Minister Bruton (centre) with Payback Loyalty management and staff at the recent jobs expansion announcement in Limerick

Digital consumer engagement technology company Payback Loyalty is to double its Limerick workforce, creating 28 new jobs as part of an €2.5 million expansion programme.

The new jobs are part of a €2.5 million expansion programme by the company which has been supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, through Enterprise Ireland.

The investment is also backed by BDO, through the Davy EII Fund. The company’s growth plans will see Payback hiring a mix of experienced professionals and graduates, to accelerate product development and build an export sales and support infrastructure with international reach.

Payback Loyalty, which was set up in 2005, has developed a loyalty platform which enables retailers to run schemes across a number of shops rewarding their customers at the till with specific targeted loyalty promotions and offers.

The company has invested heavily in research and innovation, successfully increasing its share of the growing loyalty market in Ireland. This new investment programme will position Payback to continue its growth trajectory, and expand further in export markets.

Payback Loyalty CEO Richard Gubbins outlined the company’s ambition in the international market, saying that: “Having gained leading industry recognition in the Irish market, this investment demonstrates Payback’s commitment to unlocking the wider international potential of our digital consumer engagement platform”.

Global Shares has announced a major expansion plan which will create 80 new jobs over the next three years. The company which develops software for managing employee equity plans currently employs 60 people in Clonakilty and has offices in New York, California and London. Its clients include companies such as Cargill, Morningstar, Living Social, Bwin.Party, UniCredit, Ambev and Sallie Mae.

The expansion of Enterprise Ireland supported Global Shares marks the culmination of a comprehensive phase of software development at the Company, which sets a new benchmark in the equity compensation industry in terms of software customization, functionality and user experience. The company predicts that its revenues and export sales along with employment will more than double in Clonakilty within two to three years.

Speaking about the expansion plans, Tim Houstoun, CEO of Global Shares said: “We have grown substantially in the last two years and we have shaped our business for this expansion. Our new equity compensation management solutions are first-class and our mission now is to communicate the strength and depth of our software and service offering to global markets. We look forward to growing our market presence in the coming years and to adding to the fantastic team of people who work at Global Shares”.

Welcoming the announcement today, Minister Bruton TD said: “Employment is growing in every region of the country – but it is growing faster in some regions than others. That is why we are putting in place regional jobs plans in every part of the country, to accelerate jobs growth in every region. Today’s announcement by Global Shares is a great example of what we are trying to support around the country – here is a hugely impressive Irish company, which started a decade ago, providing cutting edge solutions to some of the biggest companies in the world, growing rapidly and soon to employ well over 100 people in west Cork. This is a great achievement for Tim and his team as well as a huge boost for west Cork, and I wish them every success in the future”.

Pictured at the Glanbia Ingredients Ireland’s facility are (L-R): Jim Bergin, CEO, Glanbia Ingredients Ireland, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD and European Commissioner Phil Hogan.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD officially opened Glanbia’s new state-of-the-art dairy processing facility at Belview port in Co. Kilkenny on the 5th of March. Glanbia Ingredients Ireland’s investment programme of over €235 million, supported by Enterprise Ireland, represents the largest infrastructure investment made by an Irish company in 80 years.

The facility will create employment for 1,600 direct and indirect jobs while contributing an estimated €400 million per year to the economy. The dairy industry purchases 90% of its inputs from the domestic economy, therefore this will particularly benefit farm families and rural communities.

Formally opening the plant An Taoiseach Enda Kenny stated: "2015 will be the year of rural recovery because of developments like the one being announced today. This is a very significant day for the country's dairy sector and for the South East region. This Glanbia facility will allow Ireland to maximise the job potential from increased production following the end of EU milk quotas. It will also provide a boost to the rural economy with the creation of 1,600 direct and indirect jobs and the knock-on benefits for local businesses and communities. As such it is an important strategic development in the Government's work to secure the recovery."

By 2020, Glanbia’s 4,800 milk suppliers expect to increase milk production by 63%. Currently Glanbia Ingredients Ireland processes 1.8 billion litres of milk or 30% of Ireland’s milk pool into a range of dairy ingredients for export to more than 50 countries.

Ireland’s green credentials provide a differentiated positioning in the global marketplace where our pasture based family farming method of dairying produces a highly sustainable range of quality ingredients. Glanbia Ingredients Ireland has prioritised sustainability as a key focus for its business within its Open Source Sustainability and Quality Assurance code.

