Poppulo eyes 30% growth in further push into employee communications
Irish company Poppulo said it aiming for 30% annual growth over the next five years as it eyes further expansion in the internal communications sector.
The Cork company creates software to help companies manage internal staff communications. It employs more than 200 people in Ireland and further 50 in Boston.
Its clients include Unilever, Bank of America, Nestlé, Johnson Controls and Rolls-Royce.
Poppulo's founder and CEO Andrew O'Shaughnessy said they have been growing by 30% a year for the past seven years.
"We plan to continue that growth, at that rate, over the next five years," he said.
Mr O'Shaughnessy was speaking at the KPMG Founders event which took place at the company's offices at 85 South Mall.
He outlined the growth of the company and how he started his career with his family textile business, learning hard business lessons.
He went on to create Poppulo, pivoting the company from external communications to internal communications.
The company has grown to become a global leader in employee communications which has captured 30% of Europe’s largest employers and 20% of the biggest corporations in the US.
Poppulo generates $23 million annually in revenue and have recently raised €30 million in funding to further expand their global footprint.
Having achieved a significant portion of the internal communications marketplace Mr O'Shaughnessy said the sector is now increasingly competitive.
"Every marketplace is highly competitive," he told the Irish Examiner. "Anytime something starts to really take off or get traction, that will attract others. We have competition from all over the world.
There is a lot of investment going into the area but that is a good thing. It shows there is a market there and we have a good head start. We are in a strong position to make the most of that market."
Asked about further expansion plans he said Poppulo's bases in Cork and Boston would remain their main hubs for the short term.
"It's really about getting the right talent that you need," he said."We will have people working increasingly remotely but our two main markets at the moment are Europe and the US and we have a base on the ground in both."
The KPMG Founders series is a round table discussion for groups of scaling business owners to listen, engage and share experiences with leading entrepreneurs and founders of successful companies.
