Pictured: Séamus Cooley, Chief Technology Officer, MedoSync
Séamus Cooley is Chief Technology Officer of MedoSync, a medtech start-up providing a secure platform integrating hospital and insurer systems to enable accurate, efficient and real-time medical billing. Its proven solution has already been used to submit more than 70,000 claims since January 2021. A tech industry veteran, Séamus co-founded MedoSync with Emergency Medicine Consultant Dr. Martin Rochford in 2019.
What was your first job?
I’ve played the saxophone and clarinet since I was eight years old and my first job was playing in different venues around Galway, as well as in a jazz band at weddings. My first professional job after studying electronic engineering in Galway was with MSL Manufacturing Ltd, an electronic contract manufacturer based in Athlone.
What pushed you to pursue a career in this field?
At MSL we brought the first X-ray manufacturing machines to Ireland and my love of programming grew from programming these devices. Inspired by this, I returned to college and undertook a second degree in computer science which set me on a career path to co-founding MedoSync, via Microsoft, Facebook and others in the sector.
What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
The development of the Photo DNA image-identification technology, which safeguards children online every day. A team of Microsoft’s best and brightest engineers globally came together to develop software to scan images for harmful and exploitative content and aid content moderators.
Career wise, would you do anything differently?
Working side by side with immensely talented engineers and developers seeking to solve ‘wicked problems’ has helped me develop the skills I have today. When I began my career in the late 1990s, remote working and dispersed teams as we understand them today didn’t exist. Therefore, if I was to do anything differently, I would have moved to Dublin earlier to take the opportunity of working with the best engineers in the world in Microsoft and Facebook.
In one sentence, how would you define success?
Success is about being content and not focusing on material things. If I’m content with my work and my life, I am successful. It’s more of a state of being rather than a measurement!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
My old boss at MSL, Tony Boyle, used to say: “I don’t reward for effort, I reward results”, and it’s something that has always stuck with me. If you’re going to try something, do your best to have a successful outcome. It’s not about presenteeism – if something can be done in two days then there is no need to spin it out to five to fill the week.
How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
It’s easy to motivate your staff when their contribution is appreciated and valued and when you are working on a project you care about and that has a positive impact. That is certainly the case at MedoSync, where we have a real sense of pride and satisfaction related to the product we have built to date and that it is solving a real-world problem, namely unsecure and inefficient billing processes.
How do you handle adversity?
Adverse and challenging situations are part and parcel of life and it’s important to realise when a situation needs to be handled assertively and when an understated or patient approach is more optimal. During times of particular adversity, I will lean on my friends and family.
How do you relax?
Music, team sports and sea swimming. Along with the saxophone and clarinet, I play the guitar, saxophone, piano and violin and also enjoy listening to music to unwind. I’m an avid team-sports player and regularly play tag rugby. I also swim year-round and recently visited Culoo on Valentia Island, which is only safe for swimming during a small window of time during the year and is a little piece of heaven on earth.
What are your aspirations for the future of the business?
At MedoSync, we have global ambitions for our product as we believe it is a solution for a global problem. We have a phenomenal team – from my co-founder Dr. Martin Rochford through to our technology team including Nick Burrett, a former engineer with Google and Facebook who has developed a globally best-in-class infrastructure and architecture solution. The sky’s the limit for MedoSync.
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