We chatted with Shane Ryan at Lion’s Den 2022, founder of Fiid. Returning to the Lion’s Den stage as a judge, Shane is our 2019 champ. 

Last time Andrew and Shane sat in those chairs was when Shane took home the win. With aspirations and goals to beat the band, Shane now sits across Andrew having achieved all that and more. 

Shane talks about how exciting and encouraging the Lion’s Den event has been this year. Having the unique perspective of a previous winner, Shane tells Andrew about the exponential growth Fiid has seen in the last number of years. 

Enjoy the process

His successes didn’t come without the harder days on what Shane describes as a rollercoaster of a journey. As someone who has spent the last few years growing Fiid to new heights, Shane advises the Lion’s Den contestants to enjoy the journey whilst maintaining a sense of urgency. The bad days will come, but it’s important to move through them and take in each step of the process. 

Something that really helps in those tougher times is the Irish food community that offers an immense amount of support for entrepreneurs in the sector. Entrepreneurs in this space are so well connected. Shane describes the support from his peers to be unparalleled. 

An encouraging note from our returning champ, Shane Ryan at Lion’s Den 2022, with great excitement for the new entrants into the Irish Food Sector. 

Check out Fiid for yourself! eatfiid.com/

Watch the full interview to hear some more of Shane’s thoughts. 

Have you got a budding food or beverage business and are considering ways of getting investments? Head over to lionsden.ie to read about the competition to date. Next year, it could be you!

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