Northern Ireland Economy Minister Diane Dodds met with the founders of tech start-up Kairos Sports Tech Ltd, to discuss challenges and opportunities that exist for similar businesses within the NI start-up ecosystem.
The Minister commented: “Kairos Sports Tech Ltd is an excellent example of what can be achieved for any young person considering venturing out into the world of business on their own here in Northern Ireland.
"Embracing digitisation is going to be at the heart of economic recovery, not just in Northern Ireland, but globally. Supporting SMEs such as Kairos Sports Tech Ltd to innovate their products and solutions will help them to adapt and thrive in this new business landscape. In turn, they will have the skills, products and opportunity to win new business and reach new markets, and play an important role in rebuilding Northern Ireland’s economy.”
Andrew Trimble, CEO and co-founder of Kairos added: "When we were starting our journey, both Gareth and I were hugely inspired by some of the great success stories of technology start-ups in Northern Ireland, including in the sports tech industry.
"Having such a strong community of like-minded and ambitious entrepreneurs support us through those early days was invaluable, and we’re looking forward to contributing to that community moving forward and seeing many more start-ups making a global impact from NI."
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Kairos was launched a few years ago when retired Ireland and Ulster rugby star Andrew Trimble teamed up with Digital DNA founder Gareth Quinn with the aim of digitally transforming athlete performance and training through the use of data analytics.
In March of this year, the firm closed on a £1.5m seed investment round and will be expanding with a new office in the US.
Minister Dodds has spoken previously of the importance of technological innovation in strengthening Northern Ireland's economy post-Covid, saying that "innovation is crucial to our future success locally and globally."
The Department for the Economy’s recently published ‘10X Economy, A Decade of Innovation’ vision places innovation as the driver for NI's recovery and transformation.
Start-ups such as Kairos, along with university spin-outs, and organisations that support such start-ups (Catalyst, Ignite NI, Startacus etc) are at the heart of that innovation ecosystem.
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