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Iontas, developer of PC user efficiency software, secures
Eur 1.1million investment deal.
| Iontas, an indigenous software company based in Donegal, has secured over EUR1.1 million (IR£900,000) to develop and market its PC management solutions internationally. The investment, which is funded by Enterprise Ireland; Enterprise Equity (Ireland) Ltd., a subsidiary of the International Fund for Ireland; and local Donegal investors amongst other private investors, was announced today (Monday 9th April) by Tánaiste Mary Harney T.D. during her visit to Moville in County Donegal. |  Iontas Ltd directors (from left) CEO Martin McCreesh, Frank Blaney and Stewart Norris. |
The announcement comes only one year after the company's establishment and follows the recent appointment as a director of Dr. Michael Peirce, founder and chief executive of the Mentec Group and chairman of chip-designer Parthus. Iontas has already established an impressive client portfolio which includes leading companies such as British Telecom, Conduit Europe, Stream International and more recently Esat Telecom. It has reseller relationships with Soft-Ex (formerly Softech Telecom) and Balentine & Associates who will distribute their call-centre product throughout the German, Austrian and Swiss markets.
Commenting on the investment, Iontas' Chief Executive Officer, Martin McCreesh, said that the fund would enable Iontas to capitalise on the international market opportunities for its products and accelerate its high growth potential. "In essence" said Martin "this finance will primarily be used to employ sales personnel in the US and to develop further people management software products. We are a company that is committed to growth and this investment is the first stage in a three year plan which will require significant further investment and create upwards of 100 highly skilled jobs with target revenue reaching well in excess of EUR30million (IR£25 million) annually".
Iontas is a progressive company that has designed and developed innovative solutions for improving the productivity of PC users operating in a wide range of businesses.
The key target markets to date for Iontas' products have been call-centres, however it is currently expanding to target corporate users. The company's main products include Agent Focus which enables PC monitoring for call centre agents, and PC Focus - a corporate product just launched at CeBIT in Hannover for monitoring PC usage in office environments. These products have revolutionised the way in which software and hardware resources are used in organisations through the provision of features which benefit both managers and users such as simplifying IT support, identifying training needs and allowing users to review their own activity. Iontas' solutions capitalise on the current business climate of labour shortages and the focus on operating costs by enabling companies to reduce IT expenditure, ensure compliance with computer use policies and maximise the efficiency of its PC users.
Announcing the investment, the Tánaiste said, "This young start-up technology enterprise is truly a model which demonstrates what can be achieved in a very short time. It is just one year since Martin McCreesh established Iontas here in Moville and the company is already attracting significant investor interest. I want to see more venture capital become available for companies such as Iontas operating in the technology sector in this region and I have asked Enterprise Ireland to bring forward proposals in this regard. I congratulate Iontas and its achievement so far and look forward to seeing its future progress."
Conor O'Connor, C.E., Enterprise Equity (Ireland) Ltd., points out that, as a result of Iontas' development of its innovative software product suite and the key requirement of the market for monitoring PC's in the management of call centres and workplaces, Enterprise Equity was pleased to provide resources to lever this company's marketing strategy.
Brian O'Malley, Development Advisor with Enterprise Ireland, is also delighted to be associated with the initiative as it closely fits with Enterprise Ireland's recently launched regional development strategy that has, as a primary objective, the identification and encouragement of new start-up companies with strong growth potential in the region. "The decision of Iontas" he said, "to establish in Moville surely highlights the opportunities that exist for technology-led businesses in that area of the north west region given its infrastructural and human resource advantages".
