FlowForma targets new growth as company opens US office

Company plans to expand staff to 70 from current 33

Business management software company FlowForma is aiming for international expansion, opening a new office in the United States and growing staff to 70 by the end of the year.

The company has opened a new office in New York, occupying space in the Enterprise Ireland New York office initially, as it makes plans to further its operations in the US. Sales and customer support will be located in the Park Avenue office but FlowForma plans to open its own premises within two years.

Staff in sales and customer support will initially work out of the Park Avenue address, providing a permanent presence in one of the company’s biggest markets. The hub will help the company to facilitate regular workshops and events to support clients and procure new business.

“The US market currently accounts for 30 per cent of FlowForma’s business,” chief executive Olivia Bushe said, with the next step to put people on the ground locally to help grow it further.

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“Our target growth for next year is 80 per cent growth. We’re going to double in size from 33 people to 70. We’ve been picking up great talent because of what’s been happening in the tech space in Dublin – whereas before, it was hard for us to compete.”

FlowForma, spun out of Ergo in 2016, was formed to bring digitisation to more businesses, particularly smaller companies that cannot afford to spend seven figures on business process management software. It is used by a number of industries, including construction, healthcare and financial services and champions the low-code approach that helps business units design and build their own workflows.

The move comes following a fundraising round for FlowForma that raised €4 million.

“Things have started to change in the market. I think we’ve really crossed the chasm in some ways. We’ve been waiting a long time but I think Covid really pushed people to digitise sooner,” Ms Bushe said. “We’re starting to see the traction and start to benefit from that.”

The software is gaining traction among US construction, energy and healthcare companies, with Trident General Contracting, Rimkus Consulting Group and Dresser Natural Gas among its US customers.

FlowForma is the latest in a long line of Irish tech companies that has taken off in the States, shining a light on the close relationship between the two countries,” said Marisa Mannion, Enterprise Ireland’s senior vice-president, USA.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist