The Gef 30 Under 30 campaign celebrates young Manx professionals shaping the Isle of Man’s future through leadership, creativity and ambition, but Daniel Martin never set out to win awards.
Daniel is the brain behind jobsearch.im, a streamlined, AI-powered platform that’s shaking up how local employers and job seekers connect. He’s also the founder of designbase.co, a digital agency working with businesses to build clever products, quickly.
‘I think innovation is about creating, building and launching new products, services, and business models that improve on what is currently available,’ he says. ‘With jobsearch.im, we’ve made the hiring process faster, more transparent, and more accessible for everyone involved.’
His journey started with a decision to stay on the island. Instead of heading to university, Daniel studied Computer Science at UCM while working part-time.
‘I didn’t want to take on loads of debt or be a burden on my family,’ he says. ‘It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. I had a supportive employer, got real-world experience, and by the time I graduated I’d already built strong industry relationships.’
After stints in UX design and product leadership roles, Daniel took the leap into self-employment. He admits he overthought it, spending months wrestling with ‘what ifs’ before finally going for it.
‘Not everything I’ve tried has worked out perfectly, but I’ve learned more in the past year than the previous five combined.’
He’s also honest about the challenges, particularly the lack of structured support for local startups.
‘A lot of the current Government support is geared towards businesses focused on exporting. It’s fantastic that it’s available at all, but it does make it more difficult to establish and grow ventures aimed specifically at solving a local problem.’
Still, Daniel is looking ahead. His next venture aims to bring together a startup accelerator, AI consultancy, and digital product studio for the Isle of Man.
‘There are so many opportunities to apply emerging tech here, to solve real problems in smarter ways. I want to be part of building that momentum.’
When asked about role models, Daniel doesn’t name a celebrity. Instead, he speaks about his cousin, Lucas ‘Looky’ Martin, who passed away in 2023 from meningitis at just 21.
‘Looky was a force of nature: funny, smart, driven, and incredibly kind. Without a doubt, he would have gone on to achieve amazing things.’
Lucas’s family have since launched Looky’s Aid, a charity supporting disadvantaged young people on the island, based on the values Lucas lived by: Love, Optimism, Ambition, Determination and Selflessness – or LOADS.
‘That acronym’s become a north star for our whole family,’ says Daniel. ‘Watching them rally together to honour his legacy has been the biggest example of strength and resilience I’ve ever seen.’