Pauline Timony
Co-Founder of RoutineRoo
Second Place, WE Innovate National Final
A Purpose-Driven Beginning
RoutineRoo began at the kitchen table of a very busy working mum of three. Pauline knew that structure worked brilliantly in her life as a software tester and COO - yet bedtime with her toddler was spiralling into two hours of chaos. The night she sketched a simple storyboard to visualise the routine, everything shifted. Calm replaced conflict. That spark raised a bigger question: if visual structure works this well, why isn’t it easy for every parent to use?
RoutineRoo turns everyday flashpoints - mornings, bedtimes, transitions - into personalised, AI-powered storyboards where children see themselves and their world in the routine. It blends behavioural techniques long used by therapists with intuitive technology, so families can create calmer homes, and children can build lifelong skills in self-management and independence.
From Lived Experience to Venture
Pauline spent her career solving complex problems with technology, leading teams, and improving processes. Parenting, she discovered, was the hardest problem of all. She laughs now about the period when breakfast only worked with “one pink spoon and three purple spoons,” but the reality was draining: the morning sprint to get three kids out the door felt like a full day before work even began.
Those experiences, hers and co-founder Kristina King’s, grounded RoutineRoo in empathy and evidence. The pair share values, complementing skill sets, and the real-life insight of parenting six children between them. Pauline calls Kristina the ideal co-founder: marketing expertise, lived experience, and a constant sounding board that de-risks the journey.
Choosing Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship wasn’t a childhood plan. Growing up in the Glens of Antrim, Pauline didn’t even have the word for it. Queen’s University ignited a love of Business and IT; years later, leading at Catalyst as Head of Entrepreneurship reshaped what felt possible. Programmes like Matthew McKeown’s Hello Possible and time at MIT learning Bill Aulet’s 24 Steps of Disciplined Entrepreneurship provided a framework - and a question that stuck: “Why not me?”
RoutineRoo became the perfect storm of skills, networks, and purpose: software testing and IT leadership, entrepreneurial training, and the messy, beautiful reality of parenting, including a year of home schooling through the pandemic.
Why WE Innovate, Why Then
When Pauline saw WE Innovate run out of Queen’s, in partnership with Imperial, it felt like home and high-calibre in the same breath. RoutineRoo had early validation from parents and therapists, and Pauline had just stepped away from full-time employment to focus on the venture while consulting to pay the bills. Prototypes were emerging; the vision was forming. She needed structure, focus, and support to turn promise into a validated, scalable business. The programme’s blend - pitch practice, financials, storytelling, and founder mindset - landed at exactly the right moment.
Early Momentum and Real Challenges
The first months were electric. Primary research confirmed the problem and willingness to pay; competitor scans clarified why existing solutions weren’t sticking. Technology pathways, grant applications, and a sharpened value proposition followed. Flexibility mattered, too - with three kids, a GAA-coaching husband, goats, and chickens, designing her own schedule created headspace she’d never had.
The toughest parts were money, stress, and risk. Consulting kept the lights on, but context-switching between building others’ businesses and validating her own was intense. Pauline names the tension honestly: passion and pressure, side by side, and still, the conviction that RoutineRoo was needed.
Belonging on a University-Led Programme
Returning to Queen’s felt like a second chance, this time with perspective and appreciation. She’s mindful that university settings can feel intimidating; the We Innovate team made it radically inclusive. Every detail of delivery signalled thoughtfulness, so founders from all backgrounds felt seen and supported. It was, she says, a beautifully designed experience where anyone could thrive.
What Surprised Her Most
Progress came quickly, and so did confidence. Even in a competitive, staged process, the cohort became close. “It never felt like competition; it felt collective,” Pauline reflects. Timely reflective exercises helped her reconnect with her “why,” the anchor she returned to on the tougher days.
How the Cohort Shaped the Product
Mentors helped RoutineRoo see the quickest route to market, with pragmatic advice that never overwhelmed. The team realised scaling didn’t have to mean venture capital; there are multiple paths. They refocused to generate revenue earlier than planned and refined a B2B strategy aligned with their values.
Just as powerful were the friendships. The founders still trade opportunities, sense-check ideas, and provide a safe place to celebrate, problem-solve, or simply exhale. That peer community is now part of RoutineRoo’s operating system.
Pivotal Moments
The Founders’ Retreat raised the bar on what felt possible. Being treated like the ambitious leaders they are fostered worthiness - and ambition. The final-pitch preparation transformed Pauline’s delivery: mentors encouraged a storytelling approach, mini-stories, and visuals that brought prototypes to life. The pain point and solution became vivid and relatable.
Sharing a national stage with finalists from Imperial and four outstanding founders from Northern Ireland was an honour. Taking second place felt like proof that RoutineRoo matters, and a step closer to supporting parents who want to do a great job but don’t yet have the tools.
Impact Since the Programme
Momentum has surged. RoutineRoo has secured more than £180,000 in non-dilutive funding within a year, including winning InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn regional final (£50,000) and advancing to the All-Ireland final. The venture deepened clinical partnerships through an Ulster University Innovation Voucher with Dr Claire McDowell and behavioural therapists to ensure evidence-based boards. Collaboration with the AI Collaboration Centre (AICC) is shaping an ethical, inclusive approach to AI aligned with UK protected characteristics, with plans for academic publication.
Community is becoming a moat. Hundreds of parents in the Facebook group and a growing waitlist are co-designing with Pauline and Kristina alongside behavioural therapists and psychologists. Feedback is direct and uplifting: “It’s changed the way I parent,” “It’s scary how quickly this works,” “My child can regulate and communicate better.”
RoutineRoo has achieved Innovate UK client status, secured a Future Screens NI Proof of Concept grant, and received an Invest NI Innovation Voucher, fuel for the next development phase. Kristina now dedicates a day a week exclusively to RoutineRoo, compounding momentum.
What Makes WE Innovate Different
Pauline has joined many programmes; WE Innovate stands apart because it creates time and space to do the work. It’s richly resourced, thoughtfully paced, and delivered by people with genuine expertise and lived experience. Nothing felt rushed; everything felt intentional - tailored to each founder and venture.
Levelling the Playing Field for Women
Female-only programmes still matter. The psychological safety in WE Innovate was transformative. Inclusive design showed up everywhere: recognising caring responsibilities, geography, and the financial risk many women shoulder when leaving stable roles. Practical supports like childcare and travel funding removed friction. “There were no unnecessary hoops,” Pauline notes. “Everything was handled with transparency and empathy.” The men involved in delivery modelled allyship, helping create an environment that was safe, respectful, and ambitious.
How WE Innovate Shaped the Future Story
The timing was perfect: during primary market research, when it’s tempting to rush. We Innovate provided the structure and accountability to do first principles well - validate the problem, confirm commercial viability, build financial projections, and craft a clear funding strategy. Beyond frameworks, the programme delivered a lasting network: mentors to call, peers to lean on, and a community to grow with.
Why You Should Apply
If you’re a woman with an idea and you’re wondering whether now is the moment, Pauline’s view is simple: this programme raises your ambition and gives you the tools and tribe to match it. There will be tough days and real trade-offs. The foundation you build here - clarity, confidence, and commercial discipline - helps you move through doubt and back into action. WE Innovate doesn’t just teach you how to build; it stands alongside you while you do it.
In Her Words
“It massively raised my ambitions. I have a quiet confidence now - that we’re the right people to take this global. We have the skills, the network, and the support to make it real.”