Category: Irish Tech News

Leitrim and Westmeath primary schools reach national finals of ‘Ireland’s Future is Mine’ digital skills competition

Two primary schools are celebrating today having made it to the All-Ireland final of Ireland’s first national digital skills competition, Ireland’s Future is MINE. The competition is being delivered through a collaboration between Microsoft Ireland and RTÉjr. St Hugh’s National School from Leitrim and Moyvore Primary School from Westmeath successfully progressed through the various stages of the competition, which challenges students to think creatively, collaborate and problem-solve as they re-imagine their communities and shape Ireland’s sustainable future through the world of Minecraft.

First announced in September, the Ireland’s Future is MINE digital skills competition challenges primary school students in both Ireland and Northern Ireland to use Minecraft: Education Edition to build critical 21st century skills by exploring fun challenges such as building their own NASA rover and coding their very own polar ice hut. These challenges are aligned to curricula covering subjects from English and Maths to Science, Geography and SPHE.

Delivered by Microsoft Ireland’s Dream Space teachers on Dream Space TV in collaboration with RTEjr, the lessons are designed both to support teachers to deliver digital learning experiences in the classroom and inspire students to think creatively and encourage them to explore the possibilities within STEM now and into the future.

Having successfully progressed through the semifinals, St Hugh’s National School and Moyvore Primary School will now compete in the All-Ireland final, which will be televised in June in a never-before-seen e-sports-style exclusive programme.

Commenting on the competition, James O’Connor, Vice President of Microsoft International Operations, said: “At Microsoft, we’re passionate about ensuring students are given the opportunity to develop the essential skills that are required to fully participate in our increasingly digital economy and society. The ‘Ireland’s Future is Mine’ digital skills competition is designed to do just that while encouraging students to have fun, think creatively and re-imagine a more sustainable future for the communities they live in.

 “We are so proud to see this vision realised in the form of the many innovative submissions we have received from schools around the country. I want to congratulate the Microsoft Education team and RTEjr for their passionate work in bringing this competition to life and St Hugh’s National School and Moyvore Primary School for their dedication and commitment to creating such compelling entries.”

 Suzanne Kelly, RTÉ Group Head of Children’s & Young People’s Content, said: “Congratulations to St Hugh’s National School and Moyvore Primary School for advancing to the All-Ireland final! We have been blown away by the incredible creations that have been built in primary school classrooms across the island of Ireland since September. We should take a moment to say well done and thank you to all the teachers and pupils who signed up and submitted their work. The ‘Ireland’s Future is MINE’ competition has challenged primary schools across the country and provided students a fun and innovative platform by which to amaze us. We are very proud to have been there to assist them in shaping Ireland’s sustainable future with Microsoft’s Dream Space team and we can’t wait to see what innovations we’ll see next in the final!”

 Microsoft Dream Space TV episodes and a full range of accompanying teacher guides containing direct links to specific curriculum areas, worksheets and extension tasks are available at https://Rte.ie/Minecraft.

St Hugh’s National School’s winning submission can be viewed at https://youtu.be/fiBt3NX_Qms.

Moyvore Primary School’s winning submission can be viewed at https://youtu.be/T8wbL1OCMSk .

Boots is first Irish retailer to provide an inclusive online shopping experience with Recite Me

Boots has launched a suite of digital accessibility and language tools on boots.ie to help customers who struggle to shop online. According to the 2016 census, 54,810 people in Ireland are blind or visually impaired, while just over 100,000 have a hearing related disability. This new technology will allow those customers to create a customisable and inclusive shopping experience, making it easier for them to navigate around the website.

Boots is the first retailer in Ireland to offer Recite Me technology on its online store, making it more accessible for visitors to the boots.ie website. For customers who have visual impairment, the new tools can change the font size, isolate sentences and swap the colour of the page to make it easier for customers to read.

The Recite Me assistive toolbar also includes screen reading functionality, multiple reading aids, customisable styling options and an on-demand live translation feature that boasts over 100 languages, including 35 texts-to-speech. These features give control to website visitors to manage how they view and interact with content to suit their individual needs.

Stephen Watkins, Managing Director at Boots Ireland said: “It’s an exciting day bringing market-first technology to boots.ie, helping customers to customise the site to suit their own needs. The launch of the Recite Me accessibility tools help those customers who find it more challenging to shop online to browse, shop and manage their accounts hassle free.”

