Tag: tech

JBL Reflect Aero earbuds – First Look

Next in from JBL is their latest earbuds but stay tuned for more from JBL and if you are a JBL fan check out our last review which for me is in my top 5 earbuds of the year so far which is the JBL Live Pro Plus so it will be interesting to see how these sound and I look forward to testing these on my holidays. A full review of course hands on and a look at the app to come.

The JBL Reflect Aero earbuds deliver sound that fits you with the perfect fit for every lifestyle – whether you’re out and about or hitting the gym. JBL Reflect Aero earbuds are engineered to keep listeners motivated with 6.8mm dynamic drivers delivering the perfect playlist. Featuring an adjustable POWERFIN ear tip design, a secure fit and comfort is guaranteed – even in the most intense workouts. A partner you can rely on, with IP68 dustproof and extreme waterproof rating, your performance is never compromised, even in salt water.

For sound without bounds, True Adaptive Noise Cancelling blocks out background noise for zero distractions, while Smart Ambient technology keeps you aware of surroundings. Pop them open and pair – you’re instantly connected for calls, music and more. With Dual Connect, you’re good with one earbud or both, plus 24 hours of playback so you can get more out of your day. Listen your way with the JBL Headphones App and customise the ANC and earbuds to suit your needs and personalise your workout with ‘Check my Fit’.

Connect with your surroundings using the hands free voice control with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant or pick up from where you left off with ‘Find my Buds’. Built to last but with little impact on the planet, the JBL Reflect Aero features a much smaller charging case and uses 54% less plastic compared to its sports TWS predecessor. The JBL Reflect Aero also come in JBL’s latest eco-friendly packaging and are available in blue, black, mint and white.

Any questions you know the drill. We answer them all. Stay tuned for the full review soon.

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Unboxing

 

Irish Tech Firm Xtremepush Wins ‘Online Initiative of The Year’ for “Outstanding progress in the fight against phishing” At Europe FinTech Awards 2022

Irish tech firm Xtremepush has won Online Initiative of the Year at the Europe FinTech Awards, 2022, for the work they did with one of Ireland’s biggest financial institutions to reduce online fraud.

CELEBRATING EUROPE’S FINEST FINTECHS

Irish tech firm Xt

remepush has won Online Initiative of the Year at the Europe FinTech Awards, 2022, for the work they did with one of Ireland’s biggest financial institutions to reduce online fraud.

The Europe FinTech Awards 2022 in association with ID-Pal is the benchmark by which financial services modernisation and technological progress in the world’s premier financial services centres are judged by an independent panel of experts.

“Outstanding progress in the fight against phishing”

The independent panel of judges voted Xtremepush “The winner of Online Initiative of the Year because they presented an excellent solution to a very real problem, utilising its technology to achieve a significant reduction in fraudulent activity. This initiative also demonstrates the solution’s ability to scale up in the future. Outstanding progress in the fight against phishing.”

Commenting on the award CTO Dr Kevin Collins said “We are delighted with this significant win. Phishing scams and identity fraud increased by 184% in 2021, costing the Irish economy €1 billion every year, so our objective was to quickly put in place a failsafe that would make it significantly harder for fraudsters to gain access to customer bank accounts. Based on research, €8,000 is defrauded for every 1,000 people in Ireland. Our innovation led directly to a circa 50% reduction in phishing attempts as part of a wider strategy to reduce fraud.”

He added “Our innovation allowed the bank to provide customers with a secure notification and reliable verification alerting solution that didn’t require adding any complexity or multi-stage processes to their banking experience. The result is a robust level of protection from fraud and cyber-criminals.”

Working with the financial institution, Xtremepush developed a revised verification process to reinforce the existing anti-fraud measures. The company developed and deployed a solution within six weeks to significantly reduce fraudulent activity.

Dr Kevin Collins added “We needed to utilise the existing technology and deliver an effective response to the issue of fraud that wouldn’t significantly impact the user experience for the bank’s 2 million customers.”

The solution allowed the bank’s customers to confirm the validity of device registration and add new account payees by leveraging a multi-channel communication strategy. This allowed the customer to either confirm or reject the request and alert the bank to take steps to re-secure their account if this was required.

