Earlybird hires Siobhan O'Reilly as Dublin-based Catalyst program.

Earlybird Venture Capital has expanded its operational bench with the appointment of Siobhán O'Reilly as a Dublin-based Catalyst, a move designed to accelerate go-to-market execution across the fund's portfolio. The hire strengthens a program launched in 2024 that pairs strategic investing with hands-on commercial expertise for founders scaling through product-led and sales-led phases.

O'Reilly arrives with senior GTM experience at Meltwater, Dropbox and Figma, bringing a mix of sales discipline, PLG knowledge and regional expansion know‑how. At Dropbox she worked on shifting the product toward enterprise usage across UKI, the Nordics and English-speaking Africa; at Figma she partnered directly with founding teams to secure strategic European accounts. That combination—layering targeted enterprise outreach onto PLG motion—is precisely the capability many late‑stage SaaS companies need to unlock large contracts.

The practical value for Earlybird's companies is clear. As software businesses scale, conversion economics change: topline growth increasingly depends on structuring pricing and packaging, recruiting quota-carrying teams and instituting data-driven sales motions. Siobhán O'Reilly will advise on those transitions, from unit economics and segmentation to sales enablement and enterprise rollouts in EMEA.

Market context underlines the timing. Europe remains a high-potential market for SaaS vendors: while PLG products drive efficient user acquisition, penetrating the enterprise requires bespoke GTM strategies and local market knowledge. Investors and operators are increasingly prioritising operators with repeatable playbooks for building enterprise channels—a trend that makes dedicated GTM advisers a force multiplier for VC portfolios.

The appointment also signals Earlybird's continuing shift toward integrating operating talent directly into its value-add offering. The Catalyst cohort, which now includes Samantha Wessels (previously at Box) alongside O'Reilly, is intended to provide specialised support across commercial functions. Earlybird argues this model reduces common scaling friction, shortens time-to-revenue milestones and helps companies navigate complex cross-border sales cycles.