A field management software company from Newry has become the first business accepted to take part in the Danske Business Lab programme.
The Danske Business Lab is a unique partnership between Danske Bank and Catalyst Inc’s hugely successful Springboard programme, a well-proven personalised mentoring process open to innovative companies with high growth potential.
FieldMotion has developed a piece of software that allows field workers to access information at the touch of a button and managers to monitor employee performance, while significantly cutting down the use of paper. The FieldMotion system consists of a cloud-based desktop application that works with a mobile app.
Jim Finnegan, CEO at FieldMotion, said: “The idea for our CRM system came about in 2012 when I owned another company, JMC Mobile. At the time we used many different systems but always felt they were too complicated and didn’t actually fulfil their purpose. When we designed the FieldMotion software it was initially for JMC but we realised we had a really good product that would sell well on its own.
“We currently have 200 companies in Great Britain and Ireland using our software, with 30 partners across the globe in places such as Australia and Boston. We have a team of 12 selling our products to 20 different sectors including engineering, plumbing, pest control and fire safety.”
Danske Business Lab participants go through a rigorous, in-business, 16-week process, during which every aspect of the business is analysed, including finance, value proposition, sales, marketing, corporate governance, growth and go-to-market strategy.
Mr Finnegan says taking part in the programme will help open new doors for the company. He added: “The Danske Business Lab has already been a real eye opener. I had to pitch the business in front of a panel of very experienced business people who then examined every aspect of the business. When you are too close to a project sometimes you don’t see the bigger picture so I really welcomed their ideas. The tweaks we’re making to the business are already opening new doors and allowing us to scale internationally.”
Looking to the future, Mr Finnegan said the company will be targeting new markets: “The USA is a big goal for us and we’re confident we can do it. We already have a partner in Boston and using the contacts and experience of the mentors at the Danske Business Lab will help us get a foot in the door. We’ll also look to consolidate our position in the UK market and add staff to our sales team.”
Austin Coll, Senior Manager, Small Business at Danske Bank, commented: “At Danske Bank we are keen to help high growth potential companies harness their true capabilities, providing them with some of the tools and expert advice needed to drive their business forward and scale up.
“Northern Ireland is rich with scalable companies and talented individuals that have the potential to grow into market leaders. These businesses have the potential to be tomorrow’s big players. Jim and his team have developed an excellent product that has the potential to be used in a number of sectors right across the world. We are delighted to have FieldMotion on board as the first business to take part in Danske Business Lab and look forward to seeing the business go from strength to strength.”
John Knapton, Director of Springboard, added: “FieldMotion is the perfect example of a local company with the potential for global reach. Springboard and the Business Lab was set up to help businesses like FieldMotion reach its full potential, giving it access to the right resources and the expert mentors it need to push it to the next level.”
