Bev O’Connell is the Founder and CEO of BookSwipe, a community-driven platform created to bring people together through the simple and powerful act of sharing physical books. Along with her co-founder, Tilly Wallace, she is building more than just an app. She is shaping a space where stories travel from one hand to another, conversations begin naturally, and human connection is placed back at the centre of technology. Bev leads the overall vision, partnerships, and long-term strategy of BookSwipe, while Tilly plays a vital role in growth planning, operations, and scaling the business. Their partnership is built on balance, trust, and a shared belief that technology should serve people, not distance them.
At its core, BookSwipe is designed to work like a modern, community-powered library. It allows users to exchange books with others nearby, creating opportunities for discussion, friendships, and shared experiences. Beyond the app, Bev and Tilly are also developing a future initiative called Book Drop. This initiative is focused on redirecting books into underfunded schools through corporate sponsorships, without adding financial pressure on school budgets. Through Book Drop, BookSwipe aims to create a sustainable, scalable way for organisations to support education while helping students rediscover the joy of reading.
“If an idea comes from lived experience and solves a real human problem, then it belongs in the tech space.”
Bev’s path into technology did not follow a traditional route. She did not begin her career with the goal of working in tech. Instead, her journey started with a deeply personal and human experience. After the Covid pandemic, she noticed how much isolation had affected young people, including her own daughter. When schools reopened, her daughter returned feeling disconnected, unsure of how to rebuild friendships or engage socially again. One day, her daughter shared a simple but powerful thought, saying she wished she just had something to talk to her friends about. That moment stayed with Bev. It made her realise how much young people were struggling to reconnect and how technology, if used thoughtfully, could help bring people back together instead of pushing them further apart.
This realisation became the foundation of BookSwipe. Initially, Bev imagined it as a tool for students, especially those returning to school after long periods of isolation. The idea was to use books as a natural conversation starter, something familiar and comforting that could help students rebuild confidence and social bonds. As the idea grew, it became clear that this need was not limited to schools alone. Many adults were also feeling isolated, disconnected, and craving meaningful interaction. This wider need led to the evolution of BookSwipe into a platform designed for universities, workplaces, and broader communities.
As the concept expanded, Bev knew she needed the right partner to help turn the vision into a scalable, sustainable platform. That is when Tilly Wallace joined as co-founder. Tilly brought strategic thinking, operational strength, and a deep belief in the mission. Together, they transformed BookSwipe from a simple idea into a growing platform supported by collaboration, learning, and resilience. Their partnership combines Bev’s creative, fast-moving energy with Tilly’s structure and clarity, creating a strong foundation for growth.
“Diversity and neurodiversity are not obstacles in technology; they are strengths that shape more inclusive and meaningful solutions.”
What Bev enjoys most about working in the tech field is the ability to move ideas into action quickly. Technology allows creativity and impact to happen at speed. For her, the most rewarding part is seeing real people use BookSwipe to connect, exchange books, and form friendships. These moments remind her that technology becomes truly powerful when it supports human relationships rather than replacing them. BookSwipe is not about screens alone; it is about the conversations and connections that continue beyond the app.
Like many women in technology, Bev has faced challenges along her journey. Working in a male-dominated industry has often meant having to work harder to be taken seriously, especially as a founder without a traditional technical background. On top of this, she has also navigated the realities of living with ADHD while building a company. High-pressure situations such as pitching, technical discussions, and fast-paced decision-making have sometimes brought challenges around focus, memory, and overwhelm. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, Bev has learned to understand and work with her neurodiversity.
Having Tilly as a co-founder has been a key source of support and stability. Tilly’s steady leadership and structured approach have helped balance Bev’s creative drive. Together, they have created a company culture that values different ways of thinking and working. Bev now sees both her neurodiversity and their partnership as strengths that have shaped BookSwipe’s success and resilience.
Staying updated with trends and innovation in technology is something Bev approaches through people rather than just reports or data. She believes conversations are one of the most powerful tools for learning. She regularly engages with founders, educators, developers, and community leaders to understand what is changing and why. She attends global events such as the Qatar Tech Summit, listens to industry podcasts, and most importantly, stays closely connected to BookSwipe’s users. Their feedback, experiences, and needs often guide innovation more effectively than any trend forecast.
Looking ahead, Bev believes that technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and community-driven platforms will play a major role in shaping the future. In the context of BookSwipe, AI has the potential to enhance book recommendations, improve community matching, and create more personalised reading journeys. Used responsibly, these tools can help deepen connections between users and make reading a more shared, meaningful experience.
