Enterprise Ireland is seeking to support business ideas that are likely to achieve exports and significant growth within three to four years, with sales of over €1m per annum and employment of 10 or more.
Alma Jordan, AgriKids; An Taoiseach Enda Kenny; Tom Hayes, Enterprise Ireland; and Emer Cooney, Hyrasure
An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, launched the new Enterprise Ireland €200,000 Competitive Feasibility Fund for the Midlands and Mid-East Region. The Fund, which can provide up to €25,000 to successful applicants, is aimed at stimulating innovative start-ups and creating jobs and growth in the region.
The Fund call will open for applications from entrepreneurs and early stage start-up companies in counties Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, on Monday 11th January 2016 and will close at 3pm on Monday 25th January 2016.
The purpose of the Competitive Feasibility Fund is to enable a promoter to assess the viability and the market potential of their business idea. Through the Fund, Enterprise Ireland is seeking to support business ideas that are likely to achieve exports and significant growth within three to four years, with sales of €1m+ per annum and employment of 10 or more.
The Fund is open to individuals, early-stage companies or prospective businesses involved in manufacturing and internationally traded services, including sectors such as Internet, Games, Apps, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Lifesciences, Food, Beverages, Consumer Products, Industrial Products, Engineering, Medical Devices and e-Health.
Cork technology company Newsweaver announced plans to grow its workforce from 80 to 140 over the next two years, in an expansion supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.
L-R: Announcing the creation of 60 high value R&D jobs for Cork technology company Newsweaver are Elizabeth McHenry, Enterprise Ireland; Newsweaver Chief Executive, Andrew O Shaughnessy, Leo McAdams, Enterprise Ireland; Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD
Newsweaver has announced that its workforce is to grow from 80 to 140 over the next two years, in an expansion supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland. The Cork-based technology company provides internal communications for companies including Rolls-Royce, Vodafone, and Kellogg’s.
Newsweaver Chief Executive Andrew O’Shaughnessy, who set up the company in Cork in 2002, said the expansion was about building on the company’s success to date and pushing the boundaries for customers.
“Internal communications – or employee communications – are important for any company, but for a large multi-national with tens of thousands of employees operating across several time zones in different continents, it is critically important and a very complex challenge, which is where the unique technology solutions we have developed come into play,” he said.
“It’s exciting to see the impact that our product is having on the world’s leading companies,” he said. “R&D is the cornerstone of our strategy and I’m really delighted that our growth to becoming the global leader in Internal Communications has been driven, and will continue to be driven, by pioneering R&D and new product development coming out of Cork,” said Mr. O’Shaughnessy.
The company established itself as the leading international innovator in corporate IC, having revolutionized email technologies over the past three years and now delivers employee communication solutions to large corporations in 96 countries.
“Our global blue-chip customer base is continuing to grow rapidly, and we are preparing to launch very exciting and innovative products that will underpin our position as the world’s No 1 in internal communications. We need to support that growth and expansion by attracting the best talent that is out there, people who want to be part of an entrepreneurial, innovative, hard-working and ambitious company,” said Mr. O’Shaughnessy.
The 106 jobs being created by Asavie as it expands Internet of Things and mobile management platform. The Enterprise Ireland supported company, Asavie will hire across a variety of roles in engineering, sales, product management, marketing and support.
Pictured are (L-R): Clara Delany, Borja Guardiola, CEO Ralph Shaw and Zoe Lengjak. Photo by Stephen Wall Morris
Dublin-based technology firm Asavie is to create 106 jobs over the next 2.5 years. The announcement is considerable for Asavie as it more than doubles its current number of employees from 80 to 186 at its headquarters in Dublin 4 and comes following it recently being presented with the Outstanding International Growth Award by the Irish Software Association, as well as being named a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 2015 winner.
Founded in Ireland in 2004, Asavie now has offices in both the UK and the US, along with its Dublin HQ, and it is now looking to use its new recruits to expand its IoT platform, PassBridge.
According to Asavie, PassBridge enables mobile operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to rapidly launch, scale and secure end-user focused enterprise mobility and IoT services, with current clients including Irish telecom players Eir, Three and Vodafone, as well as AT&T and Telefonica.