Xtremepush faced several challenges: the solution needed to work the first time, said Collins. “Because we were taking direct action against fraudsters and cyber-criminals, a miscalculation on our part would have allowed them to find a way around the solution”

Secondly, the company needed to work fast: comments Xtremepush CEO Tommy Kearns “We were approached by our client at the end of 2021 with an urgent request to help combat fraud. We needed to respond quickly and decisively with a solution that could be rolled out with minimal disruption alongside other anti-fraud measures the bank was deploying.” He added, “we had to work within the existing infrastructure and compliance requirements of our client to avoid any disruption to banking services via the mobile app and to ensure we were fully compliant with guidelines and regulations. And of course, any solution we proposed had to operate within established security standards of the bank as well as GDPR and other data protection legislation.”

Xtremepush goes global

Xtremepush will more than double its workforce here in support of the global roll-out of its award-winning enterprise customer intelligence platform and recently announced it has created fifty new roles this year, with plans to add another 120 in the next three years, and a new purpose-built Dublin HQ in Clarendon Street, Dublin 2.

“We are already becoming a global category leader, working with leading enterprise clients from offices in Ireland, the United Kingdom, North America and Eastern Europe. Our new Dublin flagship headquarters, in this prime location, is a marker of further growth acceleration” said CEO Tommy Kearns.

Reflecting this push into the US market, the company has recently invested in a new office in downtown Manhattan in New York to meet that ambition and support the firm’s accelerated growth in North America, where they recently won Marketing & Services Provider of the Year at the SBC North America 2022 Awards.

The SBC Awards recognize the achievements of operators, affiliates and suppliers from all the major disciplines including payments, marketing, platform providers and data. The 2022 SBC Awards North America also celebrate the companies surviving and thriving 2022 through these unprecedented times.

About Xtremepush

Founded in 2014 in Ranelagh in Dublin, by CEO Tommy Kearns and Dr Kevin Collins, its Chief Technical Officer, Xtremepush has been placed in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards for three consecutive years.

Xtremepush works with a global portfolio of clients across several key verticals including banking & financial services, eCommerce, sports betting & gaming, travel & transport and publishing & media. The company owns its technology, end-to-end, supporting a single customer view, with ‘one platform’ serving all marketing needs.

Deep data & real time capabilities make Xtremepush a go-to multichannel marketing hub for enterprise brands. It enables businesses to acquire new customers and communicate with existing customers through automated, real-time and personalised messaging.

Clients include leading Irish financial institutions, McDonald’s, INM Plc, RTÉ, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Big Bus Tours, Wowcher, LiveScore, Oddschecker, Paddy Power Betfair and more. Xtremepush is an employer in Ireland, the UK, the US, Ukraine, Lithuania, Turkey, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania.

Rethink Ireland award €530,000 to 28 Social Enterprises across the country

Rethink Ireland has announced the 8 Awardees of its Social Enterprise Development Fund and 20 Awardees of its Social Enterprise Start-Up Fund at a lunch event at Airfield Estate, Dublin. These Funds aim to support and develop social enterprises across Ireland who work primarily to improve the lives of people and communities.

The Social Enterprise Development Fund (2018 – 2023) is a €4.4 million Fund created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with Local Authorities Ireland and funded by IPB Insurance and the Department of Rural and Community Development through the Dormant Accounts Fund that aims to discover and enhance social enterprises that are already creating a social and economic impact on their communities.

To date the Social Enterprise Development Fund has helped over 500 people gain employment through 112 social enterprises and has mobilised over 16,507 volunteers.

The Social Enterprise Start-Up Fund, now in its second year, is an €800,000 Fund developed by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund aims to support social enterprises at the startup and early stage of existence, with organisations from 10 counties throughout Ireland recognised as Awardees.

 Awardees include:

  • An Mheitheal Rothar: An Mheithal Rothar focuses on providing bicycles to those who do not have access to cycling, particularly those who are unable to participate in the Bike to Work program, while also creating an impact on the areas of employment and sustainability. Their one-of-a-kind approach combines recycling and waste reduction with delivering affordable bikes, as well as personalised information sharing and problem solutions for each user.
  • Carrickmacross Toy Library: Carrickmacross Toy Library tackles the problem of toy waste by offering a toy lending service to their local area, and offering an affordable and sustainable service to families.
  • Common Ground: Common Ground Community-Led Housing has been working in response to the housing crisis in Ireland since 2018. The project offers a win-win solution for State bodies, households and the wider community for developing a new housing sector for our country. Their replicable and internationally proven model makes housing more attainable, community-focused and sustainable, for the benefit of everyone. They offer a viable proposal for a pilot scheme in North County Wicklow which aims to be the first of its kind in Ireland and to offer a template for other groups around the country to help achieve a similar goal.