The facility will allow for the manufacture of specialised milk powder products and nutritional ingredients to meet the demands of multi-nationals in infant formula and other industries operating in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Central America. All produce from the new facility will be destined for export markets.

CEO of Glanbia Ingredients Ireland Jim Bergin stated: “Today represents the culmination of a long journey from local vision to the realisation of the global opportunity presented by the removal of EU daily quotas. This state of the art facility is primed to meet the global demand for the highest quality, sustainably manufactured, nutritional Ingredients.”

Inside Glanbia's Belview plant video:

Glanbia Ingredients Ireland Infographic

Aerial view of EPS wastewater treatment plan

The EPS Group, a provider of water and wastewater treatment and pumping solutions, is to create 50 new high-skilled jobs as part of a €3 million expansion at its plant in Mallow.

Founded in December 1968 and with 340 employees throughout Ireland, UK and Middle East, EPS provides water and wastewater treatment solutions. The new facility is subject to a planning application with Cork County Council. If successful, the company aims to begin construction this summer, with an expected completion time of 12 months. The construction process will generate an additional 35 construction jobs.

EPS is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

“The proposed expansion is the next necessary step in the development of our business, and will reinforce our position as one of the leading water and wastewater companies in our markets where we provide a full end to end service for our customers,” said EPS Group deputy managing director, Patrick Buckley. “EPS design, manufacture, install and operate 100pc of the water and wastewater infrastructure it provides and we are unique in our sector for this.”

“This new facility is designed for and will be equipped with the latest in BIM design, lean manufacturing equipment and processes which will enable us to lead in the off-site build and construction methodology as well as skid assembly and containerised plug and play water and wastewater solutions. We have demonstrated that we can be competitive in our chosen markets with products manufactured in our existing facility for our Irish and export markets.”

Dubai Marina at dusk

This week 63 Irish companies are taking part in a five-day Enterprise Ireland organised trade and investment mission to the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton leads the mission before continuing to India for a four-day investment mission with the IDA.

Seven cities will be covered – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha, New Delhi and Mumbai while 37 meetings will go ahead with the aim of increasing Irish exports.

The mission to the Gulf follows a highly successful trade mission to the region in 2014 led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Bruton, and aims to develop leads and contacts made on that mission, help Irish companies finalise deals with local partners and ultimately create more jobs in Ireland.

Speaking before departing, Minister Bruton said:

“At the heart of our jobs plan is supporting more exports, from both Irish and multinational companies. We have put in place a range of measures to deliver on this, including doubling the number of trade missions, placing extra staff for Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in overseas markets and tax incentives for firms to place more staff overseas to help win sales. In the past four years these measures have delivered real results, with 40,000 extra people at work in exporting companies over that time.

“A key focus of these measures are high-growth emerging markets like India and the Gulf region which are the target of this mission. I have visited both of these markets on several occasions since taking office, and what is clear is that there are real opportunities here, both for Irish exporting companies to win export sales, and for Ireland to attract multinational companies. What is also clear is that consistent, sustained work is needed in order to take advantage of these opportunities.

“This trade mission is a key part of that plan, and I am confident that it will result in concrete results, in the form of extra sales for Irish companies and new investments in Ireland from multinational companies, over the coming weeks and months”.

Please visit Enterprise Irelands website for more details on the Gulf trade mission and the company announcements: www.enterprise-ireland.com/trademission

To highlight the export opportunities for Irish companies in the Gulf region Enterprise Ireland has produced an infographic which you might find interesting:

Click on image to enlarge

Catriona Barry, CEO of trakax, and her brothers Cormac and Colm Barry as well as Enterprise Ireland US Team pictured cheering after ringing the Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell in New York’s Time Square on the 24th of March 2015.

Catriona Barry, CEO of trakax, and her brothers Cormac and Colm Barry rang the Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell in New York’s Time Square on Tuesday March 24. The trio behind the video editing platform, trakax, won this honour as part of the Start-Up Village Pitch Competition sponsored by Nasdaq and Enterprise Ireland Pitching at SXSW in Austin.

Speaking just before the ceremony, Barry said “I am a combination of excited, terrified and delighted. We have grown trakax from the basement of my parent’s house, so to be here in New York today, ringing the Nasdaq Opening bell, is just an amazing feeling. We intend to enjoy every minute”.

