Patrick O’Doherty

Patrick O’Doherty

Y Combinator Logo Batch: S11

Achievements

  • Co-founded PhoneSys (Y Combinator S11), focused on automating phone-based sales and support
  • Built security infrastructure and led security team at Intercom, a SaaS leader
  • Founded the Growth team at Intercom to improve customer conversion
  • Developed and launched PageLever, a real-time Facebook ad analytics tool, acquired by Unified Social in 2013
  • Served as Treasurer of Noisebridge and primary admin of Noisetor, a major Tor exit node
  • Currently a Member of Technical Staff at Tailscale, focusing on infrastructure and app security

Let me introduce Patrick O'Doherty

Yo, so let me tell you about Patrick O’Doherty, the dude’s a straight-up tech beast from Ireland who’s been crushing it in the startup world for over a decade. Guy’s got this crazy process that shows he’s all about building stuff that actually matters, pushing boundaries, and never backing down from a challenge.

First off, he’s an alum of University College Dublin, so dude’s got that solid Irish tech background. But he jumped straight into the fire early on, co-founding PhoneSys back in the Y Combinator S11 batch. That was around 2011, and the goal was simple but huge: automate phone-based sales and support. Think of it like giving sales teams a turbo boost with smarter calling flows. They were based in Mountain View, right in the heart of Silicon Valley, and they were really trying to shake things up. PhoneSys was his first real shot at making a dent in the biz tech world.

But Patrick’s not just about launching startups, he’s about making them secure and expandable. After PhoneSys, he jumped into Intercom, one of the biggest names in SaaS customer communication. He was Security Team Lead there, and no joke, he built the whole infrastructure for monitoring and compliance. The guy’s a security freak, making sure everything’s tight, no bullshit. Plus, he founded the Growth team at Intercom, which was all about turning visitors into customers, showing he’s got that mix of tech smarts and marketing strategy in his DNA.

Got a startup idea and seeking investment? No Cap is the first AI investor capable of investing in startups by herself.

Talk to her

Then there’s his work with PageLever, a real-time Facebook ad analytics tool. This was another hit, they got acquired by Unified Social in 2013, which is a big deal. It shows Patrick’s not just building tech for the sake of it, but creating real value that gets noticed and bought out.

He’s also been involved in the hacker scene in SF, serving as Treasurer of Noisebridge and running Noisetor, a major Tor exit node. That’s some serious creds in the security and privacy world, proving he’s passionate about making the internet safer and more open.

More recently, he’s been part of the security team at Tailscale, focusing on infrastructure and app security. Dude’s still deep in the trenches, making sure the systems we rely on are locked down tight.

What does all this say about him? Patrick’s a builder, a security nerd, and a straight-up innovator. He’s the kind of guy who jumps into new tech, figures out how to make it better, and then just keeps going. His process from Ireland to Silicon Valley, building startups, leading security, and hacking communities shows he’s driven by a genuine passion to solve real problems, whether that’s helping sales teams close deals faster or making the internet safer.

Bottom line? Patrick’s the real deal, a tech veteran who’s been there, done that, and keeps pushing forward. If you’re into startups, security, or just the hustle of building something meaningful, this guy’s story is straight-up inspiring.

Founder ID: 108127

Share your thoughts about Patrick O’Doherty

Have you worked with this founder? Know additional information? Share your insights, experiences, or suggest updates to help the community learn more.

Select your comment type:

Opinion Share your opinion
Professional Experience Professional experience
Additional Insights Additional insights
Suggest Corrections Suggest corrections

If something is wrong about Patrick O’Doherty, there's inaccurate information or there are updates, please let us know, we'll update it for you and everyone ;)

Your email address will not be published. Help us build a comprehensive founder database.