To explore the accessibility support Boots now provides check out boots.ie and click the Accessibility Toolbar option at the top of the homepage.

Gemini Study Finds The Majority (58%) of Irish Are Crypto Curious, Announces Central Bank of Ireland E-money Institution (EMI) Licence

The 2022 Global State of Crypto report released today by cryptocurrency exchange Gemini found that 58% of Irish respondents who do not currently own cryptocurrency are interested in learning more or are likely to acquire it in the next 12 months.

Compared globally to 20 countries surveyed, this is the largest ‘crypto curious’ segment in any one country, followed by Germany (53%), Colombia (50%) and the UK (49%). The majority (54%) of the ‘crypto curious’ Irish are women.

The survey revealed that 18% of Irish respondents currently own or have previously owned cryptocurrency, in line with levels of ownership in other developed countries, such as the UK (18%), Germany (17%), Australia (18%) and the US (20%).

Gemini is a platform that offers individuals and institutions simple tools to buy, sell, and store crypto like bitcoin and ether. It was founded in 2014 in the US by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The company recently secured an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence from the Central Bank of Ireland, the first such licence granted by the Central Bank of Ireland since 2020.

Gillian Lynch, Gemini’s Head of Ireland and Europe, said, “This global survey reveals that Irish people have a strong appetite for crypto, which is expected given Ireland’s international reputation as a hub for financial services and emerging technologies. We are proud that the Central Bank of Ireland recently awarded Gemini an Electronic Money Institutions licence, which is a testament to our high standards of consumer protections. We look forward to bringing our simple and secure crypto services to customers in Ireland and Europe more broadly.”

The Global State of Crypto Report shares global adoption, barriers to entry, and attitudes around cryptocurrency and is one of a series of reports Gemini will launch this year.

Other key findings from the report include:

79% of Irish investors are holding their cryptocurrency for long-term gains, and 39% are actively trading their crypto.
35% of current owners are 25-34 years old and 28% of current owners are 35-44 years old.
40% of current investors were female and 60% were male, although 54% of the crypto curious segment are female, compared to 46% male.

For more insights, download the full report at https://www.gemini.com/state-of-crypto.

Workday to Create 1,000 New Jobs in Dublin Over the Next Two Years; Plans to Build New European Headquarters at Grangegorman

Workday, Inc., a leader in enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, today announced that it intends to create 1,000 new jobs over the next two years at its European headquarters in Dublin, increasing its Ireland-based workforce by approximately 60%. This investment is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland. In addition, to support its future growth and deepen its local community partnerships, Workday announced plans to construct its new European headquarters at Grangegorman, Dublin 7.

The news was shared at an event at Workday’s European Headquarters that was attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD and Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland, and Workday Co-CEO Chano Fernandez, Executive Vice President, Product and Technology, Sayan Chakraborty and Senior Vice President, Chris Byrne.

As part of its growth in the region, Workday will be hiring in roles across product development, engineering and data science, sales, services and user experience. Workday’s Dublin team has played a central role in the company’s global product development and innovation efforts since the company first opened its office in Ireland in 2008. Workday currently employs more than 1,700 people in Dublin, helping support the organisation’s more than 9,500 customers worldwide.

Workday’s new European headquarters situated at Grangegorman will be a highly-sustainable 550,000 square foot campus across approximately four acres in a Strategic Development Zone, adjacent to Technological University Dublin. The company has agreed to purchase the site from the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) is the state developer for the Grangegorman site.

As design planning for the new European headquarters begins, Workday will become the anchor tenant of the Dockline Building in Dublin 1, helping augment its existing headquarters at Kings Building. In addition to having excellent transport links and facilities, the 80,000 square foot Dockline Building has approximately 200 bicycle spaces and is BER A3 energy rated.

“Today’s announcement of 1,000 new jobs by Workday is a very significant endorsement of Ireland as a place to do business and in our reputation as a leading tech hub in Europe. It is a vote of confidence in the skills and talent of our workforce and in our continued attractiveness to leading global companies.  I also welcome the company’s decision to construct its new European headquarters at Grangegorman in Dublin,” said Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD.

