The company which developed a pioneering Covid-19 tracking app has announced a "strategic investment" from a major US firm to help it expand operations across Europe and North America.
Tramore-based NearForm, which has become a major software development and consultancy operation employing 160 people, has secured the investment, believed to be worth several million euro, from Columbia Capital.
NearForm's clients include Walmart, IBM and Condé Nast, who use its open-source software approach, and last year developed the world-leading contract tracing app code, Covid Green, which is used in Ireland but also Scotland, Gibraltar, New York, and other territories.
"The unprecedented events of 2020 have shown that both public and private sector companies must react quickly to meet the challenges of today's world," NearForm founder and CEO Cian Ó Maidín said.
"NearForm was founded on the belief that open source technology has become best practice for delivering cost-effective, scalable and secure digital platforms at speed for the most challenging projects."
Jason Booma of Columbia Capital said this morning that NearForm has "an expert engineering-led culture that reliably translates to achieving positive and cost-effective customer outcomes".
In a statement, the Co Waterford company said it will use the additional capital to "scale operations and accelerate recruitment" in sales, marketing, engineering and design across Europe and North America "to meet growing market demand from companies seeking digital solutions to keep pace with competitors and meet the changing digital demands of their consumers".
