Sales6ix, the cloud application for sales teams, recently established their U.S. presence by opening a New York office with the support of Enterprise Ireland. Following on from this, the innovative company has recently announced deals with corporate giants Sprint, BP, Communicorp, Aer Lingus, and Pacnet.

Founded in 2011, the company is now a Salesforce.com partner. CEO, Michael McGowan, who is based in New York, said that its “recent wins in the enterprise market is confirmation that Sales6ix is a best-in-class product that is setting the standard worldwide for sales technology.”

The company is now expanding its sales and marketing activity across the U.S. Sales6ix is used by Sales VPs to effortlessly drive individual performance in the key areas of activity, opportunity progression, forecasting, closing and CRM utilization and makes sales performance management easy.

SENSORPRO, the marketing automation platform, recently announced their new SMS app at the National Retail Federation Expo held in New York's Javits convention centre. The new SMS capability is completely integrated with the SENSORPRO existing offering of email marketing, marketing automation and surveys. "Now, text messaging need not be left out in the cold from your other online marketing activities" said Chris Byrne, CEO at the show "And importantly, that the metrics can be measured directly alongside your email campaign."

This means that in addition to email and survey metrics, SENSORPRO can report who clicked on the SMS message and offer a custom landing page per campaign. Because it is integrated with the other marketing apps, SENSORPRO can create email or survey campaigns based on prior SMS metrics such as providing a special offer or incentivised survey. The app is available to use right away with no special configuration or setup required. Existing SENSORPRO accounts will see a new option on their Dashboard when enabled and metrics will show alongside email and survey metrics automatically.

The app is available for all geographic regions including the US, Canada and Europe. Pricing is competitive to existing send-only offerings with completely free landing pages, click metrics and CRM integration. The SMS app employs a direct Tier1 telecoms backbone infrastructure for reliable sending and delivery. It includes full bounce management and reporting thus reducing cost compared to other solutions who may continue sending to unreachable numbers.

SENSORPRO is a brand of 12-year old Narragansett Technologies with R&D HQ in Limerick, Ireland and US operations in Arizona and Florida.

The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) in partnership with Enterprise Ireland is running an information and networking event connecting local suppliers to opportunities in the construction sector under the Schools Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme. The event takes place on Friday 31st January 2014 in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise, Co Laois, at 9.15am.

This free event is open to construction suppliers and enterprises in a wide variety of supply categories from aggregates to windows. Attendees will learn more about the Schools PPP programme and have an opportunity to meet with the three shortlisted building candidates. The three PPP consortia that have been shortlisted by the NDFA to progress to the next stage of delivery of these schools are: Amber Education Partnership which includes PJ Hegarty & G4S Solutions, BAM PPP and Carillion Construction. Attendees will also find out how to become a sub supplier through a series of short 5 minute “pitch” meetings.

The Schools PPP project - part of a €1.4 billion PPP programme included in the Government’s Infrastructure Stimulus Plan - will see 12 new and replacement schools built in counties Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kildare, Louth, Meath, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow. In total these schools will provide accommodation for approximately 8,650 students.

The PPP company that will be selected to deliver the programme will finance the design, build and maintenance of these schools for a 25 year period. The schools will be fully furnished and equipped (except for specialist educational equipment) as part of the PPP contract with elements of the fixtures, fittings and equipment to be maintained over the 25 year period.

There will also be an Enterprise Support zone at the event where attendees can get information on topics such as the Pathways to Work initiative from the Department of Social Protection including the Jobs Ireland Services and to check eligibility for the JobsPlus scheme. The zone will also include a bond & credit rating advisory service.

For more information on how to register for the Meet the Buyer event and to check if you qualify please click here.

Glanbia plc, recently announced two new investments in Ireland which will create 40 jobs in Monaghan and 50 in Dublin. Glanbia Consumer Products, owner of the Avonmore and Premier brands, will build a new UHT (Ultra-Heat-Treated) facility to produce long-life liquid milk and cream suitable for export to emerging markets such as China, Europe and the Middle East. The new facility in Monaghan is expected to be operational by early 2014 and will employ up to 40 people. It will manufacture a range of standard and fortified UHT milk and cream products, including export versions of Glanbia’s market dairy leading brand, Avonmore Milk.