Flying under the radar until now, this low-key Irish company is destined for world-wide success. When the CEO of Samsung Mobile takes an interest, this surely means there is something special with this product. trakax recently announced that Dale Sohn, former President and CEO of Samsung Telecommunications America, has joined their Executive leadership team and has been elected to the Board of the Company. Dale will provide his expertise in areas of licensing, partnership development and with marketing and sales strategies.

The company’s Android product, “trakax” and the Windows PC product “trakaxPC”, are designed to enable users with little or no video editing experience turn their captured videos into compelling, interesting and fun movies. trakax can also be used in the workplace, allowing small businesses to create interactive videos and slideshows to highlight their product offerings. These videos can then be quickly and easily uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, or the TV screen on your premises. trakax also lets businesses create Podcasts, allowing you to upload conferences, speeches and training videos and share them with colleagues and clients worldwide.

TrakaxPC is now available to download for free from http://www.trakax.com.

Around the world, the delivery of reliable, sustainable water and wastewater services poses huge challenges. Tackling these challenges will create major opportunities for the water technology sector.

Ireland is rapidly becoming a hotbed of innovative water technologies, thanks partly to the dynamic research capabilities of its higher education system, supported by the work of semi-state bodies such as Enterprise Ireland.

This year Enterprise Ireland was the headline sponsor for the fourth World Water Tech Investment Summit that took place in London 9-11th of March. The World Water Tech Conference aimed to strengthen and develop close cooperation between R&D start-ups, technology integrators, strategic investors and end-users, including both utilities and the key industrial sectors: energy, mining and food and beverage.

There are some 60 Enterprise Ireland clients active in the Waste and Waste Water sector spanning High Potential Start Ups to large companies. Key export markets include the UK and France, while the sector employs over 3,200 people in Ireland and generates exports worth over €360 million.

Seven Enterprise Ireland client companies participated in the schedule of events organized by Enterprise Ireland in tandem with the 2015 World Water Tech Summit. They were: Oxymem, NVP Energy, O2 Environmental, Shay Murtagh, EPS, FLI Group, Carlow PreCast.

Ireland’s Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion and North-South Co-operation, Seán Sherlock, TD, delivered the keynote address at the World Water Tech Investment Summit. He pinpointed that the global water sector and wastewater treatment industry is estimated at $400 billion, with an annual growth rate of 7 per cent and is facing significant challenges including increasing demand coupled with water scarcity, climate change, rising energy costs, increased regulation, and increased quality requirements and ageing infrastructure.

Enterprise Ireland research into this market indicates that in the six-year period to 2020, the opportunities in global market sectors are likely to amount to over $50 billion. Huge opportunities for the water technology innovation industry also exist in the fields of energy, food security, ecosystem services and resilience to hazards.

At present, Cleantech is among Ireland’s fastest growing sector. In 2010 Enterprise Ireland reported just fewer than 200 CleanTech companies, today that number has risen to 540 organisations. The Irish CleanTech sector has developed core competencies, particularly in the areas of energy production and distribution through its wide-scale involvement in renewable infrastructure development, construction and operation.

As part of the 2015 Action Plan for Jobs, the Irish Government has committed to various actions to increase Ireland’s commitment to the Cleantech Sector. These include the Strategy for Renewable Energy 2012-2020, the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan, National Waste Policy and the Green Public Procurement Action Plan among others. One such commitment is also to undertake dedicated Cleantech Trade Missions to highlight the products and services available from Irish companies in the sector and to develop export opportunities for them.

Irish companies in the water/wastewater sector have a long history of providing innovative and competitive solutions to customer’s technical challenges. Here are short profiles of some of the sector leaders:

1. Oxymem
Oxymem are a spinout company from UCD, specialising in an energy efficient wastewater treatment technology known as Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR). Conventional wastewater treatment technology is energy intensive as air must be forced into wastewater to maintain a population of micro-organisms necessary to break down the waste material in the effluent. The Oxymem technology involves a very efficient method of providing oxygen to the micro-organisms, thereby ensuring substantial savings to wastewater treatment plant operators. The company employs circa 25 people at its manufacturing plant in Athlone and has won numerous awards for the energy efficiency of its technology.