“I was thrilled to join the Taoiseach in Dublin today to announce our continued investment in our workforce and workplace in Ireland. Our presence in Dublin, and the incredible talent we’ve been able to hire here, have been critical components of our innovation and customer service efforts – both core values at Workday. We see great opportunity ahead as we help some of the world’s largest organisations with their digital transformation efforts, including how they adapt to change, plan for the future, and support their employees in the changing world of work,” said Chano Fernandez, Co-CEO, Workday.

“This is an incredible expansion from Workday, creating 1,000 new jobs over the next two years. Choosing Grangegorman for its new European HQ is a real vote of confidence in Dublin and this new quarter of our capital city. I’d like to thank the team for their commitment to Ireland and wish them the very best of luck with this remarkable growth,” said Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Leo Varadkar TD.

“Our culture was built on great people because employees are our number one core value at Workday. Our planned new Grangegorman headquarters will provide us with a contemporary and thoughtful workplace to deliver even greater employee experiences and drive customer initiatives. As importantly, we will be able to engage more deeply in our local educational and community programmes, including our STEM partnership with Technological University Dublin, which will help to upskill young people ranging from primary school age to third level education,” said Chris Byrne, senior vice president, Workday.

“Workday’s investment in the planned Grangegorman campus and the addition of 1,000 new roles demonstrates the company’s long-term vision for its Irish based European HQ. The economic impact of this investment through the capital spend and creation of high value employment is both a significant win for Ireland and a huge vote of confidence in Ireland’s technology ecosystem. It will also be a significant boost to the business environment and increased economic activity in this North City area of Dublin. I wish the company continued success and the ongoing support of IDA Ireland,” said Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland.

 “The HSE is delighted to facilitate the sale of part of the HSE’s retained lands in Grangegorman to Workday. This part of the site was always identified as a Commercial Hub area and having the new European Headquarters of Workday on the Campus exceeds the original vision for this area. This significant development will enhance the overall Grangegorman Campus which will be uniquely shared between the HSE, Technological University Dublin, the new local Primary School and Workday,” said a HSE spokesperson.

“This is an exciting and significant announcement for the Grangegorman area of Dublin City. It represents the next step for the Grangegorman project, bringing more new people to join the existing and emerging vibrant community here and further realising the overall vision for Grangegorman. The addition of Workday to Grangegorman also offers many potential opportunities for on-going collaboration and engagement with the site’s stakeholders, and we look forward to working closely with Workday to develop their plans for the site,” said Ger Casey, CEO, Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA).

 

Further details on open opportunities and careers at Workday can be found here: https://www.workday.com/en-us/pages/careers-dublin.html

Gas Networks Ireland Apprenticeship Programme

Gas Networks Ireland is searching for 14 of the country’s top recruits to join its sought-after and highly regarded Apprenticeship Programme commencing this October.

The four-year salaried programme provides mentor-led apprenticeships working on Ireland’s €2.7bn, 14,617km national gas network, which is considered one of the safest and most modern gas networks in the world.

Successful candidates will help to maintain and operate Ireland’s national gas infrastructure trusted by 710,000 Irish homes and businesses to provide efficient and reliable energy to meet their heating, cooking, transport and manufacturing needs.

They will also play a role in delivering a cleaner energy future for Ireland, as Gas Networks Ireland works to replace natural gas with renewable gases, such as biomethane and hydrogen.

Facilitated in partnership with SOLAS, apprentices receive on-site training with Gas Networks Ireland technical training coaches and attend formal classes in the Educational Training Boards, Meta facility and in appropriate Institutes of Technology.

On completion of the Apprenticeship Programme, successful trainees will be awarded a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate Craft – the national and international requirement for craftsperson status.

Speaking about the programme, Gas Networks Ireland’s Director of People, Nicola McSweeney said:

 “The apprenticeship programme is vitally important for Gas Networks Ireland, as it allows us to attract the best talent and develop our plumbers and engineers of the future. Joining as an apprentice opens up a world of possibilities within the organisation. We are very proud to have a number of employees, who initially joined over 30 years ago as apprentices who are still part of the Gas Networks Ireland team today, including our Gas Technical Competency Training Manager, Brian Flynn, who now leads the apprenticeships training. We have a lot of knowledge to share and I look forward to welcoming our new apprentices.”

