products, raised capital, structured deals and negotiated exits. When I work closely with a founder, it is because the fit is right and I believe I can genuinely move the needle.
Track record
Numbers from a career of doing it, not advising from the sidelines.
25+
Years
Building, scaling and exiting companies across Ireland, the UK and internationally. Still building.
100s
of Founders
Worked directly with hundreds of early-stage founders, helping companies go from zero to one across a wide range of sectors and markets.
£100Ms
Raised & Exited
The companies I have been close to have collectively raised and exited hundreds of millions across fundraising, financing and trade sales.
How I engage
I do not take on many external engagements. When I do, it tends to look like one of these.
Advisory
A consistent presence for a founder who wants honest, informed perspective from someone who has been in the same position. Not a board seat. Not a monthly call with a slide deck. A real working relationship with someone who knows what they are looking at.
Specific Projects
Sometimes a company has a defined problem that needs focused attention. Go-to-market structure, fundraising narrative, commercial model, team design. I come in, work through it, and leave the company in better shape than I found it.
Entrepreneur in Residence
For founders navigating a real inflection point, I will occasionally work alongside them directly for a defined period. Less advisor, more second brain. This is rare and only works when the fit is right on both sides.
Contact
If you think we should talk, get in touch.
I am not hard to reach. If what you have read resonates and you think there is something worth a conversation, send me a message. I read everything.
Based
London - Dublin - Belfast
Ardán Ventures
Slán Mór
Phone