Ergo gets Enterprise Ireland funding to expand into UK medical market

28 Feb 2014

Dublin technology company Ergo is targeting sales growth in the UK from €300,000 in revenue by the end of the year to €1.1m by 2016. The company has just received support from Enterprise Ireland to accelerate its UK expansion.

Ergo has been supported by Enterprise Ireland under its Market Access Grant Scheme, a new funding initiative from the Irish state agency to help companies build their business in international markets.

“With Enterprise Ireland’s support we are a building an export business in the UK that we expect to be worth €700,000 by 2015 and €1.1m by 2016,” said Neil Young, head of Product Development, Ergo.

FlowForma, Ergo’s enterprise forms management tool, is already used by nearly 30,000 hospital administrators in the UK.

“FlowForma stands out in a crowded market because it is competitively priced, easy to implement, and intuitive to use.”

On form for growth

FlowForma allows users to preconfigure form-based processes to meet specific department needs. Lean principles and automated processes remove system bottlenecks, improving workflow across multiple divisions, from finance and procurement to human resources and production.

Demand for the product has seen Ergo’s FlowForma team grow from three to 10 full-time employees in the last year, including a channel manager in the UK. The plan is to expand its route to market, growing the UK channel partners that resell the product to seven within the next year. Think Associates has been the most successful channel partner so far, selling FlowForma into two London hospitals, St Bartholomew’s and Kings College.

“Enterprise Ireland’s new Market Access Grant is aimed at supporting Irish companies to internationalise and grow their business quickly and effectively in world markets,” said Kevin Sherry, head of International Sales and Partnering at Enterprise Ireland.

“Under the scheme, companies can receive grant support of up to €150,000 to research export opportunities for new or existing products/services. We were delighted to award Ergo funding under the scheme, a company that highlights how Irish firms can innovate and succeed in overseas markets, creating and sustaining jobs at home in the process.”

Photo (left to right): Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD; Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland; Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore, TD; Kevin Sherry, head of International Sales and Partnering at Enterprise Ireland; and John Purdy, CEO, Ergo

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

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