For further information and to apply to the Apprenticeship Scheme, please visit; www.gasnetworks.ie/careers. Closing date for applications is Monday 11 April.

Tech specialist Comit becomes the first Irish PR agency to adopt a four-day week

Comit, the tech specialist PR and communications agency, today announces that it will adopt a four-day week from 1st May. It is the first PR agency in Ireland to announce a move away from the traditional five-day week to this new way of working, which aims to boost employee wellbeing as well as productivity.

Comit’s new four-day week is the first element in a significant innovation programme being rolled out by the PR agency. It will lead to the creation of 15 new jobs in PR, digital content and communications consulting.

The company will also invest €200,000 in digital transformation, training and new service development. The digital transformation investment will fund the introduction of a suite of productivity, automation and other digital tools, which will enable team members to be more productive. The funding will also enable the PR agency to invest in new digital and data analytics services for clients.

Founded in 1997, the Dublin-based PR and communications agency is on a strong growth path and has built up a significant customer base including technology and tech-oriented organisations spanning areas including cybersecurity, managed services, FinTech, data centres, consultancy, software development, communications, location intelligence, sustainability and Ireland’s start-up ecosystem.

Employees, clients and other key stakeholders have been consulted about the four-day week to ensure a smooth transition to the new way of working. Comit’s four-day week initiative will initially be trialled for six months and will see staff remain on their existing salaries.

Allan Chapman, managing director, Comit, commented: “This decision has come about as part of a well-thought-out innovation process whereby we reviewed and reimagined our working model. As well as maximising flexibility for our team and prioritising wellbeing, we wanted to identify new ways to enhance the value we deliver for clients and how we deliver our service.

“It is important to stress that this is not a compressed approach to the 4-day week, whereby team members will be asked to squeeze 40 hours into four days. Our aim is to empower and support people by giving them more time that they can use to do the things that they enjoy.

“We carried out a very detailed planning and research process, which included speaking to international PR agencies who have already implemented a four-day week, as well as our own employees and clients. The clear message from this was that happy, energised employees are more focused, more productive and achieve better results. The four-day week will also enable us to attract and retain the very best PR, digital and communications professionals as we grow our team and roll out innovative new services.

“We are very excited to reveal this four-day week initiative and announce the investment in our growing team as we approach the milestone of 25 years in business this year. We see this move and expansion as being great for the business, great for the team and great for our clients.”

Tribe Digital takes centre stage at 25th annual Spiders Awards

The cream of the crop of Ireland’s digital industry gathered at The Round Room in Dublin’s Mansion House this evening for the 25th annual Spiders Awards, hosted by Tracey Carney. Dubbed ‘The Oscars’ of Ireland’s digital industry, the Spiders is the longest running digital awards programme in Ireland. The ceremony celebrated the achievements of individuals and businesses that not only adapted, but excelled amidst a global pandemic. In all, 22 awards were presented on the night, with Dublin’s Tribe Digital named Large Agency of the Year, Belfast’s Part Three Digital taking the top prize in the Small Agency category, and Cork’s power couple, Dan and Linda Kiely, named Ireland’s Digital Heroes.

For the first time since 2019, the Spiders returned as an in-person ceremony this year, with the event sponsored by Dmac Media, Centre of Excellence in Universal Design, Skoda, Skillnet Ireland, DMG Media and Acast. The evening, which was hosted by Spiders Managing Director, Tracey Carney, also included a fundraising element, with the organisers partnering with UNICEF to support the work they are doing in Ukraine.

Over the past couple of years, the Spiders – like many other events, globally – had to adapt to a changing society. Tonight’s prestigious awards ceremony acknowledged the new world we are living in and the success made through the pandemic by brilliant remote teams and campaigns. The judging panel evaluated nominations across 20 categories on the theme of ‘Driving Digital, Emerging Stronger’ and they had no easy task on their hands, due to the volume and talent of this year’s nominees.

In addition to the regular line-up, two extra accolades were added this year, in the form of Best Remote Team and the Customer Continuity Award. These awards were introduced to celebrate companies or individuals who achieved great results and emerged stronger during the global pandemic. The National Council for the Blind was named the Best Remote Team, while Flipdish took home the Best Customer Continuity title.