2. NVP Energy
NVP Energy is a spinout company from UCG and has a novel technology that involves the anaerobic digestion of low strength wastewater at ambient temperature. Conventional Anaerobic Digestion is mainly used to digest sludge, the residue remaining after wastewater has been treated. It involves the digestion of high strength sludge at elevated temperatures. This process is energy intensive in the initial stages and results in a residual liquor that is challenging to treat. The NVP technology provides a solution that is not energy intensive and is suitable for low strength effluents, rather than just sludges. The company has proven its technology in industrial applications and is now testing its technology in municipal wastewater applications. NVP Energy is based in Galway and is seen by EI as a High Potential Start Up (HPSU) company.

3. O2 Environmental
O2 Environmental provide market knowledge expertise to the water and wastewater industry. The consultancy company is based in Cork and its MD is Paul O’ Callaghan. The company assesses new technologies and businesses entering the global water and wastewater industry for a range of stakeholders, including venture capitalists, utility companies and other investors. The company operates a Technology Assessment Group (TAG) who advise clients regarding the emerging technologies and trends within the industry.

4. Shay Murtagh
Shay Murtagh are a precast concrete manufacturer based in Westmeath, employing circa 130 people in the manufacture, supply and installation of a wide range of concrete products to the building and civil engineering industry throughout Ireland and the UK. The company provides a range of products to the water/wastewater sector, including tanks, culverts and rainwater harvesting systems. The company recently won a contract to supply precast concrete products to the Crossrail project in the UK.

5. EPS
EPS are based in Mallow, Co. Cork and are the largest Irish company in the water/wastewater sector, employing circa 330 people. The company provides a full range of water/wastewater products and services to industrial, commercial and municipal clients. It operates a large number of plants in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK under DBO (Design Build and Operate) contracts. The company is currently assessing the market for its products and services in the Gulf States.

6. FLI Group
FLI Group are based in Waterford and have a number of divisions providing technology solutions in energy, water, site remediation, geotextiles and associated areas. On the water side the company has a range of customers in the industrial and utility sectors and has specific expertise in anaerobic digestion and associated energy recovery. The company also has a history of expertise in the use of geotextile membrane lining for containment ponds, particularly in the mining industry.

7. Carlow PreCast
Carlow Precast are based in Ballon, Co. Carlow and manufacture, supply and install a wide range of concrete products to the building and civil engineering industry throughout Ireland and the UK. In particular, it supplies precast concrete products for the Energy, Water and Wastewater sectors, including spillways, tanks and culverts. The company has won contracts with Yorkshire Water in the recent past.

A recent Enterprise Ireland expo on Innovation and the Petfood Market heard how changing household patterns and global trends towards the increased ‘humanisation’ of pets, all point to increased opportunities for innovative Irish petfood companies.  Enterprise Ireland Market Advisers from USA, France, Germany and Nordics presented market data that confirms that the petfood sector is highly dynamic, well internationalised, and playing in a fast growing global marketplace.  The opportunities for increasing added value and sales are immense, which will only be sustained in the coming years by intensive innovation.

There is a growing interest in pet nutrition and well-being due to the increasing acceptance of pets as one of the family. This has led to an increase in the amount that consumers are willing to spend on their pets, with a higher demand for premium priced products and additional products geared towards pets’ wellbeing, rather than the simple provision of a meal solution.

Human food consumer trends, such as the demand for functional foods and organic food, are in turn making their way into the pet food market, while NPD is also focusing on pet health as owners become more aware and knowledgeable about their pets welfare.

USA and Western Europe are the most developed markets and generated sales of petfoods of more than $25b each in 2014. The total UK market was valued at €2.5 billion – France and Germany are of the same magnitude. These near markets are characterised by a high level of value and price segmentation, offering opportunities for value-led brands as well as premium niche brands. Market segmentation, petstore chains and private label all provide opportunity.  Product and packaging NPD (new product development), such as the introduction of dry complete dog food and single-serve cat food trays, have underlined the importance of NPD to the pet food market.

The Petfood Global Team has as its no. 1 priority to influence our clients to radically accelerate market-led innovation. Enterprise Ireland has funded a third level/industry research programme on functional petfoods, and is working with the industry and the research community to exploit the potential for innovation in the sector. A National Pavilion at the Interzoo 2016 Trade Fair in Nuremberg will be organised by Enterprise Ireland.

