267: Mark McLaughlin | Co-Founder & CEO of Coras | Building & Fundraising at the Intersection of Web2 & Web3

Mark McLaughlin is an Irish entrepreneur who has been at the forefront of the ticketing industry since 2006. Mark is the co-founder and CEO of Coras, a company that's been revolutionizing the ticketing landscape with its powerful API solutions, boasting clients like Ryanair. But Mark’s journey doesn’t stop there—he’s now leading Coras into a new frontier with Fida, a cutting-edge loyalty platform that's merging the best of web2 and web3 worlds.

Show Notes
Guest Profile

In this episode, we’ll explore Mark’s entrepreneurial journey from founding Ticket Text and Ticket ABC to building Coras, and now, innovating with Fida. We’ll dive into the recent €1.3 million funding round led by Irish VC DataOp and the unique challenges of navigating the web2 and web3 investment landscape. Mark will share insights on balancing traditional and forward-thinking approaches for those straddling the web2 and web3 worlds, and what it means for getting these businesses funded.

00:36 Meet Mark McLaughlin: Revolutionizing Ticketing

03:24 The Ticketmaster Saga

05:52 Building Ticketing Solutions: Challenges and Innovations

07:02 Navigating Financial Crises and Raising Funds

10:59 The Evolution of Coras and the Impact of COVID-19

15:50 Introducing Fida: The Future of Loyalty Programs

25:48 Tokenized Commerce and Loyalty Programs

27:12 Building a Universal Loyalty Program

28:05 Challenges in Raising Funds for Web3 Projects

29:54 Pitching to Investors: Lessons Learned

36:04 The Importance of Timing and Luck in Fundraising

38:20 Exploring New Applications for Blockchain