Scooping the top prize at the ceremony, Tribe Digital was named Large Agency of the Year and was applauded for its digital strategy across a number of campaigns carried out within the last 12 months, with a major emphasis on creativity, development, delivery and client experience.

Belfast-based Part Three Digital Ltd won the Small Agency of the Year title. Spearheaded by Hannah Nelson and Jess Orr Downey, the company proved that digital businesses can not only survive, but thrive in challenging times, with the digital marketing agency experiencing exponential growth over the last couple of years.

The Digital Hero Award went to Cork’s husband and wife duo, Dan and Linda Kiely. The pair were recognised as leaders in their field, having created a path for others to follow. They were lauded for their innovation, imagination and determination to succeed – traits that have set them apart from the pack.

The way in which companies and individuals have had to digitally adapt business and work models during the COVID-19 pandemic was a focal point at the awards ceremony. The event recognised and celebrated the creativity and achievements of businesses nationally, particularly applauding those who prevailed triumphantly in spite of Covid-19.

The full list of award winners are as follows:

  • Best Remote Team – National Council for the Blind Drumcondra, Dublin

  • Best Customer Continuity –  Flipdish Sandyford, Dublin

  • Best App – Revolut London

  • Best Use of Disruptive  Technology – An Post Insurance Athlone, Westmeath

  • Best B2B Campaign – Squaredot Dublin

  • Emerging Stronger – Digital for  Good Award / Not-for-Profit – GCN (Gay Community News) Dublin

  • Best in Social Media – Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Pluto Dublin

  • Small Agency of the Year – Part Three Digital Ltd Belfast, Antrim

  • Best Community Engagement by a Brand – Westport Chamber of Commerce Bold Craft Marketing Westport, Mayo

  • Best B2C Campaign – Londis Dublin

  • Best in Storytelling, delivered by remote team – SuperValu TBWA\Dublin Dublin

  • Diversity in Digital – Diageo – Guinness Omnicom Media Group Dublin

  • Best Podcast – The Good Glow Dublin

  • Digital Hero – Dan and Linda Kiely Cork

  • Large Agency of the Year – Tribe Digital Dublin

  • Best Integrated Media Campaign/ Strategy – Woodie’s Wolfgang Digital Dublin

  • Best in Universal Design – Monaghan Institute CDG Brand Monaghan/Dublin

  • Best Website –  Fáilte Ireland – Discover Ireland All human Dublin

  • Best eCommerce website –  Likha Aesthetic Clinic WONDR – A Digital Product Practice Dublin

  • Digital Transformation In Industry and Infrastructure – Sugar Rush Belfast, Antrim

  • Digital Transformation  Enterprise –  KBC Bank Ireland National

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Tracey Carney, Managing Director, Spiders Awards said:

“It is wonderful to be standing here before you all this evening, and returning to live events, after two years. It is even more special to be here in the Mansion House as we celebrate the Spiders’ 25th anniversary. Tonight we recognise excellence and the outstanding creativity of Ireland’s digital ecosystem. We applaud all of you who are the driving force behind it, and who have ensured we are emerging stronger than ever, from what has been the biggest digital transformation any of us have ever seen. The digital industry in Ireland has not only survived but thrived over the last two years. Tonight, we celebrate the best of the best in Ireland’s digital industry.”  

Leading File Data Services Provider Nasuni Set to Open New Innovation Centre in Ireland with 55 jobs

Nasuni Corporation, the leader in file data services, today announced that it will create up to 55 new senior engineering jobs over the next three years in Cork, Ireland at its newly established Innovation Centre. This will be Nasuni’s first innovation centre and its fourth office including its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and additional offices in Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA, and Cary, North Carolina, USA. The company is also expanding its presence in Germany, Benelux and London as part of its global expansion.

The company is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland. Welcoming the announcement, Taoiseach Michéal Martin TD, said “This announcement is great news for Cork and indeed Ireland. With up to 55 jobs planned, Nasuni is placing a significant vote of confidence in Cork and further demonstrates our competitive position in attracting Foreign Direct Investment. I am delighted that Nasuni chose to locate its Innovation Centre in Cork as part of its global expansion.”

