An Irish start-up whose technology can turn any surface into a functioning whiteboard is to create 29 new jobs by June 2017, after getting backing from AIB Seed Capital Fund and Dublin BIC and winning €6m worth of overseas business.
The jobs created will focus primarily on international sales, channel management and e-commerce, with the most immediate hires in channel management.
“These new jobs are a reflection of our strong and fast growth since 2012, particularly in the international market,” said Denise Doran, director at Smarter Surfaces.
“We owe a great deal of this success to the AIB Seed Capital Fund and Dublin BIC, who have been working with us since 2013.”
The investment will see Smarter Surfaces expand its international reach to more than 30 countries, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Australia, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Smarter Surfaces has three product ranges that can turn any flat surface into a reusable whiteboard, magnetic wallpaper, projector screen, or any combination of these.
Smart paint idea is patented gold
Smarter Surfaces, previously known as Smart Wall Paint, was founded by Ronan Clarke in 2011.
While running a construction business, he had an epiphany when a customer asked him to fit out every wall of an office with whiteboards.
Clarke then developed a smart paint that turns any surface into a reusable whiteboard.
The company has filed two patent applications for a new dry-erase coating technology.
Last year, the company launched Smart Wall Paint Clear and the Smart Wall Paint Contractors kit. In 2015, the company launched Smart Projector Paint, Smart Magnetic Wallpaper and Smart Whiteboard Sheets.