Richard Gavin, Assistant Principal at Department of Rural and Community Development stated: “Recipients of this funding and support are playing a key role in developing communities nationwide and I want to extend my congratulations to all Awardees. With their commitment and dedicated work, these enterprises are making a true social and economic impact on their local communities, while also tackling key social issues that we face today. They are inspirations for the next generation of social enterprises and we look forward to continuing to support them as they progress and develop further.”

CEO of Rethink Ireland, Deirdre Mortell commented on the Awardee announcement stating: “This year Rethink Ireland published our 6 Year Impact Report, detailing the level of progress that has been made towards developing a more sustainable and fairer Ireland by supporting social enterprises.  I’m delighted to announce that Rethink Ireland is awarding additional support and funding to 28 social enterprises who are on their journey to creating a lasting positive impact on communities across the country.

“Social enterprises are part of the social fabric  of our communities as they play a key role in developing solutions to the biggest challenges we face on a daily basis. From a toy library that offers rental toys to families to reduce waste, to a therapeutic adventure group focused on tackling youth mental health difficulties, or a heart-warming community centre that is integrating and including immigrants and refugees into Irish society through support and learning opportunities, social enterprises show a deep level of care for everyone in a community across Ireland. We are so thankful to our supporting partners and are delighted to have the opportunity to support these wonderful organisations.”

IPB Insurance Chief Executive Michael Garvey said: “Working alongside our local authority Members, our collaboration with Rethink Ireland and the Department has proven hugely successful in attracting and supporting social enterprises that are making a real difference in addressing social needs in their communities. The social enterprise sector in Ireland is going from strength to strength and is playing an increasing role in strengthening the sustainability and resilience of communities across the country. It is important that social enterprises continue to be nurtured by recognising the importance of the sector and providing assistance through financial and business supports.”

Michael Nicholson, Deputy Chief Executive of Local Authority Wicklow County Council said: ‘We would like to extend our congratulations to each Awardee on their success in receiving a Social Enterprise Fund Award from Rethink Ireland. Coming out of an extremely challenging period for Irish society, we’re delighted with this good news story for Wicklow. Social enterprises have an important role to play in guiding Ireland to become a more inclusive and equal society. Organisations like Common Ground and Rise at the Cove are leading the charge by not only creating jobs but working towards bringing about positive social change.“

For more information on each Awardee please visit https://rethinkireland.ie/our-funds/social-enterprise/

Social Enterprise Development Fund

The Social Enterprise Development Fund is a €4.4 million Fund being delivered from 2018 – 2023 and has been developed by Rethink Ireland in partnership with IPB Insurance and the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund aims to find and support social enterprises that add to the social and economic fabric of their community by way of social impact. Since the Fund began in 2018, it has supported social enterprises in each county of Ireland and has helped to enable 500 people to access employment and to mobilise 16,507 volunteers.

Awardees are:

Name County
Common Knowledge Clare
Together Razem Centre Cork
No Barriers Foundation Donegal
Books at One Dublin
KASI Kerry
Way 2 Work Dublin
An Mheitheal Rothar Galway
Generation: You Employed Meath

Social Enterprise Start up Fund

The Social Enterprise Start-up Fund is an €800,000 Fund to be delivered over two years: 2021 – 2022 and has been created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund seeks to support social enterprises at the startup / early stage of their life cycle and will support them to embed strong business principles and, in turn, deliver social impact, create jobs and inspire emerging, next generation Irish social enterprises.

