Thomas O’Donoghue’s venture Workily aims to streamline connections between customers and professionals in €650bn global market.
When Thomas O’Donoghue first experienced the frustrations of lead-generation platforms as a professional, he saw an opportunity to rebuild how local services are transacted online.
His solution Workily is an AI-powered platform that promises to eliminate the inefficiencies plaguing both customers seeking local professionals and the tradespeople, solicitors, and consultants trying to secure genuine work.
“Experts can get paid for advice through consultations, reach customers beyond their immediate location, and accept instant bookings that sync directly with their availability”
“Traditional platforms tend to rely on a single ‘request quotes’ model, which often results in low-intent leads and inefficiency on both sides,” says O’Donoghue.
His platform takes a different approach, offering three distinct pathways for customer engagement rather than forcing everyone through the same quote-request process.
Targeting a trillion-dollar shift
The timing appears strategic. The global home services market is projected to surge from $424.9bn in 2025 to $652.7bn by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 8.9 per cent. More broadly, the hyperlocal services market is forecast to nearly double from $3.3tn in 2025 to $6.8tn by 2030, reflecting the rapid digitisation of local commerce.
Even in Ireland’s more modest market, core segments like plumbing and heating services are projected to reach €3.6bn in revenue, providing a substantial domestic foundation for Workily’s ambitions.
O’Donoghue’s platform addresses this opportunity through what he calls an “AI-driven decision layer” that guides customers to the most appropriate hiring option. Users can request quotes for complex jobs, book services instantly with upfront payment, or schedule paid video consultations with experts.
Learning from failure
The path to launch hasn’t been smooth. O’Donoghue admits to making what he calls “the difficult decision to abandon Workily’s first system midway through development and start again from the ground up.”
He reflects: “It was frustrating and costly in terms of time, but ultimately necessary. That reset forced us to clarify what really mattered and avoid building on foundations that wouldn’t scale or deliver the right experience.”
This setback taught him the importance of restraint. “It’s tempting to add features, categories, or growth tactics early, but doing too much too soon can dilute focus and mask whether the core model actually works,” he explains.
Payment-first philosophy
Central to Workily’s model is what O’Donoghue describes as “payment-first interactions.” By confirming customer intent through upfront payment, the platform aims to reduce wasted time for professionals while improving outcomes for customers.
For professionals, this opens new revenue streams beyond traditional project work. “Experts can get paid for advice through consultations, reach customers beyond their immediate location, and accept instant bookings that sync directly with their availability,” O’Donoghue says.
The technical foundation relies on a modern JavaScript stack with Node.js backend and React frontend, integrated with OpenAI for decision logic and Stripe for payments. This cloud-based architecture enables the platform to operate across multiple countries while maintaining the agility needed for rapid iteration.
Irish ecosystem advantages
Operating from Ireland has provided distinct advantages, according to O’Donoghue. “Ireland has a very supportive and practical start-up ecosystem, particularly at early stage,” he notes, highlighting the value of Local Enterprise Offices for guidance and early funding.
He’s particularly impressed by the international mindset of Irish entrepreneurs. “What stands out to me is the increasing number of founders building globally relevant products from Ireland, rather than limiting ambition to the local market. That mindset aligns closely with Workily’s multi-country approach from day one.”
Events like Dublin Tech Summit and organisations such as Enterprise Ireland have helped create what he describes as “a more connected and collaborative environment” that encourages founders to think beyond domestic markets.
Focus on execution over funding
Rather than pursuing immediate investment, Workily is currently concentrated on product validation and early traction. “The priority right now is building a robust platform, validating core assumptions, and proving demand,” O’Donoghue explains, though he remains open to investor conversations.
His advice to fellow founders reflects this measured approach: “Focus on solving a real problem and be clear about what success looks like at each stage. Early traction is about learning and validation, not perfection or speed.”
The emphasis on patience stems from hard-learned lessons. “Building infrastructure takes time, and pushing through setbacks without compromising on quality has been critical,” he says. “Professionals engage when their time is respected, their expertise is valued, and the system is built to work for them, not against them.”
With its foundation now solid, Workily represents O’Donoghue’s bet that the future of local services lies not in incremental improvements to existing models, but in fundamentally rethinking how professionals and customers connect in an increasingly digital economy.
-
Bank of Ireland is welcoming new customers every day – funding investments, working capital and expansions across multiple sectors. To learn more, click here
-
For support in challenging times, click here
-
Listen to the ThinkBusiness Podcast for business insights and inspiration. All episodes are here. You can also listen to the Podcast on:
-
Spotify
-
SoundCloud
-
Apple
