At the heart of any successful innovation is a deep understanding of human needs. For Liam Maguire, Co-founder of the HR Tech company Croissant, an IPBN member company, the mission is simple yet ambitious: to create software that makes the world a better place. Croissant operates under the umbrella project, Innova, which is dedicated to taking ideas from vision to reality, aiming to change the world one organisation at a time.

From Schoolyard Sweets to Silicon Dreams

Liam, alongside co-founders Pierre and Fábio Bagulho, established Croissant in Porto in 2024, but the seeds of entrepreneurship were planted much earlier. Liam recalls that the "entrepreneurial instinct has always been in our blood," from selling sweets at school to washing cars in the neighborhood. With this shared drive and Fábio coming from an entrepreneurial background, the trio was "always destined to become friends and ultimately start a business."

The inspiration for Croissant struck when Pierre received a particularly tedious email request to complete a survey. Liam recounts the "spark of ideas" that followed: What if complex feedback was broken down into one simple question every day? And what if that question was asked at the most necessary moment, covering the exact topic the employee cared about? A quick trip to Porto later, and the company was established, ready to tackle the complexity of employee feedback through an innovative approach.

The Ideal Team for Impact

The strength of Croissant lies in its diverse and determined founding team. Their backgrounds—encompassing law, entrepreneurship, and engineering—create what Liam describes as "an ideal foundation." With determination, they are partnering with forward-thinking leaders in people, culture, and change to tackle the systemic issues affecting workplace engagement and growth.

This focus on actionable feedback is already delivering tangible results, as evidenced by their work with a major telecommunications company.

Case Study: GrupoInmarc

Croissant has been working with GrupoInmarc, a large telecommunications company with offices in Spain and Portugal, for over six months. Leaders at GrupoInmark have described the app as an "effective communication tool." In an industry like telemarketing, where "mood can change very quickly," GrupoInmark has leveraged the regular check-ins to monitor employee sentiment. The company has seen real improvement in leader-team member relationships and is actively using the platform's insights to improve day-to-day decision-making.

A Message to the Network

In closing, Liam shared a powerful message for all business leaders within the IPBN community:

"We encourage all leaders to take time to understand and listen to their people."

He emphasizes that when people feel heard, they are far more likely to "show up with purpose." Liam affirms that it’s "scientifically proven that only when you start listening to your people can you truly make the transition to becoming an empowered leader."