Latest news with #EnterpriseIreland
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Pharma consultancy Business Platforms to create 75 jobs in Cork
Pharmaceutical consultancy services firm Business Platforms is to create 75 jobs in Cork as it plans to double its workforce by 2028. The company is creating 75 consulting and engineering roles at its Cork headquarters, driven by increased demand for specialised services in MES (manufacturing execution systems), serialisation, and digital transformation across the pharmaceutical industry. Co-founded in 2019 by Paul Browne, Phillip Doyle, and Liam O'Riordan, Business Platforms partners with global pharmaceutical companies, delivering consulting services focusing on efficiency, compliance, and innovation. The company now supports over 50% of the top 20 largest pharmaceutical firms worldwide. Business Platforms recently appointed pharma industry veteran Joe Lyons as general manager. 'This announcement reflects the increasing demand for specialized consulting services in the pharmaceutical industry. We are proud to continue our commitment to excellence by growing our talented team, investing in cutting-edge learning and development initiatives, and expanding our service offerings to meet the evolving needs of our clients,' said Mr Lyons. Business Platforms' headquarters at Penrose Dock, Cork will remain a cornerstone of its operations, with plans to expand office space to facilitate the growing team numbers, with staff headcount expected to reach 150 in the next three years. 'We are excited for the next phase of our journey, with our talented team, strong client relationships, and commitment to excellence, we are well-positioned to achieve our vision of becoming a leading global provider of business consulting and operational support for pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality, and supply chain systems,' said Mr Lyons. Taoiseach Micheál Martin was present for the announcement and met with both staff and senior leadership. 'Ireland's pharmaceutical sector stands as a global leader, driving innovation, excellence, and economic growth. This announcement from Business Platforms is a testament to the strength of this industry and the world-class expertise we cultivate here in Cork," said Mr Martin. "By creating 75 highly skilled jobs and expanding its consulting services, Business Platforms is strengthening the digital transformation of pharmaceutical manufacturing and reinforcing Ireland's position at the cutting edge of the industry." Enterprise Ireland divisional manager for technology and services Anne Lanigan said: 'Supporting Irish companies with the ambition to scale globally is a key priority for Enterprise Ireland and we look forward to working closely with Business Platforms to optimise their full international growth potential into the future.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Irish exporters defy global obstacles to deliver record growth
At Enterprise Ireland, our priority continues to be supporting Irish-owned companies at every stage of their business journey, helping them create jobs, attract investment, and compete in global markets. To continue to grow in new international markets and find new opportunities, Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting and fostering the next generation of Irish startups, and we will work to support SMEs to become more profitable, productive and competitive by harnessing AI, innovation and sustainability, and to accelerate Irish businesses to scale and become global leaders in their field. Irish exporters are agile, and they continue to show their strength and resilience, and this was reflected in the strong export results recently published by Enterprise Ireland. Despite economic headwinds, geopolitical uncertainty and rising costs, exports from Irish-owned companies supported by Enterprise Ireland reached a record €36.75 billion in 2024, a 7pc increase on the year before. This growth was broad-based, with strong growth recorded across all overseas territories. Exports to Europe rose by 4pc to €10.63bn, making it the largest export region for the first time, surpassing the UK. This milestone is a direct outcome of our post-Brexit diversification strategy. While diversification has been a strategic focus in response to the changed trading relationship, the UK – our closest neighbour –remains a strategically important market, and a priority for Enterprise Ireland. Exports to the UK reached €10.52bn in 2024, up 4pc year-on-year, and exceeded €1bn for the first time. High-tech construction exports increased by 20pc to €4.66bn Notwithstanding recent challenges, the United States also saw significant gains, driven by strong trading relationships and sectoral growth. Exports to the US reached €6.66bn, with non-food exports accounting for €5.61bn. Technology and services reached €3.13bn, while industrial and life-sciences exports totalled €2.48bn. Sectoral performance was equally robust. Food and sustainability exports rose 5pc to €16.25bn. Non-food exports increased 8pc to €20.5bn, with industrial and life sciences up 9pc to €11.46bn. High-tech construction exports increased by 20pc to €4.66bn. The technology and services sector grew by 7pc to €9.05bn. And within this portfolio, digital tech exports rose 9pc to €3.16bn, and fintech, financial, and business services increased 5pc to €2.90bn. With ongoing uncertainty surrounding global trade, Irish businesses have time and again proven their agility, and ability to diversify across markets when facing challenges. And these impressive export results demonstrate the resilience of the Irish enterprise base, and the global demand for their cutting-edge innovations and solutions. It is our ambition that