Coolderry native shares energy tech success at Founders Friday

Entrepreneurs and business leaders from across Offaly gathered in Tullamore on Friday evening for a special edition of Founders Friday, hosted by AllPro Recruitment in association with Tullamore & District Rotary Club.

The Local Enterprise Week event featured Paul Mahon, Founder and CEO of Mullingar-based energy technology company Watt Footprint, who shared his journey from engineer to scaling an international energy intelligence business.

Mahon, who is originally from Coolderry, spoke candidly about the realities of building a company in the Midlands, while tackling one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today, rising energy costs.

Founded five years ago by Mahon and his co-founder Paul O’Reilly, Watt Footprint has grown into a fast-scaling energy technology company with 42 staff across Ireland, the UK and the UAE, helping more than 1,000 organisations better understand and manage their energy use.

Speaking at the event, Mahon said the company was born out of the need to help businesses respond to increasing energy prices and uncertainty.

“Energy has gone from being a background cost to one of the biggest challenges facing businesses,” he said.

“In Ireland we have some of the highest energy prices in Europe. Our belief is simple, if you can measure energy properly, you can control it. Businesses need visibility so they can make the right decisions.”

Watt Footprint installs monitoring technology that tracks energy usage every five minutes, combining this data with software analytics to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for savings. The system was designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses that traditionally have not had access to detailed energy insights.

Mahon explained that the company originally started by carrying out energy audits and retrofit projects before developing its software platform to give businesses ongoing control over their energy usage.

One local project highlighted during the evening was work carried out at the Mullingar Park Hotel where Watt Footprint helped remove fossil fuels from the heating system and reduce energy consumption by approximately 40 percent.

Speaking about leadership, Mahon shared a philosophy that guides his approach to running the company.

“In business you cannot control every event, but you can control how you respond,” he said. “Event plus response equals outcome.”

The event also highlighted the range of supports available to businesses through the Local Enterprise Office network.

Lisa Molloy of Offaly Local Enterprise Office said Local Enterprise Week had been a major success, with strong participation from businesses across the county.

“This year we delivered 14 events throughout the week, supporting entrepreneurs and business owners at every stage,” she said.

“Our programmes such as GradStart, which provides up to €30,000 in funding for businesses hiring graduates, and Green for Business, which offers free energy audits and access to energy efficiency grants, are designed to help businesses grow and manage costs.”

She added that energy efficiency has become a key issue for local companies.

“With energy prices remaining high, programmes like Green for Business can help companies identify savings opportunities, often delivering payback within months.”

David Gleeson, CEO of AllPro Recruitment, said Founders Friday was created to connect business leaders and share practical lessons from real founders.

“Every founder faces similar challenges, whether they are running a technology company or a local business,” he said.

“People, cash flow and decision-making pressures are common across every industry. Founders Friday gives business owners the chance to hear honest experiences and learn from others who have been through the journey.”

Mahon also credited the support of enterprise agencies and mentors in helping Watt Footprint grow, encouraging anyone considering starting a business to connect with their Local Enterprise Office.

The company continues to expand internationally while maintaining its base in the Midlands, with a 5,000 square foot office in Mullingar and a young and growing team.

Founders Friday is a bi-monthly networking event hosted by AllPro Recruitment that brings together founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the Midlands to share insights and build connections within the local business community.