The announcement follows increased collaboration between Irish and Chinese Government Officials, with recent visits to China by both An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney. China is active in seeking sustainable sources of quality dairy produce globally, to meet its growing domestic demand for dairy.

This investment is being supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Agriculture and Food.

In other corporate developments, Glanbia Global Performance Nutrition is locating its Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) head office in Dublin to support the international growth of its leading sports nutrition brand family. Glanbia Global Performance Nutrition is a €700 million global business. This development combined with a number of new positions being created in Global Ingredients and Global business services, will create an additional 50 skilled jobs to be located in new offices in Dublin.

Colin Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of Glanbia Consumer Products commented on the announcement saying: “This new state of the art UHT facility is a key part of our strategy to develop an international business for Irish liquid milk and cream products. There is a strong business case for this investment and we have had an excellent response from potential customers, globally.”

Looking to build on the economic value of multinationals operating in Ireland was one of the most exciting and challenging initiatives identified by Government in its Action Plan for Jobs 2012.

Over the past year a new dedicated Global Sourcing team at Enterprise Ireland has worked closely with colleagues in IDA Ireland to identify multinationals representing potentially millions of euros worth of additional business right here on our own doorstep. Meeting the needs of such companies can also open doors to wider opportunities with their parents and sister companies overseas.

In addition to this, Enterprise Ireland has carefully reviewed its own client base to identify companies with products and services particularly suited to the variety of multinational companies with operations here. The Irish business processes outsourcing industry, with such companies as Abtran, VoxPro, Rigney Dolphin and Eishtec, can do especially well in this space.

Since it was established the team has made significant progress in identifying the potential of this marketplace, understanding the obstacles to realising it and finding ways they can be addressed. Joint targets and metrics have been designed to deliver on this strategy and further initiatives will be included in the forthcoming Action Plan for Jobs 2014.

Working closely with IDA Ireland, the team has met with more than 100 multinationals to discuss their procurement strategies with the primary aim of identifying import substitution opportunities. Life sciences, including medical devices and pharmaceuticals, engineering, ICT and internationally traded services have been identified as offering good medium term opportunities.

The search for new opportunities is not only confined to companies originating abroad. The team is also engaged with significant Irish companies such as Ryanair, Aer Lingus and Eircom.

In the future Ministerial participation on trade missions abroad is set to sharpen the focus on global sourcing opportunities. There are even plans for a somewhat unusual "Trade Mission to Ireland" next year as a practical way of highlighting the “world beating” quality of Irish products and services on offer.

Our research, however, has shown that there are no obvious trends or simple approaches that will provide a magic key to unlocking these opportunities. Every multinational, even ones operating in the same sector, approach purchasing differently and give their subsidiaries significantly different degrees of autonomy.

Fortunately, Irish export companies generally have a good understanding of just what it takes to compete with large, high quality competitors in overseas markets and are well able to step up to the plate. Last year's record exports of €16.2 billion, at a time of exceptionally low growth in terms of overall international trade, demonstrates that they are already competing with some of the best companies in the world and winning market share from them.

Ireland has been extremely fortunate in the calibre of overseas companies who have chosen to locate here over many years. Relatively recent arrivals, such as Google and Facebook, are leading the new wave in ICT. When they make such a choice it sends a strong message to other companies throughout the world. Likewise, when they choose to purchase the goods and services they need from Irish suppliers, the world takes note. The Global Sourcing initiative is a far more complex and influential strategy than it might appear on the surface.

Bloodline is a short film that depicts historical selective breeding of horses for speed with a focus on Ireland’s contribution to excellence in thoroughbred horse breeding. 

The story features one of the world’s highest ranked racehorses of 2013, Dawn Approach, who represents a pinnacle of modern horse speed.

The documentary details the success of Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up Company, Equinome, whose roots stem from SFI Funded Research. Equinome, is a brilliant example of Ireland’s research commercialization system in action.

The film emphasizes the significance of research into thoroughbred horse genomics at University College Dublin in the context of the global thoroughbred horse racing and breeding industries.