exporting Irish businesses become the primary driver of the Irish economy Enterprise Ireland's expert teams in Ireland and across our network of 42 international offices remain committed to supporting companies to start, compete, scale and connect, and to grow in international markets. A priority for our team is to support companies to develop potential mitigation strategies and build out new market positions to navigate any challenges on the horizon, including any potential challenges resulting from the ongoing tariff and trade discussions. Enterprise Ireland supported companies are economic cornerstones in towns and communities across the country, and last year these companies employed a record 234,454 people. They also made a substantial impact on the Irish economy last year, spending €42.65bn, including €13bn on payroll. It is our ambition that exporting Irish businesses become the primary driver of the Irish economy. We believe we are stronger together, and Enterprise Ireland will continue to work with our partners from across the ecosystem to support companies to deal with change, to find opportunities and to drive resilience and growth.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Accessibility platform company DevAlly closes €2m funding round
Irish accessibility compliance platform DevAlly has closed a €2 million funding round to help expand its business and grow its US presence. The pre-seed funding round was led by Miles Ahead, with participation from Enterprise Ireland , NDRC and prominent European angels. The company is targeting growth in the United States, with the funding used to expand its product and engineering team, growing to 15 people. 'DevAlly is redefining digital accessibility; this isn't just a compliance checklist – it's an end-to-end solution that empowers product teams to embed accessibility into design, development and culture,' said Miles Ahead's Luc Burgelman. 'That approach is what makes DevAlly so powerful: it enables intuitive, inclusive digital experiences across all devices. The company has tremendous potential to become a global leading player in this field.' READ MORE DevAlly, which was cofounded by Cormac Chisolm, Patrick Guiney-Fox and Darren Britton last year, has developed an AI-driven compliance management platform designed to make it easy for businesses to incorporate accessibility into their products as they are building them, assess how accessible their product is and identify what steps they need to take to be compliant with the European Accessibility Act. The act officially came into force on June 28, 2025 and sets standards for digital accessibility across the EU. Among the organisations it applies to are ecommerce platforms, banking apps, public sector websites and hardware. Failure to comply with the act can lead to penalties including fines of up to €500,000, exclusion from public contracts, product bans or even criminal penalties in some jurisdictions. However, the majority of websites have some form of accessibility issue, recent reports have shown. DevAlly's platform helps businesses to audit and fix accessibility issues within minutes, detecting accessibility problems in digital products and providing guidance to help solve the issue. 'If your product isn't accessible, it's broken. Accessible products reach more people, reduce legal risk and strengthen your brand,' said Mr Chisholm, chief executive of DevAlly. 'As we make it effortless to build in, then suddenly you're not just compliant, you're ahead, creating products that don't just feel better, but perform better too. With this investment we're doubling down on great talent to help democratise accessibility once and for all.'
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Irish tech firm Konversational to generate additional €5m revenue via US expansion
Dublin-headquartered tech consultancy Konversational is set to expand into the US, opening an office in New York which it expects to create 40 new roles and generate €5 million in revenue. The company sees the move as the 'natural evolution' of the business, having built a 'strong foundation' in Europe. The US expansion comes less than 18 months after setting up offices in France, Germany and Switzerland. 'Expanding into the United States is a significant milestone for us and one that we have been building towards since opening our Dublin headquarters less than five years ago,' said co-chief executive John Gilleran, hailing the US market as providing a 'tremendous growth opportunity' for the Irish firm. Mr Gilleran co-founded the business with another former Accenture employee Richard Guy in 2020. The consultancy business is now one of the largest companies working with ServiceNow, a digital workflow company, in Britain and Ireland and employs 80 people. The two founders run the company's Dublin and London offices respectively. READ MORE The US expansion is being supported by Enterprise Ireland, whose regional director for the Americas, Aidan McKenna said Konversational has been 'hugely successful across Europe'. Mr McKenna said the US is the 'number one market internationally for digital tech exports'. Konversational Consulting Ltd, the company behind the Irish-based entity, recorded a €1.37 million profit in the financial year ending December 2024, according to filings with the Companies Registration Office. This came following a loss of €366,000 in 2023. The filing lists 15 employees, including its two founders as directors, and held debtors in excess of €3.3 million. In 2023, Konversational signed a €3 million technology deal to enable IT solutions provider Ergo to use artificial intelligence throughout its cloud-based IT services platform. At the time, the deal was said to be a first in the Irish market.
