Pictured at the HPSUs mid-year announcment is Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD, Alan Wyley(right) founder of Connectedtrips.com and Michael Moriarty, Enterprise Ireland.

Figures for the first half of this year prove optimistic, showing the number of Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Start-Up companies up 26% and jobs up 20% on same period last year. Every issue of our Newsletter profiles one of these new exciting start-ups. Today it's time for Connectedtrips.com

Dublin based Connectedtrips Limited is one of HPSUs supported by Enterprise Ireland in 2012. The company currently employs 5 people and has committed to creating an additional 17 jobs by the end of 2014.

Connectedtrips is a global travel website and online community aimed at anyone who is interested in holidays, retreats and courses in the area of personal growth i.e. yoga, meditation, nutrition, healing and self help.

The company has just launched its global website aimed at the wellness market.  It promotes indoor and outdoor activities that will help people deepen the connection to themselves, spiritually, emotionally or physically.

Connectedtrips was founded in 2011 by serial entrepreneur Alan Wyley, co-founder of eWare and former CEO of EuroCommerce.

The company was formed in late 2011 and was initially was supported by Enterprise Ireland through a Feasibility Study Grant to complete the market research.

Having successfully raised €250,000 from private investors Connectedtrips received matching funds from Enterprise Ireland in June 2012.

“Today we have a quality stable product and over 1,000 centres listed in 18 countries around the world and over 3,000 pages of relevant content,” says Alan Wyley, Founder and CEO of Connectedtrips.  “We believe we have proven that there is a need out there with the centres and our next challenge is to pull the users through to make enquiries and bookings with us over the coming months.”

The company is located at Dogpatch Labs, Barrow Street, Dublin, an organisation which located in Ireland for the first time in 2011 following an investment by the National Pensions Reserve Fund under Innovation Fund Ireland.

Dogpatch Labs Europe in Dublin is now home to 21 companies, each of which have hiring plans similar to Connected Trips and will be looking to scale their teams aggressively in the coming months and quarters.

http://www.connectedtrips.com/about

http://dogpatchlabs.com/about/