WATCH HERE FOR MORE:

Following Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher’s recent skiing accident, brain trauma has been making headlines. An Irish company has developed a medical device that may be of significant benefit in cases of brain injury.  Eurolec Instrumentation Ltd’s ‘Cool Brain’ was designed to cool the brain at the earliest possible opportunity in the event of a stroke, heart attack or brain trauma to achieve the best possible prognosis.

Roughly 10,000 people suffer a stroke in Ireland each year, with this leading to 1,928 deaths in 2012 alone, according to the Central Statistics Office figures.  Understandably, research teams are keen to develop new treatment procedures aimed at reducing these figures, with mild therapeutic hypothermia considered one potential method.

Induced hypothermia has long been recognised as having neuroprotective benefits and is regularly used in the treatment of ischaemic stroke, cardiac arrest and traumatic brain injury. It is also used to assist babies who experience breathing difficulties at birth and to cool the scalp of chemotherapy patients to significantly reduce hair loss. Current research suggests that the main reason for its success is promoting anti-inflammatory responses that lower cerebral metabolic rate, which in turn reduces cell death at the site of injury. One of the big advantages is that the device is portable, operating from its own rechargeable battery which is key when the device is needed in an emergency situation and in ambulances. The ability to administer such a treatment, prior to hospital admission, could offer enormous benefits.

Using an Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher the company commissioned an independent evaluation of the device by a team from the Neuroscience Department in Trinity College Dublin under the leadership of Professor Shane O’Mara. Their full academic report runs to 17 pages and concluded that the device has considerable potential and could greatly benefit patients.

Eurolec Instrumentation (together with its associate company, Oriel Medical Devices Ltd) is keen to realise the full commercial potential of the patented device and is currently pitching to interested parties and is interested in hearing from organisations that have experience with medical devices and their route to market. For more information visit the company's website.

The European Space Agency is planning to make history with its Rosetta “comet chaser” by becoming the first space mission to rendezvous with a comet, the first to attempt a landing on a comet’s surface, and the first to follow a comet as it swings around the Sun.

Two Irish companies are heavily involved in this highly ambitious space mission, CAPTEC and Space Technology Ireland. These companies are pioneers of the Irish space industry having been involved in numerous ESA science missions, and are paving the way for a growing cohort of Irish technology companies in the space sector.

Rosetta recently made headlines having “woken up” from a 31 month hibernation period to prepare for its mission objectives. Operating on solar energy alone, Rosetta was placed into a deep space slumber in June 2011 as it cruised out to a distance of nearly 800 million km from the warmth of the Sun. Now, as Rosetta’s orbit has brought it back to within 'only' 673 million km from the Sun, there is enough solar energy to power the spacecraft fully again.

Comets are considered the primitive building blocks of the Solar System and likely helped to ‘seed’ Earth with water, perhaps even the ingredients for life. But many fundamental questions about these enigmatic objects remain, and through its comprehensive, in situ study of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta aims to unlock the secrets contained within.

Rosetta will track the evolution of the comet on a daily basis and for over a year, providing a unique insight into a comet’s behaviour and ultimately helping to decipher their role in the formation of the Solar System.

Two Irish companies are actively involved with the mission; Space Technology Ireland Ltd (STIL), led by renowned space scientist, Professor Susan McKenna-Lawlor, was responsible for the development of the hardware supporting communications between the orbiter and lander.

CAPTEC provided the independent validation of mission critical software and developed the software for the communications interface between the orbiter and the lander. CAPTEC also provided engineering support to the prime contractor for the launch activities at Kourou.

To learn more about Irish companies involved in ESA programmes click here. 
For more information on the Rosetta mission click here. 
Follow the Rosetta twitter account: @ESA_Rosetta

More than 300 companies – multinational corporations and indigenous companies - are already benefiting from Ireland’s largest industry-led research programme driving innovation and delivering results in the following areas: cloud, analytics and learning technologies; manufacturing and materials; energy, food and health; financial services and business processes.

To find out more, check out the video below or the Technology Centres Brochure.

