An investment of £1.55 million into female-founded Belfast-based IT firm Kinsetsu means 100 Northern Ireland companies have now benefitted from investments of nearly £43m since the Co-Fund NI programme began in 2011.
It co-invests alongside business angels and other private investors , and its support has extended into sectors including life and healthcare sciences. The first company to benefit 12 years ago was Lisburn based Cirdan Imaging.
Kinsetsu works with public and private organisations globally, with healthcare one of the core industries, to track equipment, people, inventory and fleet.
Founded by Jackie Crooks and Joanne O’Doherty, Kinsetsu plans to use funding to scale business operations and fuel growth, with chief executive Joanne O’Doherty saying: “This funding has come at a hugely important time for our business. “It will support plans for further growth within the critical sectors we serve and help us to continue to provide positive change through our technology solutions.”
Picture caption: Pictured (from left) Joanne O’Doherty, chief executive at Kinsetsu; Brian Cummings, investment director, Clarendon Fund Managers; Claudine Owens, investment manager, Clarendon Fund Managers; William McCulla, director of corporate finance at Invest NI and Jackie Crooks, chief commercial officer at Kinsetsu.
