The Story of Libertas Software: Adrian Sweeney on the Ace Founder Podcast

Our founder, Adrian Sweeney, recently sat down with Xavi Umeh for an episode of the Ace Founder podcast, produced by 45Fusion. Over a little more than an hour they covered the story behind Libertas Software, what 26 years in the industry teaches you about building software that people actually use, and why Adrian believes AI is the ultimate force multiplier for small businesses.

From Internet Explorer 3 to government websites

Adrian has been coding since he was eight years old. After 26 years in the industry he has built everything from content management systems for government departments in Dublin to billing platforms for law firms. The conversation starts back in the days of Internet Explorer 3 and follows the path that led to Libertas, including the story behind the name.

Today Libertas Software runs as a custom software consultancy, helping businesses identify and eliminate the processes that quietly drain their time and money.

Know the pain point before you build

A recurring theme in the episode is that the biggest mistake founders make with custom software is not knowing which pain point they are actually trying to solve.

“If you don’t recognise the pain point, the cost of fixing it will never seem like value.”

Adrian talks through how to tell whether you genuinely need custom software at all, and describes the question he asks before building anything:

“Who in the company will be against this new system? Go make them the stakeholder.”

He also shares the story of a billing system that turned a lawyer working with a quill into a champion for software.

AI as a force multiplier

The second half of the conversation turns to AI. Adrian describes how it helped him build a quarter of a million lines of code in three months, and why he thinks small businesses stand to gain the most from it.

“AI is a force multiplier. That’s all it is. Don’t use it to replace people — use it to make your people do more.”

That speed comes with a warning. Adrian uses AI as a pair programmer rather than letting it run unsupervised:

“Don’t accept what AI gives you. Read every paragraph. Review every line. It’s a draft. An alpha draft.”

Sales, and the value of time

The episode opens with sales, the one thing Adrian says nobody warns founders about, and closes on a reminder that applies to every project we take on:

“Time is the most expensive thing in the world. There’s only a finite amount of it and it runs out fast.”

What’s in the episode

• 01:45 Why sales is the one thing nobody warns founders about
• 04:12 From Internet Explorer 3 to building government websites in Dublin
• 14:30 The story behind the name, and what Libertas actually means
• 19:00 What Libertas Software does, and how to know if you need custom software
• 27:15 Why Adrian always asks “who in the company will be against this?”
• 31:00 The billing system that turned a lawyer with a quill into a software champion
• 42:00 How AI helped build a quarter of a million lines of code in three months
• 49:30 Why you should never let AI run blindly

Listen to the full episode

You can watch the interview above, or read the show notes and find the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube on the 45Fusion Ace Founder page.

If the conversation sparks a question about a process in your own business, get in touch. Working out whether custom software is the right answer is what we do.