Over 40 Irish companies, accompanied by The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD participated in a four day mission to Texas earlier this month. Over 20 trade events and meetings with multinationals were organised on the Enterprise Ireland mission which took in the cities of Houston, Dallas and Austin. Irish companies travelling on the trade mission spanned sectors including ICT, high-tech manufacturing, education and training, and financial services.

Over the last decade the State of Texas has become the USA’s second-largest economy with a high concentration of telecoms, banking, social media, electronics, cleantech, medical device, network and web companies. Economic shifts towards southern US states offer significant opportunities for Irish companies seeking to expand their presence in the US, or grow exports to new markets. Exports of Irish-owned companies to the US are experiencing strong growth and total Irish exports to the US are now worth €18.1bn per year.

As part of the mission 16 Irish web/interactive companies attended the high-profile South x South West Trade Show in Austin, where they pitched their solutions to the Venture Capital community, potential customers, and leading commentators. South By South West Interactive – or “SXSW Interactive” draws social media and technology companies from around the world to Austin, Texas, for five days of intensive networking and showing off new products, services and mobile apps. Find out more details on the Irish delegation here.

Enterprise Ireland CEO Frank Ryan commented on the significance of this mission to Texas:
‘This is a timely and exciting opportunity for Irish companies seeking to export to the US. Texas has an economy that is the second largest in the US and the 15th largest in the world. The economic boom being experienced in Texas and the Southern States provides an opportunity for Irish companies to forge partnerships where there is a clear win-win for both sides. Enterprise Ireland will continue to work with our client companies to ensure further business successes will result from the trade mission – helping to sustain and create employment in Ireland’.

Read the full press release