Awardees are:

Name County
Clare Community Energy Agency Clare
KindFolk Cork
Saoirse Ethnic Hands on Deck Cork
The Dialogue Code Cork
Trauma Responsive Education Cork
Pocket Forests Dublin
Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality Dublin
The Bike Hub Dublin
The Good Summit Dublin
The Sustainable Life School Dublin
Community Retrofits Ireland Galway
New Wave Wild Project Kerry
Gorm Media Limerick
Health Hub Limerick
Carrickmacross Toy Library Monaghan
Open Food Network Monaghan
Cycle Up Roscommon
Common Ground Community-Led Housing Wicklow
Rise at the Cove Wicklow

Tech Review – Strauss & Wagner EM8C USB-C earbuds

The Strauss & Wagner EM8C is a Wired earbud with a Type-C connection, a microphone, and a volume remote control for music listening and calls. The earphones are not compatible with apple products The type c connection is unique as a connection to most modern android phones or suitable for connections to a laptop e.g., MS teams calls.

Features:

Type-C plug for use with desktop and mobile devices.

Three-button remote with volume and playback adjustment, as well as a microphone for calls and voice commands. Perfect for switching flawlessly between music listening and phone calls.

The integrated microphone allows for clearer audio quality thanks to a sensitivity of -43 dB.

Comes with silicone ear tips in three different sizes for personalised comfort.

A carrying pouch is also included to keep your earbuds protected. 

One year warranty

 

Frequency Response   20Hz-20kHz

Impedance      32Ω

Sensitivity        108dB

Microphone    -43dB

Driver 9mm

Cable Length  43″

Warranty         1 year

Controls:

 

Overall

The connection via the USB C connection was seamless for an android phone and laptop. The volume with a Sensitivity of 108dB allowed for extremely high pitch audio with limited distortion, this is the cable for the low and higher specification of the responses of 20Hz-20kHz which is in line with higher-end product ranges. The bass is noted as commanding yet on the higher audio levels not distorted as may be expected from smaller earphones. As with all earphones, it is endorsed

sound levels between 60 and 85 decibels to minimise the damage to your ears while on the higher-level power 100 decibels, this should be reduced to 15 mins listening. The microphone on numerous phone calls and MS teams calls has given honest feedback, while does not filter out background noise as done with a more specialised kit, this can be observed when typing on a keyboard the taps can be heard at the other end. The carrying pouch while good to have offers little protection in terms of damages when in a pocket or laptop bag. The remote is effective in its use but takes a bit of practice to become familiar with the accept / reject calls click required.  Overall, an impressive audio experience from Wired earbuds with a Type-C connection without the requirement to pay for a high-end earphone.

 

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Video review 

Urbanista Phoenix: True Wireless Earphones Powered By Light With Endless Playtime That You Control

Urbanista, the Swedish lifestyle audio brand, announces the launch of Urbanista Phoenix, the world’s first true wireless, active noise cancelling earphones powered by light. Following a successful partnership with Exeger to launch the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones, Phoenix advances the use of their ground-breaking Powerfoyle™ technology to a new level, with true wireless earphones that deliver an endless playtime experience which the user controls. If you have not seen this technology before and how it works check out our Urbanista Los Angeles review

Unleash the Power of Light

With Urbanista Phoenix you can experience a truly true wireless future with no need for cords or charging cables. Integrated with ground-breaking Powerfoyle™ solar cell material, the earphones’ streamlined charging case continuously recharges when exposed to all forms of outdoor or indoor light, meaning that the earphones will provide endless playtime when placed back in their case for charging and continuously exposed to light. The earphones also feature advanced hybrid active noise cancelling technology and noise reduction microphones that filter out ambient sounds, so you can enjoy music and crystal-clear calls without distractions, even when in crowded spaces.

Tuomas Lonka, Urbanista’s Brand and Marketing Director, comments: “It’s a privilege to continue on this path of innovation together with Exeger and use the latest in solar cell technology to bring ground-breaking audio products to market. Our Los Angeles self-charging headphones were so well received by customers and consumers alike, that we knew right away that we wanted to apply this futuristic way of consuming audio to a true wireless design. Urbanista Phoenix really is a market leading product, and we are excited to see how these shape the future of our listening experiences in years to come.”

Urbanista phoenix

Giovanni Fili, founder and CEO of Exeger adds: “We are incredibly excited to launch the world’s first Powerfoyle-powered true wireless earphones together with Urbanista. The Los Angeles headphones set a new standard and as users around the world are treasuring not needing to charge their devices in the wall, they are craving category expansion.” Powerfoyle is the world’s only fully customisable solar cell and consequently uniquely positioned to power audio products given the extensive design requirements. Both end-users and our customers benefit immensely when a whole product line up is offered”, he continues.