Enterprise Ireland provides a network of petfood specialist market advisers in all key markets, including UK, Germany, France, Benelux, Nordics, Iberia, US, Canada and Australia. Annual workshops and inward buyer visits help the sector to stay on top of developments in a dynamic industry which goes from strength to strength.

John O’Donoghue CEO ENBIO explains to Damien English T.D. Minister for Skills, Research & Innovation and Yves Bonnefous, Solar Orbiter Project Manager at the European Space Agency how the ENBIO technology works Pic: Aileen Drohan

Space technology company Enbio is to create 12 new jobs at its newly opened €1.5m space technology centre in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, which has been funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The facility is Enbio’s centre of excellence for the development and production of thermal management treatments or ‘sunscreen technology’ for satellites, spacecraft, and space related hardware.

The Clonmel facility will produce proprietary surface treatments to protect vital parts of the ESA Solar Orbiter satellite due to launch in 2017.

ENBIO’s coatings will protect all of the sun facing surfaces of the ESA satellite, allowing scientists to get closer to the sun than any previous mission and making ENBIO’s coating the closest man-made object to the Sun.

Opening the facility, Damien English T.D. Minister of State for Skills, Research & Innovation, said that “In 2015 Ireland celebrates 40 years as an active and proud member State of ESA and ENBIO’s success in this field and its involvement in the exciting Solar Orbiter mission is a fitting reflection of the ultra-high-technology capabilities developed by the Irish Space Sector”.

Invented by company CEO John O’Donoghue, CoBlast produces a unique ‘SolarBlack’ surface, which it will then deploy on critical internal and external surfaces of the satellite.

CoBlast replaces the oxide layer of a metal - typically aluminium or titanium - with a thin surface which fuses to the metal in a single, environmentally friendly process step, requiring no chemicals or thermal input.

O’Donoghue said: “Thanks to the strength of the team at Enbio, we are ESA’s fastest adopted hardware ever, setting new records for getting a technology from concept to flight qualified.

“We are proud to bring a hi-tech investment into Ireland given that we are a small company, and we will continue to develop our surface enhancement technology to solve unmet needs for space and beyond.”

The contract was secured through Ireland’s membership of ESA which is managed by Enterprise Ireland.

Prof. Eoin Casey and Dr. Eoin Syron win Knowledge Transfer Ireland Impact Award presented by Damien English TD, Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation and Dr. Alison Campbell Director of KTI.

UCD and its technology transfer office, NovaUCD, took both the Licence2Market Impact Award and the Spin-out Company Impact Award for the UCD spin-out OxyMem. 

Waterford Institute of Technology also scooped 2 awards; the Research2Business Collaborative Impact Award was presented to Dr. Felicity Kelliher and Dr. Ramesh Raghavendra won the Consultancy Impact Award.

KTI was launched in May 2014 and is operated in partnership between Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Universities Association. KTI’s web portal (www.knowledgetransferireland.com) provides companies with easy access to the resources available to them from State-funded research – from expertise to technologies, from intellectual property to facilities and equipment.

Details on the Award Winners

The Licence2Market Impact Award recognises a commercial product or service that is based on a licence to intellectual property rights from an Irish publicly funded RPO – and its path to licence. Professor Mark Rogers in the winning UCD entry developed a novel diagnostic test for BSE which was licensed to Enfer Scientific by NovaUCD, UCD’s technology transfer office. Enfer Scientific further developed the technology into one of the first commercially robust diagnostics for BSE to get EU regulatory approval and contributed to the rapid expansion by the Tipperary company.

The Spin-Out Company Impact Award recognises a spin-out company from an Irish publicly-funded RPO that has achieved a significant event in the previous year. In OxyMem’s case, this included securing several rounds of investment, successfully delivering field trials of its membrane aerated biofilm (MABR) wastewater treatment technology, creating 28 full-time jobs at its new Athlone facility and securing early orders. The award was presented to the company founders Professor Eoin Casey and Dr. Eoin Syron both academics in the UCD School of Chemical Engineering and to Ciaran O’Beirne, manager of technology transfer at NovaUCD, in recognition of the support provided by the TTO to developing the company proposition and leading on licence and company formation agreements

The Research2Business Collaborative Impact Award recognises collaborative research between Irish publicly funded RPOs and industry that has led to clear benefits for the company or companies involved. Dr. Felicity Kelliher, a senior lecturer in management at the School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology was presented with this award for her engagement with hundreds of SMEs – in particular with the tourism sector, Ireland’s second largest service industry – enabling them to adopt best practice, improve their business and integrate research findings into developing their staff and companies.