Euractiv
6 days ago
- Business
- Euractiv
Irish AI start-up targets chemotherapy bottlenecks with remote assessment platform
Dublin - Irish health-tech start-up eAltra is poised to transform chemotherapy care delivery with an AI-powered remote assessment platform that promises to cut costs, reduce patient wait times, and ease pressure on overstretched oncology departments. The company, a spin-out from Trinity College Dublin's ADAPT Centre and backed by Enterprise Ireland as a High Potential Start-Up (HPSU), has demonstrated the efficacy of its conversational AI tool in a six-month pilot study conducted in partnership with Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) and Tallaght University Hospital (TUH). The platform enables patients to complete chemotherapy toxicity assessments remotely in under six minutes, a process that traditionally requires in-person consultations. According to the study, the tool not only improves patient experience but also delivers measurable gains in clinical efficiency and cost savings. The study found that, 'For patients, eAltra's pre-appointment remote assessment, completed in under six minutes, reduces unnecessary travel and optimises appointment scheduling – timed chemo production ensures treatment is ready when a patient arrives, eliminating wait times by up to two hours.' Patients reported high satisfaction with the tool's usability and clarity. Clinical teams also stand to benefit. The study reported a minimum productivity gain of 3.5 hours per treatment day, equating to 20 minutes saved per patient. Importantly, the AI chatbot achieved a 98 per cent agreement rate with nurse-led assessments, the current gold standard. Scalable cost-savings From a financial perspective, the implications are significant. In a hospital treating 200 patients annually, the tool could generate savings of €27,300 per nurse, rising to €55,000 with two clinical nurse specialists. Additional savings are anticipated from reduced paper usage. The platform is designed for seamless integration with existing health IT infrastructure. It complies with HL7 standards and is interoperable with national systems including the National Cancer Information System, Cerner/Oracle Health, and EPIC. Sustainability is another key advantage. By enabling remote care, eAltra reduces patient travel and associated emissions. With healthcare accounting for five per cent of global travel, the shift to digital engagement offers a meaningful reduction in carbon footprint. Denis Roche, founder and CEO of eAltra explained that, 'eAltra is a spin out company of Trinity College Dublin and was awarded High Potential Startup status by Enterprise Ireland.' Roche explained how, 'Health Innovation Hub Ireland has been supporting our development throughout these milestones. The clinical access, study design support and pilot management they have provided has contributed to our product development and market positioning. We are hugely ambitious for eAltra both at home and abroad and the HIHI pilot result provide significant evidence of efficacy, useability, impact and patient satisfaction.' AI reshaping healthcare Eimear Galvin, HIHI Dublin Manager, highlighted how AI is reshaping healthcare She said: 'These study results show that eAltra improves patient care, provides cost savings and increases productivity by streamlining processes and minimising delays in systemic anti-cancer therapy, in this case chemotherapy.' Galvin added that by enabling remote assessments just 24 hours pre-appointment, unnecessary travel and associated costs are eliminated, ensuring timely rescheduling when required. She explained that, 'Timed chemotherapy production aligns drug preparation with patient arrival, reducing wait times by up to two hours and optimising pharmacy workflows.' The announcement comes as HIHI launches a national competition, ' to identify and pilot AI-driven healthcare innovations. The call is open to companies, researchers, and clinicians until 28 August, with selected projects to be trialled in clinical settings across Ireland. More information is available at Digital care policy advances eAltra's innovation aligns closely with Ireland's national AI strategy. As the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment stated in its 2024 strategy refresh: 'AI presents opportunities completely unlike those we have experienced before with previous technological advancements, in terms of their potentially transformative impact for our collective good.' Ireland's 'Digital for Care' framework also underpins eAltra's approach. The framework sets out a roadmap to digitally transform health services in Ireland and improve access for patients, and at the European level, the European Commission has noted that, 'AI is emerging not just as a tool but as a transformative force reshaping healthcare delivery.' The Commission has said that 'AI-driven personalised treatment plans can complement traditional approaches by offering more targeted and effective care, improving patient outcomes while also helping to reduce the financial burden on healthcare systems.' By Brian Maguire