Enterprise Ireland’s End of Year Statement for 2013 reported that client companies created 18,033 new jobs in 2013. This resulted in a net increase of 5,442 in the number of people employed by Enterprise Ireland supported companies, the highest net gain for Irish companies in the last decade and indicators suggest that this was primarily due to the strong export performance of Enterprise Ireland client companies.

This continuation of employment growth demonstrates clearly the direct impact that increasing exports has on jobs in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland supported companies now, directly and indirectly, account for more than 300,000 jobs in the Irish economy (16% of total workforce).

Global growth is expected to strengthen moderately (3.6%) in 2014 (Source: IMF 2013). However, advanced economies, which account for the lion’s share of client exports, are expected to be the main source of world growth. This is important because it offers opportunities for Irish companies to continue to grow their exports, which in turn creates additional employment in Ireland.

Throughout the year, Irish exporting companies demonstrated perseverance, patience and determination when facing severe global economic conditions. We are now in a position where we have a client base leaner, stronger and more capable than ever before to compete on the global stage.

In 2013, Enterprise Ireland invested in 103 new High Potential Start Up companies and also provided critical funding to 85 early stage entrepreneurs under its Competitive Start Funds. These companies come from a wide range of sectors including financial services, ICT, games, pharmaceuticals and medical devices

As part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Enterprise Ireland organised four prestigious conferences drawing audiences from across the EU - Driving Competitiveness Workshop, Week of Innovative Regions in Europe, EURO SME 2013 and EuroNanoForum 2013.

Continuing to work closely with the Department of Education and Skills on an ‘Education in Ireland’ strategy to attract 3rd and 4th level overseas students to Irish higher education institutes, a new International Scholarship Scheme was launched for students from target markets including India, China and Brazil. In addition, more than 500 international students from Brazil came to Ireland in 2013 as part of the Brazil Government Science without Borders Scholarship scheme. International students contribute over a billion euro each year to the Irish economy.

27 spin-out companies were created from higher education research and our research commercialisation activities facilitated the transfer of 89 pieces of commercially valuable technology to companies in 2013.

Enterprise Ireland is also committed to driving increased levels of Innovation in client firms by leveraging the technology, skills and know-how in the higher level sector. Over 100 companies were created via our on-campus entrepreneurial training initiative, New Frontiers. These activities were supported by our extensive campus incubation facilities which housed 350 companies and over 1500 people in 2013. A central Technology Transfer Office was also established in Enterprise Ireland and it is expected this will play a key role in enhancing commercialisation activities in the third level sector.

A major pillar of our Innovation activities is to increase the levels of collaborations between companies and the higher education system. Over 780 such projects were supported in 2013. Additionally, over 300 companies were engaged in collaborative research in Enterprise Ireland/IDA Ireland Technology Centres. New Technology Centres were established in the economically important areas of Data Analytics and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing.

Enterprise Ireland also plays a critical role in helping Irish companies and researchers to win international funding. By the end of 2013 over €600m of non-exchequer funding has been secured for Ireland from schemes such as Europe’s Framework Programme since 2007. In 2014 we look forward to driving a greater return for Ireland from Europe’s new, larger Horizon 2020 research scheme with a target of €1.25BN to be achieved over the next seven years.

Julie Sinnamon, Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Ireland said: “The performance of Enterprise Ireland client companies over the past year is very heartening. Once again, they have continued to increase employment, recording the highest net gain in the last decade. This is no mean achievement considering the highly challenging business environment they are competing in. Enterprise Ireland’s strategy for 2014-2016 is very clearly focussed on making sure that they are supported in every way possible to continue this upwards growth. Our priority is to support entrepreneurship across the regions, and develop strong, export focussed, ambitious Irish companies that can win new business and jobs for Ireland”.

The Minister for Small Business, John Perry TD, recently launched a survey on ‘The Impacts of Community Owned Enterprise Centres in Ireland’ on behalf of the National Association of Community Enterprise Centres (NACEC) and Enterprise Ireland. The survey was launched during a visit to Enniscorthy Enterprise Centre.

Since the launch of the first Community Enterprise Centre scheme in 1989, €61.4 million has been approved by Enterprise Ireland for the development of CECs across the country. Also in January 2012, Enterprise Ireland introduced a €2m fund to support the appointment of 46 Business Development Managers to sustain and scale up tenants and employment numbers within the CECs.