BookSwipe’s contribution to digital transformation lies in how it blends technology with sustainability and human connection. In a world increasingly driven by digital consumption, BookSwipe encourages reuse, sharing, and a circular economy through physical books. It reimagines how people interact with books in a digital age, proving that innovation does not always mean replacing the old, but sometimes rethinking how it is shared.
The upcoming Book Drop initiative represents the next stage of this impact. By creating structured pathways for corporate sponsorship, BookSwipe aims to channel books back into underfunded schools. This approach helps students gain access to reading materials without placing additional strain on school budgets. BookSwipe acts as both a digital platform and a physical library, making access to books more equitable and scalable across communities.
One of Bev’s proudest achievements is turning an idea born from her daughter’s post-Covid struggles into a real, functioning platform. Seeing BookSwipe adopted by schools, universities, and corporations is a reminder that deeply personal experiences can lead to solutions with wide-reaching impact. She is equally proud of building this journey alongside Tilly, whose leadership and belief in the mission have been essential to the company’s growth. The vision for Book Drop excites her deeply, as it represents BookSwipe’s ability to give back and create lasting social change.
For Bev, leadership in the digital age is rooted in empathy, authenticity, adaptability, and resilience. While technology evolves quickly, people move with emotion, experience, and feeling. She believes leaders must understand both the pace of innovation and the human side of change. This belief shapes how she leads her team and how she builds products.
Innovation within the BookSwipe team is encouraged through curiosity and openness. Bev creates an environment where team members feel safe sharing bold ideas without fear of failure. She believes innovation often comes from experimentation and learning, not from getting everything right the first time. This mindset allows the team to grow together and respond creatively to challenges.
“Technology becomes truly powerful when it supports real human connection rather than replacing it.”
Teamwork plays a central role in BookSwipe’s success. The platform exists because of collaboration between founders, developers, designers, partners, educators, and the wider community. Bev often highlights Tilly’s contribution, noting how her clarity and strategic thinking have helped the company navigate challenges and scale with confidence. She strongly believes that no meaningful company is built alone.
Balancing work and personal life is an ongoing process for Bev. Her family remains her grounding force, and her daughters are deeply connected to the story behind BookSwipe. This connection serves as a constant reminder of why the work matters. She also prioritises her health, movement, and mental well-being, understanding that she can only lead effectively when she is supported both physically and emotionally.
When speaking to young women who want to enter the tech industry, Bev’s advice is rooted in confidence and self-belief. She encourages them to trust their ideas, stop waiting for permission, and not allow imposter syndrome to hold them back. She believes lived experience is a powerful asset in technology, especially when it helps solve real human problems. If an idea meets a genuine need, then it belongs in the tech space.
Diversity and inclusion are, in Bev’s view, essential to the future of technology. She believes diverse teams create better, more inclusive products. Since technology shapes how society functions, it should be built by people who reflect that society. This includes women, neurodiverse individuals, and people from different cultures and backgrounds. Inclusion is not just a value; it is a responsibility.
For future tech leaders, Bev highlights the importance of emotional intelligence, communication, strategic thinking, and adaptability, alongside digital skills. She believes the future of leadership is as much about understanding people as it is about building products. Strong leaders are those who can listen, learn, and lead with empathy.
Setbacks and challenges are part of every founder’s journey, and Bev approaches them as learning opportunities. Rather than seeing failure as an endpoint, she views it as feedback. Reflection, growth, and forward movement are central to how she handles difficult moments. This mindset has helped her navigate the uncertainties of building a startup.
Looking toward 2026 and beyond, Bev and Tilly aim to expand BookSwipe across the UAE and then internationally. Strengthening partnerships with schools, universities, and enterprises remains a key focus, along with deepening the platform’s impact in sustainability and community building. The launch of Book Drop is a major priority, as it represents the next step in creating meaningful change through access to books.
“BookSwipe was born from a simple human need-the desire to reconnect, to share stories, and to feel less alone in a world that had grown distant.”
Bev hopes that technology in the coming years becomes more human-centred. She envisions tools that help people feel less isolated, more understood, and more connected. Technology, in her view, should enhance relationships rather than replace them. BookSwipe is her contribution to this vision, a platform built not just on code, but on care.
Her message to readers and aspiring leaders is simple yet powerful. She encourages them to lead with purpose, stay true to their values, and not be afraid to build something different. Ideas rooted in lived experience deserve to be taken seriously. Every perspective matter, and the world needs more leaders who build with empathy, courage, and heart.