The Consultancy Impact Award recognises a researcher or research group at an Irish publicly funded RPO whose consultancy advice has resulted in a clear economic or public benefit to a business or public sector organisation.  Dr. Ramesh Raghavendra won this award for his work as the Manager of the South Eastern Applied Materials (SEAM) Centre at Waterford Institute of Technology. Under Dr. Raghavendra’s direction, SEAM has carried out more than 800 directly funded industry projects within 5 years of its launch in 2009.

Both Felicity and Ramesh have been actively supported by the industry services team at WIT.

Pictured (L-R): Nicola Mitchell, founder and CEO, Life Scientific; Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ambassador of Ireland to France and Laurent Martel, Director of InVivo Agriculture Division and Chairman of Life Scientific

InVivo, the largest agricultural co-operative group in France is going to acquire a 50% stake in Life Scientific, an Irish R&D company which specialises in off-patent crop protection products.

The formal signing ceremony, coordinated by Enterprise Ireland, took place at an event organised by the Irish Embassy in Paris to mark St. Patrick’s Day, and was attended by Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason.

As a result of this new partnership Life Scientific plans to create 20 new, predominantly research and development jobs, over the next 5-years, at its headquarters at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin (UCD).

Life Scientific, with an annual turnover of over €10 million, was established by Nicola Mitchell in 1995. The company, which has well established links with UCD and with Enterprise Ireland over many years, currently employs 20 people.

InVivo, with revenues of €5.7 billion and employing 8,800 people in 28 countries, is a union of 223 farming co-operatives and has combined membership of over 300,000 farmers. The remit of InVivo is to work together with its member co-operatives to develop sustainable and profitable solutions enabling farmers to secure their production and revenue.

Commenting on the agreement Nicola Mitchell, CEO of Life Scientific, said: “This agreement concluded with InVivo will allow Life Scientific to scale our proven business model, both in France and globally. It will strengthen our engagement with our customers, the InVivo cooperative members, and is a major endorsement of Life Scientific’s continued capacity to innovate on a global scale.”

Laurent Martel, Director of InVivo Agriculture Division and Chairman of Life Scientific, said, ”Partnering with Life Scientific is consistent with the ten-year strategic plan “2025 by InVivo”, which sees InVivo investing in the key platforms of R&D and marketing. The alliance with Life Scientific gives InVivo access to a unique capability in crop protection R&D, across a range of potential integrated pest management solutions.”

Over recent years, as part of the Government’s drive to increase employment, we have witnessed the proliferation of start-up incubators, accelerators, investment funds, and competitions to encourage entrepreneurship as a career choice.

As the State agency responsible for growing Irish companies and increasing Irish exports, Enterprise Ireland (EI) has been playing its part in this drive to increase entrepreneurship in Ireland. This article outlines the main Enterprise Ireland supports for individuals, teams and companies from very early-stage start-ups right up to export stage and beyond. We also present some examples of successful client start-ups. 

Start-up funding
81 Irish start-up companies were awarded early stage funding under the Enterprise Ireland Competitive Start Fund last year. Under the terms of this fund Enterprise Ireland take a €50,000 equity investment in the very early stage start-up. To date EI has invested in almost 300 companies through this fund.

Funding for high-potential start up companies

Enterprise Ireland invests in high potential start up companies, giving them access to a new source of funding. In February 2015, 102 High Potential Start-Ups (HPSUs) companies which Enterprise Ireland invested in during 2014 were addressed by Minister Richard Bruton T.D. at the annual EI High Potential Start-Up event.  Those 102 start-up companies are expected to create 1500 new jobs over the next three years! (You can see the profiles of the participating compaies here).

These new start-ups are across a wide range of business sectors including software and services, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, cleantech, engineering, food and consumer products. They include 43 new female founded businesses, the highest number ever.

“Certainly in any economy start-ups are the life’s blood of the economy in terms of creating new opportunities and new jobs going forward and bringing new technologies in,” Enterprise Ireland CEO Julie Sinnamon said.