Nasuni has also hired Derek Murphy as Vice President of Engineering, EMEA. Derek is an experienced head of engineering with experience at multinational enterprise companies including Forcepoint, McAfee, Intel, and Apple. In the past 15 years, Derek has worked in the domain of Cyber Security under the areas of Cloud Product and Services, with a focus on Cloud Software Engineering and Cloud Operations.

“We are looking for the right talent to fill senior, ‘greenfield development’ positions, cloud and analytics focused. This is high-value work, crucial to our business, and we are convinced we will find the right candidates in Ireland,” said Murphy.

Paul Flanagan, CEO of Nasuni, added: ‘‘Nasuni is committed to Ireland, and we have already incorporated Nasuni Ireland Ltd. The country is known for its well-educated software talent pool as well as the number and variety of its technology hubs. Together with the strong support and relationship with the IDA and the diversity of the region, Ireland has a track record as a place to invest, and one that yields results. This will complement the success that Nasuni has in its centres of innovation and offices across the globe, continuing to offer the same level of trusted file data services in the region. Our vision is to expand the team to over 55 people over the next three years.”

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: “Nasuni’s investment comes at the right time, as remote work continues to create unprecedented challenges and cyber security is more important than ever for enterprises. The establishment of the EMEA Innovation Centre for Nasuni is a testament to the region’s highly-skilled and talented workforce and reinforces IDA Ireland’s mission to boost jobs and investment for regional locations. I welcome Nasuni to Ireland and wish the team every success with this expansion.”

With the rising threat to business from cyberattacks, Nasuni believes it is more important than ever that the entire IT ecosystem of an enterprise—its suppliers, partners, and managed service providers – offer the highest standards of security and risk management. Enterprises benefit from Nasuni services to achieve cost-efficient, multi-site primary file storage capacity, fast access over standard file sharing protocols and the ability to recover files systems after a ransomware attack in minutes; all for less than the cost of traditional on-premises file infrastructure.

Nasuni has a hybrid working arrangement in place across all its offices as it transitions out of COVID-19. The current expectation is that the Ireland site will also support hybrid working. As Nasuni Ireland scales and hires people, the company intends to open a physical facility in the near future.

Nasuni is hiring across all functions and locations in 2022; for more information, please visit https://www.nasuni.com/company/careers/. 

KPMG launches the Ireland qualifier for the KPMG Global Tech Innovator competition.

KPMG in Ireland has launched a search for Ireland’s next top tech innovator. The competition, now in its second year, is open to Irish tech entrepreneurs and start-ups businesses which are pure technology, tech-enabled, tech-led, or tech-driven.

Competition entrants will be shortlisted and invited to pitch their innovations and present their growth ambitions to an esteemed panel of judges. The judges, which will include successful entrepreneurs and investors, will be announced shortly.

The overall winner in Ireland will progress to the Global Tech Innovator final to be held during Web Summit 2022 in Lisbon in November. The prize also includes travel and accommodation to Lisbon, tickets to Web Summit as part of KPMG’s delegation, an exhibition stand for 1 day, and access to exclusive networking events and mentoring opportunities.

Last year, KPMG’s Ireland competition was won by CattleEye, a Belfast-founded company which has harnessed the capabilities of advanced AI in video analytics to deliver the world’s first academically verified autonomous livestock monitoring platform. Other Irish companies shortlisted in the 2021 competition included ApisProtect, CitySwift, Dataships, Equal1, ID-Pal, Singularity Alpha and Wrkit.

The competition is open to all technology companies which have operated for 5 years or less, have generated revenue between USD $1-10m (or have raised at least $500,000 in equity) and are registered and based in Ireland or Northern Ireland. Applicants must have innovative, proven technologies, robust business models, the ability to demonstrate traction in their activities and the potential to scale up. Applications must be submitted by 8th May 2022.

The global competition will include technology innovators from 21 other countries and jurisdictions across the world, including Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Israel, India, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, the UK and the US.

Commenting on the competition, Anna Scally, Partner, Head of Technology & Media and Fintech Lead, said: “Following the huge success of our inaugural competition last year, we’re back on the hunt for the next ‘big thing’ in tech. We have a thriving tech ecosystem here in Ireland and we’re looking to find emerging tech start-ups, with potential to be Ireland’s next unicorns. If your company is tech-enabled, tech-led or tech-driven, this is really an opportunity not be missed.”

Applications are now open for the competition at www.kpmg.ie/GTI.