A giant in technology: Northern Ireland's international tech companies join SFFxSWITCH

Using the latest Internet of Things (IoT) and automation principles, LoweConex wants to help Singapore's supermarkets link up their refrigerators so that they can be controlled remotely and their energy use managed more efficiently.

The Northern Ireland company, which runs a cloud-based data monitoring system, collects data such as temperatures and energy usage from refrigerators and displays them on a single dashboard.

"Our solution takes these otherwise unconnected data points and makes real-time changes and improvements to our clients' operations via two-way communication and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven automation," says Mr Kailashyar Kumar, head of sales Asia at LoweConex.

LoweConex is one of 11 Northern Ireland companies which are participating in the second edition of the SFFxSWITCH (Singapore FinTech Festival x the Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology) from Dec 7 to 11.

Mr Kumar says Singapore's Smart Nation vision has created demand for a varied range of IoT solutions as companies aspire to go "digital first".

"We're looking forward to connecting with varied enterprises and regional thought leaders to understand their 'digital first' initiatives around smart cities, urban solutions, AI and IoT," he adds.

Engineering and tech powerhouse

Mr Nick Caldwell, head of Asia Pacific for Invest Northern Ireland, says Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom (UK), has a long history of engineering excellence, dating back to the days of the Industrial Revolution.

In the past two decades, the region has since transformed itself into a global leader in cyber security, AI, data analytics, IoT devices, security, aerospace and life sciences.

Today, the region is also known as the "Silicon Valley for cyber" and has become the top international investment location for American cyber security firms.

Its capital city Belfast is Europe's leading investment destination for new software development. And globally, the city is ranked number three - behind London and Singapore - as the fintech location of the future.

As an economic development agency responsible for helping companies from the region compete internationally and attracting new investments, Invest Northern Ireland is supporting promising home-grown tech and fintech companies to expand in Asia through Singapore.

Beyond SFFxSWITCH, Mr Caldwell plans to organise a trade mission for Northern Ireland companies to visit Singapore next year should international travel be possible again after restrictions are lifted.

Northern Ireland is strong base for expansion into Europe

Going forward, he hopes to build a two-way super highway between Singapore and Northern Ireland, where students, scientists and companies can collaborate on education, commercial research, trade and investments.

"We welcome local tech companies with a global customer base or which have globally applicable products to set up shop in Northern Ireland if they are thinking of expanding to Europe," says Mr Caldwell.

He says Northern Ireland is an ideal place for tech companies as the workforce is young and well-trained in technology-focused areas. More than 53 per cent of the 1.8 million population is under 40. Many would have graduated from one of two world-class universities - Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University.

"We have great engineers and a world-class Stem education system and our people are naturally great engineers and innovators - it's in our DNA," he adds.

Another key attraction is Northern Ireland's excellent connectivity with the rest of Europe and North America via air and sea links as well as a 100 gigabyte-per-second telecoms link. It is the first European region to have a 100-per-cent broadband roll-out and Belfast is also set to be one of six cities in the UK where 5G will be rolled out first.

Over the years, the local government has also stepped up in its efforts to grow and attract tech companies to set up their bases in Northern Ireland. Businesses can tap a wide spectrum of services ranging from access to specialist knowledge, such as academic and research organisations, to initial financial and recruitment support.

Across the region, there are 15 accelerator and incubator spaces for start-ups and small- and medium-sized firms. In 2018, Danske Bank partnered Catalyst Inc to establish the region's first dedicated fintech co-working space.

Northern Ireland and Singapore a good fit for each other

Similar to Singapore, Northern Ireland has strong inter-regional links, in this case with counterparts and organisations across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland's location on the island of Ireland provides easy access to the UK-European Union Fintech Corridor, connecting Belfast and Dublin.

"With many well-established fintech organisations and enterprise hubs already operating in the region, the area provides start-ups and SMEs with an attractive and accessible location from which to grow across the UK and Ireland, and into Europe," says Mr Caldwell.

Fern Software is one such home-grown Northern Ireland fintech firm taking part in this year's SFFxSWITCH to seek out new partners for its innovative solutions.

Mr John McGucken, managing director of Fern Software, says the company moved its regional office from Australia to Singapore in 2014 as the city-state offers a better location and a more favourable time zone to support the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern regions.

As a major international transport and financial services hub, Singapore is ideal for Fern's business, adds Mr McGucken. The company provides digital solutions for core banking services for credit unions, as well as microfinance and commercial small-and medium-sized lenders.

Meanwhile, several firms borne out of Northern Ireland's world-leading cybersecurity hub are also showcasing at SFFxSWITCH their expertise in countering advanced persistent threats to national security, critical infrastructure, networks, capital markets and web applications.

"As a cybersecurity start-up, we are keenly aware of both the potential benefits and dangers of the increased digitalisation across all aspects of life," says Mr Steve Berry, executive chairman of cyber security firm Angoka. "We are looking to provide the last line of defence for these life-changing products and systems."

Mr Berry finds Singapore to be a good fit for the company's expertise and continued development in IoT, 5G, quantum-safe security and smart mobility - including connected and autonomous vehicles.

"The Singapore government has made clear its commitment to revolutionising all aspects of daily life with emerging technologies," he says.

"Singapore's focus on early adoption will not only be an ideal testing ground for our technologies, but will also provide a road to further commercialisation," he adds.

If you hold a digital pass for SFFxSWITCH, you can visit the Northern Ireland Technology building at the event. Directions can be found here.

For more information, please contact Invest Northern Ireland at singapore@investni.com or visit www.investni.com/sffxswitch

Northern Ireland firms at SFFxSWITCH

Ampliphae Areas of expertise: Data and analytics, SaaS solutions, cloud apps, data security and compliance

Angoka Areas of expertise: 5G, automotive, cloud computing, cyber security and digital factory, among others

AquaQ Analytics Areas of expertise: Data and analytics, specialist data management, data mining, KDB

Datactics Areas of expertise: Data and analytics, fuzzy data, data quality, data matching, data compliance

Fern Software Areas of expertise: Banking and finance platforms, Salesforce platform-based solutions, lending platforms

LoweConex Areas of expertise: AI and machine learning, clean technology, diagnostics, food manufacturing and advanced sensors among others

Options Areas of expertise: IT infrastructure products, FT managed services, cloud services, global platform

Push Technology Areas of expertise: Cloud computing, real-time API management, digital transformation

Skurio Areas of expertise: Cybersecurity, automated systems, cyber threats, data protection, deep web trawling

The Robot Exchange Areas of expertise: Automation, robotics, data and analytics, retail solutions

Vertical Structure Areas of expertise: Cybersecurity, penetration testing, human-focused security, cloud infrastructure, mobile platforms