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Open to Work
TOLAND
Adam

Irish entrepreneur from Derry, Northern Ireland. Won a full scholarship to the University of Notre Dame — then stayed to co-found a startup, close a $6M deal, raise $450K, and win $120K in competition prize money. Now back home and looking to bring that commercial and analytical edge to high-growth AI and tech.

Adam Toland
GTM Operator· Startup Founder· AI Enthusiast· Fulbright Scholar· Notre Dame ESTEEM· Derry, N. Ireland· GTM Operator· Startup Founder· AI Enthusiast· Fulbright Scholar· Notre Dame ESTEEM· Derry, N. Ireland·
Experience
DoorBlockade
May 2024 – Mar 2026
💼 Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer 📍 South Bend, Indiana
Security hardware startup developing a patented device that secures interior doors in under five seconds during active-threat emergencies.
  • Built and led all commercial sales and operations from pre-revenue to $85K revenue and $730K pipeline within four months.
  • Owned full sales cycle end-to-end — prospecting, SDR outreach (cold call/email/LinkedIn), discovery calls, demos, in-person pitches, deal close, and post-sale account management.
  • Secured a $450K investment round and formed an experienced advisory board. Finished 2nd in the McCloskey New Venture Competition (3rd largest startup pitch competition in the US), winning $25K.
  • Developed brand identity, positioning, and messaging from scratch; conducted 120+ primary stakeholder interviews to expand target market from schools into healthcare, financial services, and government.
IDEA Center — University of Notre Dame
May 2022 – May 2024
💼 Lead Business Development Analyst 📍 South Bend, Indiana
Commercialisation and venture creation centre at the University of Notre Dame.
  • Identified a market opportunity via a corporate press release, built a targeted outbound list of C-suite decision makers, and pitched directly to CXOs at major hospitality brands including Marriott.
  • Closed a $6M placement deal with Choice Hotels to hire 76 Afghan refugees into entry-level hospitality roles, directly addressing the industry's 86% staff turnover rate.
  • Supervised a business development and sales team executing outbound campaigns to support student entrepreneurs with GTM and growth strategy.
Education
🎓
University of Notre Dame
M.S. in Engineering, Science & Technology Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM)
Aug 2024 – May 2025 Full Scholarship
Graduate programme for STEM candidates focused on technology commercialisation. Coursework included generative AI (technical foundations of AI systems), sales and growth hacking, and technical marketing.
Generative AI Sales & Growth Hacking Technical Marketing Technology Commercialisation
🎓
University of Notre Dame
B.S. Mathematics & Spanish (Honours) · Minor in Data Science
Aug 2020 – May 2024 Fulbright Scholar
Double degree in Mathematics and Spanish with a minor in Data Science. Coursework spanned statistical modelling, data analysis, and Hispanic linguistics.
Mathematics Spanish Data Science Minor Fulbright Scholar iTREDS Scholar
📚
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Certificate in TEFL/ESL — Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Jan 2020 – Apr 2020 Barcelona
Completed during a gap year in Barcelona while simultaneously teaching English at Escola Pia de Caldes. Formal qualification in teaching methodology, lesson planning, and language acquisition for non-native speakers.
Ventures &
Projects
🚀
Venture
DoorBlockade
Patented door security device for active-threat emergencies. Co-founded from pre-revenue; raised $450K, generated $85K revenue and $730K pipeline.
Read more →
🤝
Venture
IDEA Center — $6M Deal
Identified a market gap, built a C-suite outbound list from scratch, and closed a $6M placement deal with Choice Hotels to employ 76 Afghan refugees.
Read more →
⚡
Coming Soon
AI GTM Automation Flow
An end-to-end GTM workflow built in Replit, integrating AI models, CRM tooling, and MCP connections to automate outbound prospecting and lead qualification.
In progress
🧠
Coming Soon
More projects coming
Building in public. Check back soon — or connect on LinkedIn to follow along as new projects take shape.
Watch this space
Recognition
🏅
$120K First Prize — Daniels Fund Technology Ethics Competition
University of Notre Dame
2024
🏅
2nd Place + $25K — McCloskey New Venture Competition
University of Notre Dame
2024
🏅
Fulbright US–UK Programme Scholar
US–UK Fulbright Commission
2020
🏅
iTREDS Scholar
Interdisciplinary Training & Research in Ethical Data Science — University of Notre Dame
2022
🏅
Fighting Irish Scholar — Full Scholarship
University of Notre Dame
2021
🏅
James Toland Modern Languages Award
Derry, Northern Ireland
2019
🏅
Euroscola 2018
European Parliament, Strasbourg
2018
Skills &
Languages
Commercial & GTM
B2B Sales Cold Calling Sales Cycle Management Business Development GTM Strategy Customer Discovery Account Management Outbound Prospecting
Tools & Tech
Claude HubSpot CRM Apollo LinkedIn Sales Navigator Replit
Languages
English (Native) Spanish (Advanced — lived in Barcelona) French (Intermediate) Irish (Elementary)
Credentials & Certifications
Anthropic
AI Fluency Framework & Foundations
Certificate of Completion
Anthropic
Claude 101
Certificate of Completion
Replit
Beginner Builder
Level 1 Certification
American Red Cross
CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers
with First Aid
Standard Response Protocol
SRP & Standard Reunification Method
Crisis Response Certification
Beyond
the CV

A few things that matter to me outside of work — because the best professionals are usually whole people first.

⚽
Derry City FC
Watching the Candystripes at the Brandywell with family and friends. There's something about local football — the community, the ritual, the way it roots you to a place — that no amount of travel can replace.
🌍
Languages & cultures
Fluent in Spanish, working on French, traces of Irish and Catalan. Learning a language is the most honest way to understand a culture — I've lived in Spain, studied across the US, and I'm not done yet.
🎵
Tin whistle
Traditional Irish music played on a simple six-hole instrument. There's a directness to it — no performance, no pretension. Just the tune and whoever's listening.
🪂
Skydiving
I used to be afraid of heights. Jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet was a deliberate attempt to deal with that. It worked. I've since learned that most fears shrink the moment you stop negotiating with them.
✈️
Solo travel
Some of the best decisions I've made started with a one-way ticket. Barcelona, South Bend, wherever's next. Unfamiliar places force you to be present in a way comfortable ones rarely do.
🗞️
Geopolitics & current affairs
Particularly Irish politics, the evolving role of the EU, and the intersection of technology and power. The world is moving fast — trying to keep up with it is both a habit and a responsibility.
✊
Social justice
From writing a thesis on Afro-indigenous identity to closing a deal that employed 76 Afghan refugees — I've tried to put this into practice, not just hold it as a belief. Standing up for people who don't have a platform isn't optional for me.
If something on this page
caught your attention,
let's talk!

Whether it's a new opportunity, a GTM challenge, or just a conversation worth having — my inbox is open.

LinkedIn [email protected]
© 2026 Adam Toland · adamtoland.com