The survey illustrates that 392 new businesses have commenced operations in the CECs since 2010. Also 9,300 jobs have been created by companies in CECs in the past decade. As of today, over 3700 jobs are in place in the Enterprise Ireland-funded CECs all over the country and 93% or 3460 of these are private sector jobs, which can often be critical to local services and employment creation.

The NACEC is the representative body of the 120 Community Enterprise Centres (CECs) all over the country that have been funded by Enterprise Ireland. NACEC acts as the focal point of support for centres and their Business Development Managers. CECs are leading lights for employment creation in their respective areas and are regarded as best practice models, not only in Ireland but across Europe, for dispersed job creation and local economic development.

2014 is already shaping up to be a good year for Irish model Emma Jane Power as she celebrates raising €500,000 for her online media hub PR Slides and becomes an Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up company. Emma has taken PR completely online and turned the Irish PR industry on its head by changing how brands interact with the media. Over 800 images from PR Slides are currently being used in press each month resulting in thousands of euro worth of press coverage for their clients.

Enterprise Ireland and Kernel Capital are joining forces with Niall Harbison, Eamon Leonard, Johnny Walker and Julian Kulkarni to invest in the venture.

Emma has had a long relationship with Enterprise-Ireland, starting with the National Entrepreneur Development programme, New Frontiers in 2012. 

Welcoming the announcement Michael Moriarty, Head of HPSU Financial & Enterprise Software at Enterprise Ireland, said: ‘PR Slides is exactly the type of innovative export-oriented company that Enterprise Ireland is keen to support. A key element of Enterprise Ireland's strategy is to grow a strong base of competitive indigenous companies who can become ‘best in class’ in their target global markets and thereby drive jobs at home. Enterprise Ireland is working closely with PR Slides and is happy to continue to support the company in its future growth’.

Having grown from a team of one to a team of seven over the last year, PR Slides is hiring again with twenty new positions in the pipeline for 2014 as well as plans to open offices internationally as the service moves into new markets.

According to CEO, Emma: 'This round of investment will help us expand our Irish employee base and bring PR Slides to an international level. Enterprise Ireland have been extremely supportive of this business since the very beginning. We're also thrilled with the level of expertise that Kernel Capital and all of our new investors will bring to PR Slides.'

The Minister of State for Small Business, Mr John Perry TD, recently launched Enterprise Ireland’s first peer-to-peer online networking platform for female-led companies. The new online initiative will support female entrepreneurs by facilitating greater communication and connectivity between the growing number of female entrepreneurs supported by Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland, helping them exploit opportunities to grow their businesses in Ireland and in international markets.

The launch of this initiative coincides with the announcement that Enterprise Ireland will invest €600,000 in 12 female-led businesses as part of the Competitive Start Fund for Female Entrepreneurs. The successful applicants span a variety of sectors including Consumer Products, Enterprise Software, Medical Devices, E-Health, Online Applications and Internationally Traded Services.

Commenting on the announcement, Julie Sinnamon, Enterprise Ireland CEO, said: ‘The development of high-potential start-up businesses is core to Enterprise Ireland’s role in developing sustainable export-oriented companies. The 100% increase in female-led businesses is extremely encouraging and I am confident that the Online Networking Platform will support female entrepreneurs to expand their business horizons and set up innovative international companies that can win business abroad and create jobs at home’.

2013 saw a 100% increase in the number of female-led HPSU investments and a key priority in 2014 is to accelerate this growth through the Business Women 4 International Growth initiative which includes:

Going for Growth: Open to female entrepreneurs with a strong focus on growth, this initiative supports female entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas.
Female Propeller Programme for High Fliers: this accelerator programme for female led start-ups specifically addresses the challenges facing female entrepreneurs.

Enterprise Ireland’s partners with Going for Growth, DCU Ryan Academy, Cork Institute of Technology and the NDRC to deliver these programmes.

Full details of supports are available on the Enterprise Ireland web site.

