English-speaking, inside the European Union (and likely to stay there) and just a 12.5% rate of corporation tax – no wonder many tech giants have chosen Dublin as a base for their European headquarters.
Google, Facebook, Linkedin, Airbnb, Amazon, Twitter and eBay head a list of 250 businesses with their EMEA base in the city. And it’s not just a tax-play: at least one third are developing products in the city.
Dublin ranks eighth in the EU’s digital cities index and there is government investment aplenty in start-up mentoring, including the Start Programme, National Digital Research Centre, the Dublin Commission for Startups and New Frontiers Hothouse.
THE OCCUPIERS
The biggest tech occupiers in the city are Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Airbnb and Zendesk.
THE ONE TO WATCH
Asavie, which provides the PassBridge platform to connect the internet of things, is growing – and an agreement with Dell and expansion into Asia promise more.
Turnover at the Dublin-based business is less than €20m, but its growth is astronomic, doubling in 2015 and increasing by more than 900% since 2012.
WHO TO KNOW
Niamh Bushnell
Dublin commissioner for start-ups
Colum Twomey
Vice president of product development, Zendesk Dublin
Ben Hurley
Chief executive, National Digital Research Centre
Owen Keegan
Chief executive, Dublin City Council