Addressing the HPSU Start-Up community Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise Richard Bruton described Irish entrepreneurs as “the heroes of this recovery.”

“Moving away from property to focus on innovation, moving away from debt to focus on competitiveness, that’s what’s at the heart of the success that I think Enterprise Ireland is now creating,” he said.

Developing entrepreneurs

New Frontiers 2014 participants

The New Frontiers entrepreneur development programme is a national programme delivered locally through the Institutes of Technology. The aim of the programme is to assist potential entrepreneurs in the development of ideas and acceleration of business development, and provides training in such things as financial management, market research and patenting. In 2014, 137 entrepreneurs went through the programme.

Although New Frontiers is a national, standardised programme, the application process and timetable varies from one Institute of Technology to another. So the first step in applying to the programme is to speak to the Programme Manager at your nearest IT. See upcoming deadlines for applications.

Directing start-ups to export opportunities
EI provides export workshops and support programmes for companies looking to explore exporting avenues. EI's international offices offer assistance to businesses as they go into the new markets, helping companies both win business and grow their export figures. But while the company is getting export ready, they don’t even have to travel very far. Through excellent EI market research centre, located in East Point, Dublin, Irish companies can access business intelligence on various countries, markets and sectors.


Enterprise Ireland Market Research Centre 

Migrating start-ups into Ireland
Last year alone EI Overseas Entrepreneurship team helped 14 overseas start-ups move to Ireland. By maximising Ireland's entrepreneurial talent pipeline and creating a fertile ecosystem we can accelerate this process.

The abundance of positive business news makes an impression that the Irish ecosystem is blooming this Spring. Since the beginning of 2015 there has been at least one stand out start-up success story, and with it, new role models to follow for next wannabe entrepreneurs. The Irish start-up founders prove to be innovative, committed and ambitious to grow rapidly and become significant exporters.

Meet some of the Irish start-up heroes making waves this Spring in Ireland and abroad:

MOVIDIUS

Movidius founders Sean Mitchell, COO, and David Moloney, CTO

Enterprise Ireland supported technology company Movidius is to create 100 jobs over the next three years in Ireland after it raised $40 million in funding. This represents is one of the largest venture capital investments ever in Ireland for a technology company and the largest globally for a fabless semiconductor company in the past two years. The investment was led by Summit Bridge Capital, the China-Ireland Growth Technology Fund co-managed by Atlantic Bridge Capital and WestSummit Capital. Read more.. 

JOBBIO

Stephen Quinn CEO and John Quinn Chairman of Jobbio

Jobbio, a game changing hiring platform developed by Irish brothers, Stephen and John Quinn, will expand its international footprint in the US and UK, having secured €1 million funding via AIB Seed Capital Fund, MXC Capital, Enterprise Ireland, and private investment. This funding will be used to expand Jobbio’s UK and Irish operations as well as launch Jobbio in the US. Read more..

NEARFORM

Cian Ó Maidín, CEO of nearForm and Richard Rodger, CTO of nearForm 

Three-year-old Irish technology company nearForm announced job boost for Couty Wexford with 100 roles at its new headquarters in Tramore. Speaking at the launch of the new offices, company CEO Cian Ó Maidín said: “It’s a really proud day for us to announce these high-end jobs for Tramore. We were strongly urged by many parties to relocate to the U.S. We chose to stay here and build our company in a place where we wanted to raise our families. Our growth to 35 staff over the last three years has vindicated this decision. We look forward to growing in Tramore and hiring local and international expertise to share in our journey.” Read more..

STORYTOYS

Emmet O’Neill, Chief Product Officer of StoryToys

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, StoryToys creates and publishes highly innovative and entertaining software for children including interactive books and games. Lately the company was awarded the prestigious BolognaRagazzi Digital Award at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the world’s leading event for children’s publishing since 1963. StorySoys developed an interactive 3D ‘My Very Hungry Caterpillar’ app for children based on the work of renowned illustrator and author Eric Carle. The Irish team beat competition from more than 190 entries. Read more...

Click through the other sections to discover more examples of Irish business success stories…

General Manager, Jody Guilfoyle pictured at the Lagan Brick facility in Kingscourt

Lagan Brick has confirmed that it is to create 30 new jobs in Kingscourt in Co Cavan. The jobs will be located at Drumgill, Kingscourt on the site of its old Lagan Brick facility, which closed three years ago because of the recession.