Speaking of the announcement, Ralph Shaw, CEO of Asavie, said: “The Asavie team is very proud of this expansion to our operations. We have experienced phenomenal growth over the past few years. This latest evolution of the company builds on the success of Asavie’s world-class technology; our talented team, the strength of our global partnerships and the huge demand from companies to secure and control the costs of their mobility and innovative IoT projects as they scale. We have created a fantastically rewarding work environment and are looking to hire people who want to shape the next generation of the internet.”
Galway-based cloud management company Channel Mechanics has raised $2.3m in angel funding to help expand operations in Ireland and US.
Channel Mechanics, developer of the first cloud-based channel enablement SaaS (software as a service solution), channelIT, just announced a $2.3 million round of angel funding. The funds will be used to expand channelIT to U.S. customers and increase Channel Mechanics' presence there as well.
Angel funding has come from principal investors Enterprise Ireland, Konstantin Sidorov from RRC Business Telecommunications Ltd., and Karl Flannery from Knowledge Transfer Ireland and long-time ICT industry executive.
With a HQ in the Research and Innovation Centre at NUI Galway, Channel Mechanics has offices in Ireland, the UK and the US, with the latter base “the highest priority” according to CEO Kenneth Fox.
“We are excited by the growth opportunities in the global market and believe we have the potential to become a very large international success story,” he said.
“With our global headquarters in Galway, the funding will drive employment and expertise in this key market area. The associated benefits which would accrue to Galway and surrounding regions are significant.”
Channel Mechanics only brought out channelIT a few weeks back, aiming to help customers combine their marketing and sales offerings.
“If you look at the channel and how relationships between each component operate, the potential for innovation is truly astronomical,” said Konstantin Sidorov, lead investor for the round.
“By using this platform to optimise operations and activities within the channel, enterprises win on all sides by identifying and eliminating ineffective marketing programs and tailoring existing and new ones to produce even better results.”
This has been a busy year for promoting entrepreneurship and helping create the conditions for jobs. Have a look at this quick infographic capturing the main highlights of 2015...
The DCU Ryan Academy is looking for 12 ambitious female entrepreneurs with great ideas that have potential to be Ireland’s next breakout business success story...
Female High Fliers, funded by Enterprise Ireland, is the first accelerator programme in Ireland designed exclusively for start-ups founded and run by female entrepreneurs. Last year nearly 150 high calibre applicants competed for a dozen coveted places.
Are you looking for a tailored programme that understands the particular needs and challenges facing your start up? Do you want to propel your business on the fast track to profit and scalability? Could your business learn important lessons by being part of a supportive group of like-minded female founders?
Female High Fliers accelerator programme 2016 can fast track your business development and leadership skills. You will be taken on a 13 week journey of discovery – equipping you with the information, guidance and tools you need to turn your great idea into a profitable and scalable business. Throughout the programme you will be supported by expert business mentors as well as gaining access to the Academy’s unrivalled network of alumni and investors.
The programme will run two cycles in 2016 – Programme 1 starts on 16 February and runs to 31 May and Programme 2 starts on 6 September and runs to 6 December. It is open to female founders of start-ups that are less than five years old, the start-up must be female-led and individuals and teams of up to three people may apply.
To learn more about Female High Fliers and how to apply click here.
World class research innovation projects are being sought in the call for entries to the 2016 US-Ireland Research Innovation Awards. Deadline for entry is January 20.
Pictured at the 2015 Research Innovation Awards are (L-R): Mary E Daly, President of the Royal Irish Academy, Brendan Farley, Xilinx Ireland and Eamonn Sinnott, American Chamber President.
World class research innovation projects are being sought in the call for entries to the 2016 US-Ireland Research Innovation Awards. The awards, a joint initiative between the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland and Royal Irish Academy celebrate excellence in research innovation that results from US-Ireland business links.
Following on from the outstanding success of the inaugural 2015 awards next year’s programme will be expanded with two new categories.
Awards will be made now be for outstanding innovation by:
- a US multinational in Ireland - an Irish SME - an Irish higher education institute or research centre - and for the first time two awards recognising innovations by Irish companies in the US for SMEs and large organisations.
To apply for the Awards register your interest by email innovate@ria.ie and fill in the online application form. The deadline for entering is 20 January 2016 and the winners will be announced a gala ceremony on 20 May.
To find out more about 2016 US-Ireland Research Innovation Awards application process click here.
