IF YOU’VE EVER HEARD of Stripe, FoodCloud, GirlCrew or even Web Summit, which all started in Ireland, you’ll be aware of the fact we have some seriously impressive technology talent.
In fact, some of the most exciting technology companies in the world have opened up offices here, including Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and customer messaging app Intercom.
And it’s not all about tax breaks. With some of the highest percentages of third-level graduates in Europe and a host of brilliant courses in technology around the country, it’s no wonder we’ve become an important location on the international technology map.
As Dr Waseem Akhtar, Head of Computing at Griffith College explains, education here is key: “A solid computing and technological background is the perfect launchpad for a successful career and that’s something we constantly keep in mind.”
Even more importantly, Ireland has become the launching pad of some of the world’s most exciting startups and rising stars.
Here we pick the ones to keep your eye on…
Originally Deputy Editor of the Irish Daily Star Sunday, Griffith College graduate Paul Mallon is responsible for one of the most attention-grabbing brands in the world. Managing teams of ‘mischief makers’, his innovation knows no bounds.
Last year, he sent two truck-loads of custom-made Paddy Power Lucky Pants from Dublin to Vegas to give to Floyd Mayweather, covered in the phrase ‘ALWAYS BET ON BLACK’ – he’s a man who isn’t afraid of risk. The ad invited a lot of controversy – a key part of Paddy Power’s brand positioning.
Ailbhe’s sister Izzy was born with spina bifida, meaning that she’s paralysed from the waist down. When she began to notice that it wasn’t her sister’s wheelchair they first noticed about her but her bubbly personality, Ailbhe realised her sister needed a wheelchair that could keep up.
So, as part of her final year in college, Ailbhe started what would become Izzy Wheels. Since then, the two have worked with everyone from street artist Maser, illustrator Fuschia MacAree to Orla Kiely to create wheelchair covers that stop others in their tracks.
It’s a company that has already captured the attention of the founders of Microsoft, Bebo, WordPress and Google Maps who have invested $6 million in it so far. Pointy, which aids small retailers in selling their products online, was founded by Charles Bibby and Mark Cummins, pictured above.
Before they founded Pointy, Bibby had designed the security systems used at the London Olympics in 2012, while Cummins sold his last startup to Google, which developed search-by-image technology. Pointy has been used by retailers across the UK, Ireland and firms in 48 states in the US so expect big things from these two.
Not only will Griffith College graduate Ciara Brennan represent the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland’s team who travel to Cannes Young Lions this year, she won the ‘Core Young Marketers Prize’ to get there, coming up with an idea for a collaboration between AIB and www.checktheregister.ie.
Having lent a hand to the likes of Emirates and Ticketmaster before she joined AIB, Brennan is responsible for innovative ad campaigns such as ‘AIB First Loan‘, which boasts almost 67,000 views on YouTube – unheard of for bank advertising campaigns of the past.
A startup that launched in 2007, Teamwork has its headquarters in Cork but is an entirely self-funded company of 200 people who work across six offices to produce business applications (think a better organised whiteboard). Nowadays, Teamwork supports 22,000 customers in 183 countries.
The company is used by the likes of PayPal, eBay, Disney, Forbes, Spotify, Vevo, Louis Vuitton, Lenovo, HP and Honda. Coppinger has been programming since he was eight years of age, and met co-founder Daniel Mackey in college almost two decades ago, so the pair know their stuff.
Like it or lump it, food issues like dairy intolerance and coeliac disease are a real issue for some people, including Shortt’s girlfriend, who he started FoodMarble to help. And it’s already being backed by Dragon Den star Sean O’Sullivan’s fund.
Their first product, AIRE, is a gadget that can help people define the food that may be disrupting their digestive system – just from breathing and then using a smartphone app to gain access to its analysis. The company hopes to hire 15 staff and already has 5,000 orders online for the product.
Sound like something you’d love to be a part of? Griffith College offer 20 different courses in Computing and Digital Media, meaning that no matter what your passion, you’ll find a course that you’ll love, across three different locations in Cork, Dublin and Limerick.
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“The common theme of the trailblazers we’ve featured here is their fearlessness and creativity. These are attributes that we work hard to pass on to our students,” explains Dr Akhtar.
“We’ve got courses which are focused on in-demand skills; whether that be working for some of the world’s largest tech giants or skills that are valuable in the start-up and entrepreneurial communities.”
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