START-UPS

7 Irish start-ups leading the way in the future of work

19 Mar 2020

A woman using a laptop at a table in her kitchen, doing work from home.

Image: © Monkey Business/Stock.adobe.com

We look at seven Irish start-ups that are focusing on the future of work, from disrupting how healthcare professionals run clinics to helping freelancers find work.

As people around the world face “the remote working revolution no one wanted”, this week we’re taking a look at seven of Enterprise Ireland’s high potential start-ups (HPSUs) focusing on the future of work, to highlight that there is more to consider than just working remotely.

This includes Irish start-ups disrupting how healthcare professionals run clinics, how employers run their HR operations, and how freelancers secure work. As well as the businesses featured on this list, Enterprise Ireland’s HPSUs for 2019 included a number of other start-ups that we’ve recently covered such as TeachKloud, Allsorter and Snapfix.

Eppione

Founded in 2016, Eppione is a Dublin-based start-up that helps employers and employees in SMEs to leverage technology in the day-to-day management of HR.  With the platform, employers can expand their employee benefits programme, add voluntary benefits and communicate company benefits in a motivating way.

The firm was founded by David Kindlon, Ernest Legrand and Neil Fallon, and has offices in Dublin and the UK.

Employers can use Eppione’s app and desktop site to share timesheets, company directories, and information about training and time off with staff. The platform can also help SMEs manage workplace health solutions and benefits, as well as providing general insurance to employers.

Exit Entry

Lewize Crothers is the founder of Exit Entry, an app that tracks the soft skills of college students and highlights their interests, while connecting graduates with employment opportunities around the world. Think LinkedIn, but specifically for students.

Crothers founded the company after she returned to college in 2016 and realised that students had little interaction with potential employers until their final year, if at all. With Exit Entry, Crothers is encouraging students to begin interacting with potential employers much earlier in their academic careers, enabling graduates to highlight the skills and attributes they sharpen while studying.

Exit Entry enables users to make profiles for free, which can be used to apply for jobs posted by employers, who pay a fee to advertise roles on the platform. The start-up is a spin-out of DCU, and received a €350,000 commercialisation grant from Enterprise Ireland in 2019.

Flexiwage

Flexiwage is a fintech app that employers can use to offer employees more control over their income. The technology enables employees to schedule when they will be paid, using predefined pay dates, in order to better suit their circumstances. This can also save businesses the cost of running a weekly payroll service, according to the company.

The platform aims to reduce the reliance on payday loans and strengthen financial wellness for individuals who may be struggling with budgeting. The technology has been taken on board by Irish companies such as Right Price Tiles and Woodies, among others. Flexiwage now has offices in Waterford, Dublin and the UK.

The firm was launched in 2016 by Anthony Cronin, who had previously worked as the global payroll implementation manager for EY.

Frankli

Frankli is an employee engagement platform that aims to help companies set clear expectations, improve communication and ultimately shape their culture. Based in Sligo, Frankli was set up in 2017 to develop intuitive employee-led tools to support smarter workplaces.

The business was founded by Noel Dykes and Cian Collins. Since it was launched, Frankli has developed solutions for HR, managers and employees, enabling workers to receive notifications, set goals and participate in workplace surveys. The platform provides insight reports, and allows staff to give anonymous feedback to employers.

The start-up has developed two different plans to suit different types of organisations, with one plan focusing solely on performance and another plan including features related to employee engagement.

Gigable

Dublin-based Gigable works with freelancers and businesses to offer both parties a place to connect, finding the right gig workers for jobs across hospitality, delivery, retail, construction and more. The platform has been used by the likes of Camile, Box Burger, Bombay Pantry and Gourmet Food Parlour.

For freelancers, Gigable says it can help individuals get hired and paid all in one day. Businesses can advertise for positions before picking the best candidate based on their profile. The start-up has 7,000 members and works with more than 100 businesses in nine industries to offer flexible work options.

UtilityAR

Based in Grangegorman, Dublin, UtilityAR is a start-up offering augmented reality training solutions for a number of industries, including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, utilities and data centres. The company was founded in 2017 by serial entrepreneurs Patrick Liddy, Seadna Smallwood and Aidan McDonnell.

Combining both hardware and software, the start-up helps users to interact with the real world while accessing existing databases and software systems, with the goal of optimising their processes, reducing mistakes and shortening training times.

UtilityAR has been used by companies such as Crest Solutions, WD Meats, CIX and EMEX. As well as its Dublin HQ, UtilityAR has an office in London. At the end of last year, the company raised €600,000 in seed funding.

Wellola

Wellola provides medical practice management software with a free app for patients, which aims to reduce correspondence and no-show costs for health clinics and practices, with a secure infrastructure to offer online care when patients need it.

Through the app, medical professionals can provide scheduling services for in-person or video-consultation, as well as secure messaging and digital letters that are backed up by record keeping and payment facilities.

The start-up was based on the idea that the future of healthcare is preventative, community-based and supported by digital tools. It was co-founded by physiotherapist Sonia Neary and Dr Greg Martin.

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Kelly Earley was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com