By Business & Finance 
Pictured: (L-R): Desmond Anderson and Brendan Noud, founders of LearnUpon.
Brendan Noud is co-founder and CEO of LearnUpon, a cloud-based learning management system (LMS).
By Héloïse Chaudot
What inspired you to start your company?
After 10 years in the e-learning industry, Des Anderson, my co-founder, and I noticed a big problem: most learning platforms were clunky, difficult to use, and offered poor support. We wanted to shake up the industry and create something better. That’s how LearnUpon was born, a platform designed to work the way people actually want to learn, making learning accessible, engaging, and impactful.
What are your main priorities and goals in your role?
My main focus is uniting the company around a shared vision: one team, one goal. When we’re aligned, driving growth and helping our customers succeed happens naturally, whether through product innovations, go-to-market strategies, or customer support. It’s incredibly rewarding to see collaboration turn ideas into real-world impact, and to witness teams come together to achieve something greater than the sum of its parts.
How do you keep your team/staff motivated?
LearnUpon’s culture code is central to keeping our team motivated: “We try new things and learn from our mistakes”, and “We hire great people and trust them to do great work.” By fostering experimentation, embracing risks, learning quickly, and iterating, we cultivate a culture where impact, learning, and growth scale together. It’s inspiring to see people take ownership and create results that truly matter.
What are the challenges facing the industry going forward?
After more than two decades in learning tech, we know building a better LMS is a journey that never stops. SaaS innovation and AI bring both challenges and opportunities. We see them as a chance to transform the learning experience, not a threat.
We’re embracing this with automation, intelligent workflows, AI, embeddable learning, and skills management. With these tools, LearnUpon is ready to lead the future of learning. Exciting times ahead!
Are there any major changes you would like to see in your sector?
The sector often focuses on features instead of the real impact learning can deliver. We’d love to see a shift toward experiences that inspire growth, spark creativity, and drive meaningful outcomes, moving beyond the race to the bottom.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given in business?
Focus on alignment. Scaling successfully means knowing who you’re building for, why, and making sure everyone understands it. A coach encouraged us to document our culture early, and that decision has been one of the most impactful we’ve made.
What advice would you give to others starting out in business?
Talk to your customers, early, often, and with open ears. Listen to understand, not assume. Validating your ideas before building keeps you focused on real problems, making product development, growth, and funding much easier. Solve something people truly value, and everything else follows.
What have been your highlights in business over the past year?
In a crowded market of over 1,000 competitors, building one of the world’s leading learning solutions is a huge achievement. Seeing the real-world impact on our customers is incredibly rewarding.
This year, we also launched Learning Journeys, a dynamic workflow engine praised as truly unique by customers and analysts. It marks our fifth major EdTech disruption in 13 years.
What does being part of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year community mean to you, and how important is networking and connection to your journey as a business leader?
It’s about connecting with experienced leaders who offer invaluable advice and support. As first-time founders, Des and I have leaned on guidance from Enterprise Ireland, our board, Endeavor, the NDRC, and the Leadership for Growth programme. Continuous learning is key, and the EY Entrepreneur of the Year network gives us the insights and connections to continue to grow and scale LearnUpon.
What is the best book you’ve ever read (non-business) and why?
As a huge Manchester United fan, one of the best non-business books I’ve read is Roy Keane’s The Second Half. Beyond sports, it’s a masterclass in leadership, accountability, and excellence. Keane’s brutal honesty shows that authentic leadership isn’t about being liked: it’s about setting standards and holding everyone, including yourself, accountable.
What is your favourite hobby and why?
I love watching any ball sports (football, hurling, rugby), but going to live football matches is my favourite pastime. As a lifelong Kildare supporter, having the opportunity to bring my young daughter and son to games at the weekends is something I look forward to, even if Lillywhites don’t always win! Beyond the thrill, they teach lessons in strategy, adaptability, teamwork, and leadership.
What is your mantra for life?
My mantra for life is simple: keep learning. I stay curious, embrace challenges as opportunities to grow, and see every experience as an opportunity to learn new things. At LearnUpon, we witness daily the transformative power of learning, how it can change individuals, teams, and organisations, and I strive to live that philosophy in everything I do.
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