The development, which is being supported by Enterprise Ireland, has been made possible by a recent upturn in the Irish and UK markets. With signs of confidence returning to the market, the Board of Lagan Brick has identified an opportunity to meet increasing demand, particularly out of the UK by reinvesting in brick manufacturing here in Ireland. The factory will be Ireland’s only such facility; the current market of 30 million bricks on the island of Ireland is serviced by imports.

Jody Guilfoyle, General Manager of Lagan Brick commented: “We have strong links with the site stretching back to 1984 and have invested heavily here in the past. Current buoyancy in the construction market here and in the UK, indicates that there is strong demand for the quality product we can deliver. Our management experience and knowledge of the sector allied to our strong Lagan brand are key ingredients for a bright future.”

The company will commission one kiln in the first phase of its new operation, producing 12 million bricks per annum however; the long term aim of the business is to have two Kiln lines fully operational with a further eight million bricks potentially being produced if forecasts are met. As well as the significant opportunities here in Ireland, since the recovery, demand in the UK has far outstripped supply and the total market for brick in the UK in 2015 is likely to be in the region of 2.2 billion bricks. Lagan Brick already has a footprint in the UK and sees this extra capacity as a real export opportunity.

Twenty of the jobs will come on line immediately, the ten remaining positions to be phased in when the second kiln is in operation. It is estimated that a further 10 to 20 spin-off jobs will be created and sustained immediately in the area as a result of the investment. The Lagan positions will be advertised in open competition in local media and expects to have recruitment completed within the next month with brick manufacturing expected to begin in the new facility in June.

Realex Payments was founded by Colm Lyon, third from right, in 2000

Realex Payments, one of Europe’s largest and fastest growing payment gateways, has been acquired by Global Payments, a leading worldwide provider of payment technology services.

Colm Lyon, Realex Payments founder and CEO said: “For Realex Payments’ existing 12,500 merchants, this deal means they can avail of Global Payments unmatched international presence, entering new markets and driving their global ecommerce business like never before. And for Realex Payments’ staff, the diversity of opportunity that comes with the deal is enormous.

Global Payments conducts business in 28 countries with 4,200 employees across the globe. Lastly, this is another great news story for Ireland. Going forward, the company will be at the heart of ecommerce for a Fortune 1000 company that services over 1.5 million merchants.”

Global Payments’ Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Sloan, explained the acquisition: “Realex Payments represents a strategic investment to expand our international omni-channel technology offerings, enhancing our go-to-market strategy in one of our largest regions with industry leading value-added products and services. We are excited to further invest in our European businesses, continue to leverage our multinational footprint and accelerate our growth opportunities at a favourable time in Europe.”

Under the terms of the agreement, the transaction is valued at €115 million.
Read ‘A New Beginning’ by Realex Payments CEO, Colm Lyon

Seamus O’Hara, CEO of Carlow Brewing Company

Carlow Brewing Company, also known as O’Hara’s Brewery plans to expand its business by creating 12 new jobs at its headquarters in Carlow to bring its total employee count to over 50.

The company positions are being created due to continued growth of the business, as well as the increasing popularity of Irish craft beer.

The 12 permanent vacancies will be filled within three months. The company said creating the new jobs and a continued plant expansion to increase its brewing and packaging capacity will involve an investment of more than €1m.

Carlow Brewing Company is supported in job expansion by Enterprise Ireland.

Set up in 1996, the company produces a range of craft beers for the domestic and export markets, including the O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer brand, which includes stouts, wheat beers, ales and lagers, and the Falling Apple craft cider brand.

“We are always on the lookout for fresh talent, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to further strengthen our team across the board, and bring new life, vibrancy and ideas to our organisation,” said CEO Seamus O’Hara.

“Today’s announcement is testament to the fact that if you support local breweries you will also in turn create local jobs. We are currently looking to add more space to our operations and in time this will facilitate further expansion and lead to additional jobs.

“Small, local breweries have been a success story in Ireland during recent years, and with craft beer accounting for only 1.5pc of the overall beer market, we are confident there is plenty of room for growth. With the creation of these new jobs, we are supporting our existing customers, but also actively seeking new ones, and as a business we feel we are just at the beginning of what is an upward trajectory.”