Technology
FD acquires Canadian software company Affinity Systems for up to £7.7m
Newry-based software company FD has bought Affinity Systems Ltd for a maximum total consideration of CAD$14.5m (£7.7m). FD acquires Canadian software company Affinity Systems for up to £7.7mPictured: Brian Conlon Affinity, which is based in Ontario, Canada and employs 45 people, provides software development and consultancy services and has recently released a software solution that addresses enterprise big data challenges. FD said the acquisition expands the company’s software and consulting services within the internet of things, particularly in industries such as utilities, healthcare and finance, and supports its strategy to penetrate additional vertical sectors using the capabilities of its Delta platform and kdb+ to capture and analyse large volumes of…
Read MoreIntel Introduces New Irish-Designed Galileo Development Board
Intel Corporation CEO Brian Krzanich announced a collaboration agreement with Arduino LLC , the leading open-source hardware platform in the maker and education community. Intel introduces new Irish-designed Galileo development boardPictured: Edward Roache takes a closer look at the new Intel Galileo development board Krzanich also unveiled the Intel Galileo board, the first product in a new family of Arduino-compatible development boards featuring Intel architecture.Arduino development kits and software programming interface make it easier for artists, designers, and other do-it-yourself enthusiasts – who often don’t have technical backgrounds – to create interactive objects or environments.The new Galileo board and the Intel Quark SoC X1000, by which it is powered, were designed in Ireland at the Intel campus…
Read MoreIrish agtech company Monford secures €1m investment to bring Grassometer to market
Wicklow and Mayo-based agricultural technology company Monford Ag Systems Ltd has secured a €1m investment to enable it to bring an innovative grass measurement device to market by the end of this year. Irish agtech company Monford secures €1m investment to bring Grassometer to marketPictured: Steven Lock, Monford; Dawn Guiney, Kernel Capital; and Jerry Manock, Monford The syndicated investment is made up of a €200,000 investment by Kernel Capital through the Bank of Ireland Seed and Early Stage Equity Fund, with the remainder of the funds provided by Glanbia, Enterprise Ireland and a syndicate of New Zealand-based investors.According to Kernel, Jerrold C Manock, designer of the original Apple Mac, is…
Read MorePinterest raises $100m in funding
Social network site Pinterest has received a US$100m investment in a round led by Japan’s biggest e-commerce site Rakuten. According to the Wall Street Journal, the funding values Pinterest at US$1.5bn. The round includes follow-on investment from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, and FirstMark Capital, as well as a number of angel investors. Now the 16th most visited site in the US, Pinterest functions like an online mood board, allowing users to ‘pin’ photos and images, and follow others’ collections. In a statement Rakuten said the funding will allow Pinterest to continue improving its service and expanding its community globally. “While some may see e-commerce as a straightforward vending…
Read MoreUK SMEs shifting to VoIP telephony to save money
Seven out of ten SMEs in the UK will be using VoIP (Voice over Internet protocol) telephony services by 2013, according to a new survey by Internet telephony provider Telappliant. VoIP is technology that allows telephone calls to be made over computer networks. The study, which questioned 100 UK businesses from a variety of industries, showed that 41pc of UK companies are already actively using VoIP telephony to improve efficiencies within their business, while a further 25pc have plans to review and implement VoIP within the next 12 months. The data also indicated that businesses with a head count of 100-500 people are embracing the technology faster than smaller businesses.…
Read MoreIrish researchers win ESA contracts related to accelerated ageing and exercising in space
Two European Space Agency (ESA) research contracts worth €135,000 have been awarded to Irish researchers Dr Dónal O’Gorman at DCU and Dr Brian Caulfield at UCD. Announced today by Minister for Research & Innovation Seán Sherlock, the projects are focused on helping astronauts deal with ‘accelerated ageing’ and a lack of exercise in space. “Astronauts can be in space for up to 18 months on missions to Mars and on board the International Space Station and so they have to adapt to the specific challenges of life in space such as the absence of gravity, high levels of radiation, and cramped living conditions, which often result in deterioration of the…
Read MoreYouTube adds e-commerce capabilities like downloads and ticket sales
YouTube, which now has 800 million visitors per month, has added new capabilities that will enable its partners to sell concert tickets, digital downloads and other services via what it calls its new Merch Store. “We’re launching a feature called the Merch Store that will allow YouTube partners to offer fans merchandise directly on your channel,” explained Christian Weitenberner, senior technical account manager, YouTube . The move adds a new e-commerce dimension and the prospect of new revenue streams other than advertising. In recent weeks YouTube added movie rental capabilites in the UK. “Fans will be able to buy artists’ merchandise, digital downloads, concert tickets and even unique experiences like meetups. “These features are…
Read MoreNew Biotrin R&D; centre to create 40 high-value jobs in next few years
Biotrin Group, owned by Italian diagnostics company DiaSorin, has officially opened a new research, development and manufacturing facility in Dublin which will create up to 40 high-value positions over the next few years. A developer and manufacturer of diagnostic platform technology, the Biotrin Group announced a new R&D project in June 2010 to develop a molecular diagnostic platform technology and assay reagents for the detection of DNA in infectious disease and oncology. The new facility will allow the continuation of the R&D activity and the expansion of the manufacturing capability. The total number employed at the facility is expected to reach over 100. “The investment is highly significant for the Biotrin…
Read MoreMuteButton to increase staff to 20 following 200k investment
Spin-out company MuteButton has secured 200k in funding from Enterprise Ireland, which will enable it to accelerate large-scale trials of its tinnitus treatment device and increase its workforce from four to 20 by 2013. MuteButton was established in 2010 by Dr Ross O’Neill as a spin-out company from the Hamilton Institute, NUI Maynooth, where the technology was originally developed by him with Dr Paul O’Grady and Prof Barak Pearlmutter. Currently employing four people, MuteButton recently located to NovaUCD to develop collaborative partnerships with University College Dublin researchers in the treatment of neurological conditions. It plans to increase staff numbers to 20 over the next two years as its device nears…
Read MoreLondon beats Dublin in battle for Twitter
Reports today suggest that Dublin has lost out to London in the battle to secure the new European headquarters of social networking site Twitter. Ireland had been touted as a possible location for the messaging firm’s European base but, seemingly, the company has already started recruiting in London. According to reports today, the company has met with property agents in London and has visited locations in the west end. Vacancies for a sales account manager, sales executive, business development mobile/electronics and communications manager, all based in London have been posted on the Twitter recruitment feed. The European office – wherever it is – is due to open in 2012 and…
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