London-headquartered tech firm, Whitespace has secured a £4m global partnership contract, following its Belfast office's investment of over £450,000 in research and development.
It has also won a multimillion-pound contract with a UK Government Ministry.
Whitespace has developed a new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered software, eamli, an automated decision intelligence engine that helps augment and inform decisions on best business practice and objectives in both the public and private sectors.
eamli will be an early adopter for IBM’s Cloud Automation Base Pak. IBM Cloud Paks for Automation is an AI-powered portfolio that helps customers streamline business processes, automate tasks based on data analysis and continuously improve workflows that run centrally, in networks, and at the edge.
Glenn McClements, COO and Head of Engineering said: “Decision-making is a key requirement for businesses, yet we have found that most decisions are based on minimal information and analysis.
"eamli is an Expert, Augmented, Machine Learning, Intelligence capability that changes this through a dynamic decision-led approach that uses machine learning to continuously improve its accuracy. By providing data and forecasts that can be altered based on business changes, companies can strategically use this information to grow."
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Invest NI has offered Whitespace £154,000 of support towards the development of its eamli software.
Kevin Holland, the economic growth agency's CEO said: “Whitespace is an innovative SME that has grown quickly in recent years and now boasts over half of its global team based in Belfast. We have supported Whitespace’s growth in Northern Ireland since 2017, offering business advice and support towards product development and international trademarking and patents.
"The company’s multi-million contracts, and the growing partnership opportunities, are testament to the importance of investing in R&D and is a strong endorsement of the company’s eamli product offering. It is great to see that the support we provide, both financial and strategic, can make a real impact on a company’s growth.”
Whitespace began as a Belfast-based start-up in 2014, founded by technologist Andy McCartney and experienced finance director, Paul Jenkinson.
It has recently been awarded a Silver Level Innovator Certificate from Innovate NI, a Department for the Economy programme which aims to help local businesses innovate successfully.
In 2019, the venture capital fund turned software development firm also won Company of the Year at the Digital DNA Awards.