Dublin software company GeoPal has received €1.5million in seed funding. The investment came from the Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start Up (HPSU) fund, and private investors, to support the international expansion of the business to the USA, UK and Asia.

GeoPal is a cloud service and mobile app for companies that need to manage a field based workforce and is used across industries including field service, facilities management, home healthcare, civil engineering & surveying, and the public sector.
While these industries are diverse, they have a common set of needs: the need to see the real-time location of field workers and the jobs they are working on, the need to increase field worker productivity, the need to eliminate paperwork from the field and the need to provide proof of delivery for work done or services provided.

With better visibility of worker locations, scheduling of jobs is more efficient, and because information captured in the field is sent instantly and securely to the office without the need for data re-entry later, workers can complete more jobs per day. This means that businesses no longer suffer from lost or delayed paperwork, and the improved efficiency of data transfer means invoices can be issued faster, increasing cash flow and customer satisfaction.

Gerard O’Keeffe and Paul Coyle founded GeoPal Solutions in 2011 with Sean O’Reilly as CTO. The cloud solution offers mobility and premium functionality to businesses at a low cost, which enables them to be more competitive. Identifying this gap in the market, GeoPal has been developed on customer feedback to provide a flexible solution that can be applied across multiple business processes. Many customers use GeoPal as a mobility ‘plugin’ to transfer data between the field and their existing systems. As GeoPal is cloud-based it is faster and easier to implement, meaning businesses can see results faster, for less cost.

“We have secured a number of high profile customers in Ireland and internationally since bringing GeoPal to market in 2012, and recently established a network of sales partners which has expanded our business internationally. This expansion gave our business the credibility which enabled us to secure the investment and create 20 new jobs”, O’Keeffe explained.

On Wednesday, 19th February 2014 the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mr. Richard Bruton, T.D. will host The Start-up Class of 2013 in Dublin Castle.

The Start-up Class of 2013 brings together over 190 companies which Enterprise Ireland has invested in during 2013 comprising High Potential Start-Up, Competitive Start Fund and New Frontier companies.

This event not only gives the 190 founders the opportunity for peer networking but is also an opportunity to network with the Irish investment community.

Please note that this event is not open to the public and is an invitation only event. If you have any queries please email startupclass2013@enterprise-ireland.com

Throughout the week Irish companies from a wide range of sectors concluded deals, prospected with hundreds of potential buyers, developed relationships with key influencers and networked with local experts and buyers in what was the largest ever Irish trade mission to the Gulf.

The deals announced reinforce the huge potential for innovative Irish companies in the fast growing Gulf market which will ultimately mean jobs in Ireland.

Julie Sinnamon, CEO Enterprise Ireland, who accompanied the Taoiseach and Minister Bruton, commented: “The trade mission has been a major success for the participating companies. This success is a clear statement of the strong reputation for Irish products and services in these markets. The opportunities are there for innovative, top class, focussed companies, with the commitment to developing long term partnerships and business relationships. Enterprise Ireland will continue to work closely with our client companies so that they can win more business in this region, boosting the economy at home and creating jobs”.

Three Irish companies announced the creation of a total of 95 jobs in Ireland arising from deals concluded on the Trade Mission:

Portwest, an Irish company specialising in the design and manufacture of high quality work wear, has recently established a distribution centre and sales office in the UAE, servicing the Middle East and Africa. The company expect to create 50 new jobs at Portwest’s Irish headquarters in Westport.

Crowley Carbon, an international energy efficiency firm, signed a deal worth AED 100 million with facilities management company Emrill to deploy its Carbon Control Centre technology in 800 buildings under Emrill management. The company expects to open an office in Dubai in 2014, as well as employ a further 20 staff in Ireland as a result of the Emrill partnership.

Glenbeigh Records Management, based in Finglas, Dublin opened its new 70,000 sq ft purpose-built facility in Dubai and announced 25 new jobs in Dublin. The site, designed and built by its sister company Glenbeigh Construction, offers state-of-the-art storage solutions and advanced security systems guaranteed to protect corporate information assets.

There were a significant number of other deals also achieved on the Trade Mission, Enterprise Ireland would like to congratulate all of their clients who took part in this very successful Trade Mission.