Unleash the Power

Urbanista Phoenix’s true wireless design allows you to enjoy your audio wherever you are, without any restraints. You can always easily connect the earphones to your Bluetooth device of choice with the earphones’ new multipoint connectivity feature which enables you to connect Phoenix to up to two devices simultaneously. Virtually weightless, the earphones sit lightly in your ears so you can listen to music and podcasts with minimal distractions, and intuitive touch controls and intelligent voice assistance let you effortlessly take charge of your tunes while enjoying full freedom of motion.

Urbanista Phoenix is compatible with the Urbanista mobile companion app that puts you in complete control of your audio experience. The Urbanista app, available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store, gives you deep customisation options, including EQ controls to adjust the audio to meet your taste. The companion app also provides information on how to get the most out of the product’s playtime, including visual indications of solar charge levels and usage, and the option to customise the earphones controls and voice assistant.

Axel Grell, Audio Engineer for Urbanista, comments: “Phoenix advances technology to create a cutting-edge, innovative audio experience and we have worked hard to develop a sound stage to match. These earbuds are designed to deliver a crystal clear and transparent sound with a punchy bass that doesn’t overpower the mids and highs. With the ability to provide an endless audio experience, Phoenix also delivers sound that will have you listening comfortably for hours on end.”

Unleash the Style

Inspired by the breath-taking desert scenery of one of the sunniest places on earth, the earphones come in two iconic colourways, Midnight Black (black) and Desert Rose (pink), lighting up your ears with superbly radiant sound. The custom fit silicone tips provide sound isolation while securely cushioning the earphones in your ear and an IPX4 water resistance rating allows you to safely and confidently use the Phoenix earphones come rain or shine.

Read more about Urbanista Phoenix true wireless earphones and sign up for updates at https://www.urbanista.com/phoenix

Urbanista Phoenix key features:

●      Solar and ambient light charging with Powerfoyle™
●      Hybrid active noise cancelling
●      Transparency mode
●      Multipoint connection
●      Playtime 8 hours
●      Total battery reserve 32 hours
●      Microphone noise reduction
●      In-ear detection
●      Automatic power off
●      Touch controls
●      Voice assistant support
●      IPX4 water resistant
●      USB type-C charging
●      Bluetooth 5.2 version
●      Urbanista mobile app compatible
●      Available in Midnight Black (Black) and Desert Rose (Pink)

Priced at 129 GBP, 1499 SEK, 149 EUR, 149 USD MSRP, Phoenix boasts full compatibility with iOS and Android devices. See more 

Konftel’s Latest Video Kit Is A Triumph For Trust Distribution

One of Konftel’s newest video conferencing systems has become an instant sales success for supply specialist Trust Distribution.

The Konftel C2070 has developed into a major tool in the distributor’s conferencing armoury, with manufacturing and education sites as well as general offices proving particularly popular.

Simon Hughes, Konftel Brand Manager at Trust, says the system combines an attractive price point with many high end features which makes it a flexible ‘Bring Your Own Meeting’ solution for many different locations.

“The Konftel C2070 ticks many boxes customers are looking for. It’s the sweet-spot of our conferencing portfolio, without any additional licences which inflates the cost of ownership from some other brands. It’s a plug and play USB solution which fits most standard size meeting rooms.”

The Konftel C2070 is designed as a perfect video package for huddle to medium meeting rooms, combining the Konftel Cam20 4K conference camera with the Konftel 70 speakerphone for OmniSound audio quality. The Konftel OCC Hub brings everything together into one convenient kit, so a single USB cable is all users need to connect the camera, the sound unit and the room’s screen to the video meeting on their laptop. 

In addition Konftel has just launched a dedicated version for in room PC-based systems, the Konftel C2070 Attach, which is part of a new product range optimised for Microsoft Teams Rooms, Zoom Rooms and other platforms.

