When it comes to convention, Mike Fitzgerald doesn’t fit the bill. The founder, chairman and chief executive of Net Feasa takes work calls from across the Atlantic and hosts meetings with his team, all while overlooking the Skellig rocks – not exactly a typical setting for a cutting-edge tech company with a branch in Silicon Valley.
“It’s beautiful,’ Fitzgerald admits. “I love coming to work every day and seeing that view.”
The scenic setting isn’t the only thing that sets Net Feasa’s business approach apart. The company is transforming supply chain management through IoT technology and innovation from the wilds of Kerry.
With 28 years of experience in software and wireless networking companies in his arsenal, Fitzgerald brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to Net Feasa. Named Ernst & Young’s Irish Entrepreneur of the Year (Emerging category) in 2009 and a Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum in 2012, identifying unique and futuristic opportunities is something Fitzgerald has an uncanny talent for.
Supply chains are, at their core, the movement of goods around the world. The challenge is that these complex networks are not connected
Since its founding in 2015, Net Feasa has enjoyed growing success. Thanks to its state-of-the-art device that allows shipments to be tracked anywhere around the world instantly, the company is garnering widespread interest from both customers and investors. It recently achieved a new funding target on the Spark platform.
“We’re essentially a logistics company,” Fitzgerald explains. “Supply chains are, at their core, the movement of goods around the world. The challenge is that these complex networks are not connected. A container can leave a factory on one side of the world, and the amount of movement between its point of origin and destination can be extremely diverse, from truck to ship to train. We solve that disconnect by providing visibility, so you can know exactly where your goods are at any point in time.”
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In short, a process that used to involve hiring an expensive team of IT experts to locate and track every touchpoint of a shipment has been simplified. “Essentially, our IoT system allows you to keep eyes on your goods.”
The Internet of Things – IoT – is a physical object with sensors and other technologies that connect and exchange data over the internet or other communications networks. Net Feasa harnesses this technology in a low-cost, low-energy way. “If we went back to the good old days and used a tracking device, it would be expensive,” Fitzgerald says. “Our tech is designed to be lean, inexpensive and light on power. We use AI [artificial intelligence] to make containers smart.”
While his IoT for beginners lesson is digestible, the truth is that Net Feasa’s tech needs a high-powered partner to support it.
“We asked ourselves, who can offer us a global infrastructure so that when we need to check in on our device, there’s a reliable, dependable network there that can pick up on that information? Vodafone is that company. They are always at the forefront of tech, and they understand what we are trying to achieve. Having them as a partner allows our devices to roam from country to country and for us to operate seamlessly.”
Net Feasa’s research and development has been in the works for almost four years, but its partnership with Vodafone is just a year old. “We began with operations in Cork Port and California while figuring out the best place to carve out our own value,” Fitzgerald says. “It took time to get there, but when we did, Vodafone was the last piece of the puzzle.”
In a world bursting with competition, it can be hard for a company like us to make noise
His team was eager to get going, but choosing the right network partner wasn’t just about global reach.
“For us, it had to be Vodafone because they care and they’re focused. IoT isn’t important to every provider right now because instead of a large instantaneous pay-off, it takes time and quantity to accumulate return. But Vodafone is invested in the future of IoT, and that’s what matters to us. We have 30 million containers that need to be connected, and Vodafone gives us the scope to serve those customers.”
Vodafone’s expansion into IoT is just one of many services on offer to business technology partners. The company harnesses tech to reimagine what is possible with connectivity, cloud, security and managed services solutions. Their ethos is that by collaborating with customers in a more innovative way, a future where every business has the same opportunity to thrive and grow is possible.
For Fitzgerald, this alignment in perspective has culminated in a match made in connectivity heaven. “In a world bursting with competition, it can be hard for a company like us to make noise,” he admits. “Vodafone has always supported and cheerleaded us. Having them at our back allows us to do what we do.”
For now, Net Feasa is on a fast track to expanding and growing its customer base and reach. Thanks to the recent funding, the company abounds with new frontiers to explore and conquer. “We’ll continue to push the boundaries,” Fitzgerald concludes. “We know we have the innovation and right support to achieve it.”
To find out more visit https://ie-business.vodafone.com/BusinessReimagined