By Business & Finance 
Pictured (L-R): David Gallagher, Hiscox; Richard O’Dwyer, Hiscox; and Mark Little, Twitter
Some of the country’s most prominent business leaders were present at The Marker Hotel last night for the launch of the Tech 100 edition of Business & Finance.
The Irish tech sector continues to grow in leaps and bounds. In the first half of this year, Irish tech firms raised a record €486m in funding, up 58% on last year.
Ireland has become a hub for global talent, companies and technological advancement. We are renowned for hosting some of the most influential industry leaders and for housing some of the world’s most innovative operations.
With the top 10 global internet-based companies located here, it is an exciting area. In the cloud computing sector, the country has built on its international reputation as a leader in ICT as many tech companies with Irish operations expand into the cloud. Ireland has also become an ideal location for companies looking to develop their Internet of Things products and services.
Although global organisations feature predominantly on the list, so too do Irish tech firms who are showing continued growth and expansion both nationally and internationally.
These leading Irish tech players are expected to continue to grow substantially in the future, helping to retain and embed existing multinational companies further in Irish business and at the same time attracting new ones.
Deanna O’Connor, the recently announced head of content at Business & Finance Media Group, said: “This evening, it is particularly encouraging to see some of the country’s most prominent business leaders here, representing the diversity of established and emerging indigenous and international companies operating in Ireland across a range of industries.
She continued: “By profiling the 100 companies which are the best in tech, we acknowledge their contributions to the economy, to education, to health and to Ireland’s growing and diversifying culture. It’s certainly a very exciting time to be in a very exciting industry, and tonight we are here at the very heart of it.”
Special honouree on the night was Mark Little, managing director of Twitter’s EMEA HQ. Little is responsible for the social network’s expanding European headquarters in Dublin, which now employs over 200 people and is the company’s largest facility outside the US.
Other speakers on the night included Richard O’Dwyer, regional manager, Hiscox; John O’Connor, head of Multinationals, HSBC, Fáilte Ireland’s Gavin Ó Broin; Ben English, founder and CEO, Dublin Tech Summit; and Ian Hyland, publisher, Business & Finance.
