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A new resource looking at technology in Ireland makes for interesting reading, with healthtech the dominant force in the country.
This week, a new online tool emerged called TechIreland, tracking hundreds of businesses dotted around the country and keeping the public abreast of their activities.
The brainchild of Niamh Bushnell, the site has been in the works for more than one year, from when she was the Dublin commissioner for start-ups.
Now the CEO of TechIreland, Bushnell oversees a small team that tracks innovation, indigenous activities and the world of multinationals, with a suite of interesting data sheets already released.
Vowing to update and grow as it goes, TechIreland’s toe-dip into the mainstream sees fintech, healthtech and internet of things (IoT) profiled.
With regard to IoT, this focus is perhaps no surprise, given the proliferation of start-ups emerging to sneak a slice of the giant financial services pie.
Plynk, for example, is noted as one of the main movers in Q2 this year. Last month, the company made headlines for raising €25m in what has to be one of the largest Series A rounds in Irish tech industry history. The investment was funded by a mysterious new vehicle, possibly created just for the investment, called Swiss Privée Ltd.
Elsewhere, pockets of the country are trying to create hubs to capitalise on opportunities. Examples range from Camden Street in Dublin, one of the more surprising examples, to the M1 ‘payments corridor’, quickly emerging north of the capital.
Infographic: TechIreland
With healthtech, the funding is actually greater, evidenced in Boston Scientific pouring millions of euros into R&D activities in Galway.
NeoSurgical, a medtech start-up based in the city, recently raised $5.5m in a Series B funding round.
Early-stage biotech company Valitacell won €2.02m in funding under the latest EU Horizon 2020 round, while Neuravi was snapped up by behemoth Johnson & Johnson.
All in the same quarter.
Infographic: TechIreland
When it comes to IoT, Q2 has been almost as active, with the likes of AmbiSense and Treemetrics two of the better-known examples.
Infographic: TechIreland