Hughes added: “It’s not just standard offices where the system is ideally suited. The auto framing of images is proving really useful in the education sector whilst the 4k detail is great for companies wanting to see and assess products that are often in another part of the world. That could be the quality of stitching and zips in garments or nuts and bolts and garage parts. Four beamforming microphones is another impressive feature along with Bluetooth capabilities. It’s not just standard meetings where the Konftel C2070 has started to shine.”

Konftel’s entire product portfolio is Climate Neutral certified where all greenhouse gas emissions have been offset. Hughes thinks this is growing in importance.

“We all have to be aware of our environmental responsibilities and both from an ethical and commercial perspective we are seeing more end user emphasis in this area. It’s important for our resellers to be able to outline this important credential during the sales process.”

Hughes concluded: “For many reasons the Konftel C2070 has become one of our best-selling conference kits since its launch last year – backed by high levels of support from both Trust and Konftel. Its popularity will continue to grow as it doesn’t cost thousands of pounds to purchase, just hundreds.” 

Tech Review – Creative Outlier Pro

The latest earbuds from Creative have been in for testing the last few weeks and once again we see the company deliver an affordable pair of earbuds with all the bells and whistles thrown in too and the colour here is another thing that I like and looks really well.

The Outlier Pro come in a familiar looking case that has wireless charging built in and a USB-C port for wired charging which in turn gives you around 38 hrs of battery life in real world testing and this of course varies by how you use your earbuds, With ANC on and high volume you will get less but everyone is different on how they listen to their earbuds.

They have a larger profile too than most earbuds but still sit comfortably in the ear although they do protrude and bit but having said that they fit well a do not fall out and when it comes to controlling them this works well too due to the large touch area on the buds.

There is a two apps you can use with the Outler pro that maximise the sound quality we have a look at those in the video review below and it is certainly worth noting that you should use both apps or at least try and that is due to the Super X-FI app which does what you want and more. The app allows you see what holographic audio is like as we have discussed before.

When it comes to sound yes they deliver yet again, you have support for aptX but AAC and SBC which is fine as the app allows you some fine tuning and again you can check their both apps to allow you decide yourself from the long list of presets or make your own, highs lows and mids are fine nice bass and treble here and overall a good audio experince for the price, the ANC is not the best out there but does enough to make it passable as a feature you have also got the option to hear your surroundings too. Also on their app is an option to use low latency which is intended more so at gamers an this works fine.

Creative Outlier Pro is specially tuned to support Super X-Fi READY – a free preview version of the Super X-Fi technology, which is available through the SXFI app. Users can sample Super X-Fi headphone holography on local music content inside their phones.

See the video review below for more.

Key Features of Creative Outlier Pro

  • Hybrid ANC (feedforward/feedback mics on each earbud), Ambient Mode

  • (ANC Off) Up to 15 hours of battery life on a single charge, 60 hours including charging case. (ANC On) Up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge, 40 hours including charging case

  • New 10 mm graphene-coated driver diaphragms

  • IPX5-certified sweatproof

  • Super X-Fi READY

Pricing and Availability

Creative Outlier Pro is priced at US$119, €89.99, £84.99 and is available at the Creative online store.

For more information on Creative Outlier Pro, visit creative.com/Outlier Pro

Video Review

Ireland’s ability to develop world class tech firms threatened by over reliance on foreign investors

Ireland’s ability to continue to develop indigenous world class technology companies is seriously threatened by over reliance on foreign investors, according to the Irish Venture Capital Association’s pre-budget submission. Last year 57% of overall venture capital funding into Irish companies came from investors outside Ireland.
The IVCA recommends that the Government introduces an opportunity for new pension schemes to invest a small percentage of funds into indigenous enterprises. The association argues that this measure would be Revenue neutral “while increasing the number of start-ups in Ireland and crucially ensure their ability to remain Irish and scale here”. 
Leo Hamill, chairperson, Irish Venture Capital Association said, “Irish pension funds seriously lag the rest of world when it comes to VC investment. Public pension funds contribute 65% of the capital in the US VC market, 18% in Europe and 12% in the UK. Here it is estimated to be significantly less than 1%.” 
He added, “We must find new sources of capital if we are to fund the growth of indigenous post start-up enterprises. Last week’s Exchequer returns highlight our reliance on corporation tax generated by a small number of multinational companies and the need to grow our own large enterprises.”  
The IVCA pre-budget submission states, “Artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, digital and deeptech technologies will be the innovations that propel our digital economic future. Ireland has shown itself capable of creating world class companies in these areas, but not in providing scaling funding for them.” 
Sarah-Jane Larkin, director general, IVCA, commented, “Other EU countries and the UK have already implemented or are planning to source VC investment through pension funds. For example, Germany has just announced a scheme to invest €30 billion into venture capital through pension fund assets and institutional investors.”  
The submission highlights the impact of a scheme introduced in France which mandated that corporate employee savings schemes offer a solidarity investment funds option. “This resulted in significant growth in the amount of capital allocated from €200m to €6bn between 2002 and 2016,” states the report. 
The submission adds, “We are not only witnessing a global economic slowdown but also the weaponisation of international trade. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated this trend. Chinese and U.S. trade tensions, combined with potential UK and EU ones… will impact the availability of scaling capital for Irish companies. If we are unable to fund our own leaders in these areas, we risk having our economic future dictated by interests outside Ireland.” 

