Niamh O’Donnell

Niamh O’Donnell is the Director of Programs at Unusual, where she runs Unusual Academy, programs and events, founder perks and partnerships, and other initiatives to help early-stage founders access the right insights and connections at the right time. Her expertise stems from prior roles at 500 Global, where she led co-investor relations, Enterprise Ireland, where she helped Irish startups expand into the US, and Notre Dame’s IDEA Center, where she supported the commercialization of emerging startups. Before that, Niamh worked at the forefront of XR and generative AI at Ascend Learning and was an award-winning entrepreneur herself, lending her rare empathy to the pace and ambiguity of the zero-to-one stage. Niamh holds degrees from The University of Notre Dame, KEDGE Business School, and Dublin City University, and lives in San Francisco.

Hometown

Kildare, Ireland

Alma mater

Dublin City University — BBS, International Business and French

KEDGE Business School — MS, Management

The University of Notre Dame — MSc, Engineering, Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship