Mobile and cloud travel booking player has big plans for Dublin.
Travel tech provider Deem is to create 50 highly skilled tech jobs at its new European innovation centre in Dublin.
The new jobs are part of a bold growth strategy that will see the San Francisco-headquartered company double its workforce around the world.
‘We are doubling the size of the company and we’ve had plans for Ireland for a while. We want to hire some really smart engineers’
– JOHN RIZZO
In an investment supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland, Deem will hire 50 software engineers for its Dublin innovation centre in the coming 12 months, with a further expansion tipped for 2020.
Travel tech set to soar in Dublin
“Dublin is the ideal location for our new European innovation centre,” said John Rizzo, CEO and president of Deem. “It’s a world-renowned hub for technology, innovation and excellence with an exceptional number of skilled workers, great international connections and a high standard of living.
“Expanding into Dublin will allow us to pursue our mission – to transform corporate travel – faster than ever before. Business travellers from around the world are counting on Deem to take the frustration and uncertainty out of booking and managing their trips, and travel managers are relying on us to help them save time and money for their companies,” Rizzo said.
Deem is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Enterprise Holdings, the world’s largest car rental provider, which is active in 90 countries and has revenues per annum of $24.1bn.
“Today’s announcement by Deem is testament to the highly skilled, diverse workforce we have here in Ireland, particularly in the technology sector,” said IDA CEO Martin Shanahan.
It is also understood that the new European innovation centre in Dublin will house a highly skilled research and development team that will focus on building the next-generation platform to optimise Deem’s travel solutions.
“This is a once-in-a-career opportunity,” said Ashutosh Saxena, director of Ireland operations at Deem. “The European innovation centre will design an innovative architecture that enhances and builds on the efforts of hundreds of the very best software engineers in Silicon Valley over the past two decades.”
Speaking with Siliconrepublic.com, Rizzo said the objective is to make corporate travel more efficient and to enable executives to be more productive when travelling. He said that several key employees from San Francisco will relocate to Dublin as part of the foundation of the new European innovation centre.
“We are doubling the size of the company and we’ve had plans for Ireland for a while. We want to hire some really smart engineers.”
Rizzo explained that there will be two major parts to the investment: the establishment of a new mobile team focused on iOS and Android development, and another team that will be focused on the company’s overall technology platform including more AI and personalisation.
“Deem is a high-volume e-commerce platform for corporate travel and we see personalisation in e-commerce as crucial to the future travel experience.”
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys, TD, said that Dublin is globally established as a vibrant technology hub.
“This announcement is a reflection of how attractive Ireland is to companies operating in the tech sector,” Humphreys said. “We have the skills and talent available to enable the company to grow and to embed their operations here, and I look forward to their continued expansion and success over the coming years.”