UPS to Acquire Multinational Healthcare Logistics Provider Bomi Group

UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced plans to acquire Bomi Group, an industry-leading multinational healthcare logistics provider. The transaction will add temperature-controlled facilities in 14 countries and nearly 3,000 highly-skilled Bomi Group team members to the UPS Healthcare network in Europe and Latin America.

“As a leading global healthcare logistics company, Bomi enhances our portfolio of services and accelerates our journey to become the number one provider of complex healthcare logistics,” said EVP and President of UPS International, Healthcare and Supply Chain Solutions Kate Gutmann. “UPS Healthcare and Bomi Group employees share similar values and our cultures are firmly rooted in a relentless focus on quality. The combination of our two teams will significantly improve our healthcare customers’ ability to continue to develop and deliver life-saving innovations.”

Since 1985, Bomi Group has provided high value-added services for the Medtech and Pharma sectors with a customized and tailored approach. It is a quality-focused company devoted to healthcare that has built solid and long-lasting business relationships with more than 150 multinational customers worldwide.

Key Bomi Group leaders, including CEO Marco Ruini, will continue in their roles to provide seamless service to Bomi Group customers after the transaction closes. Bomi Group’s employees will also continue to play vital roles in the combined organization.

“With over 35 years in the healthcare logistics industry, our team has developed best-in-class services designed to meet and exceed the needs of our medical technology and pharmaceutical customers,” said Ruini. “Joining the UPS team will expand those capabilities and create an even more integrated and smart global network for our customers.” 

The acquisition will add more than 350 temperature-controlled vehicles and four million square feet (391k m2) to the UPS Healthcare global footprint, offering customers access to faster shipping times, greater production flexibility, and offerings to help them attract new business. The acquisition will play a key role in the delivery of next-generation pharmaceutical and biologic treatments that increasingly require time-critical and temperature-sensitive logistics.

“We are focused on building healthcare logistics capabilities and services that allow our customers to deliver the newest healthcare innovations,” said UPS Healthcare President Wes Wheeler. “We are excited to combine Bomi’s talent, expertise and capabilities with UPS Healthcare – together, we will provide unmatched solutions to our customers, powered by UPS’s integrated, global smart logistics network.”

The acquisition of Bomi is part of UPS Healthcare’s continued expansion of its network and services to meet growing demand – including Bomi, UPS Healthcare has doubled its global footprint since 2020. Recent expansions include newly constructed and soon-to-be-opened dedicated state-of-the-art healthcare logistics facilities in Germany and Australia, and expanded campuses in Hungary and the Netherlands.

UPS Healthcare also recently enhanced UPS Premier, a technology-led service that can prioritize and track critical shipments within 10 feet (about 3 meters) of their location anywhere in UPS’s global network. UPS Premier brings worldwide visibility, control, reliability and product recovery capabilities to UPS Healthcare customers.

These expansions and new services meet the complex and varied needs of UPS Healthcare’s customers, helping them turn logistics into a competitive advantage.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to customary regulatory review and approval. The value and terms of the transaction are not being disclosed at this time. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as the financial advisor to UPS.

For more information about UPS Healthcare’s innovations and customer-driven solutions, visit Healthcare.ups.com and about.ups.com.