Sean O'Sullivan (left) with Janette Looney and Antonio Carrasco
Co Cork-based transport and mapping solutions firm Avego has launched its new carpooling app, which is set to make car travel cheaper, reduce emissions and encourage drivers and passengers to share journeys.
The Kinsale region is going to be the first in Ireland to enjoy the benefits of the new Avego app. It joins Avego’s other pilot schemes running in Norway and in the US, with an ultimate goal to build carpooling communities worldwide.
The Avego app enables Kinsale commuters to save thousands of euro each year in petrol and car costs, by finding and co-ordinating drivers and riders from Kinsale and surrounding regions to share their commutes to work and back.
“Kinsale has a rich history of influence on the world, from the pivotal battle between the English and the Spanish in 1601 to the launch of the ‘Transition Town’ environmental movement in 2006,” Avego’s CEO Sean O’Sullivan said.
“Avego’s first active ride-sharing community in Ireland is also emerging from Kinsale. With Avego’s long association with Kinsale, we are particularly proud to be establishing our pilot in this corner of Ireland,” said O’Sullivan.
Technology pioneer and Dragons’ Den star O’Sullivan is credited with contributing to two of the biggest trends in computing: as co-creator of the term cloud computing, and the introduction of street mapping on computers.
He is co-founder and managing director of Avego, a 55-person cloud technology firm with offices in the US and Ireland.
O’Sullivan is also managing director of SOSventures International, which boasted returns averaging 27pc over the past 15 years. His first company, MapInfo, grew to a US$200m public company, and popularised street mapping on computers. Among his successful investments to date are Netflix, which just announced 1m users in Ireland and the UK in just several months, and Harmonix, creator of Guitar Hero.
Avego’s customers include cities, governments, public transport operators and thousands of individual consumers and private transport operators.
Its real-time information systems make transport options available to passengers and allow extensive management capabilities for transportation providers. The company exports more than 85pc of its output.
The company embarked on a major R&D expansion programme three years ago, generating 35 additional jobs.
Disclosure: SOSventures is an investor in Siliconrepublic.com
