Moonshot, a data analytics company which designs new technology and methodologies to identify and mitigate online harms such as terrorism and organised crime, is establishing a software development centre in Dublin, opening up 37 new roles over the next three years, with recruitment starting immediately.

Moonshot was founded in London in 2015 by Irish entrepreneur Ross Frenett and Vidhya Ramalingam from the US. Earlier this month it announced that it has raised $7m (€5.8m) in Series A funding from transatlantic venture capital firm Beringea and Britain’s Mercia.

Frenett commented:  “When I left Ireland during the great recession, the thought of bringing so many jobs home would have sounded too good to be true. But this move for our company isn’t based on emotion. When we looked at talent and market access Ireland was the obvious choice.

“We’ve spent the last five years growing our capabilities, team and client base, in response to both a continual increase in demand, but also the continued evolution of the threats posed by extremists, conspiracy theorists and organised crime.”

The establishment of Moonshot in Dublin is being supported by taxpayers through state aid from IDA Ireland.

In Association with

Meanwhile, US biotech company Horizon Therapeutics is to establish a manufacturing facility in Waterford which will employ 90 people producing drug product for Horizon’s rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory disease portfolio.

With taxpayer state aid from IDA Ireland, the company is purchasing the existing drug product factory operated by EirGen Pharma, and about 40 of EirGen’s employees are transferring to Horizon as part of the process.

Chief executive Tim Walbert said: “Adding to our strong network of contract manufacturing organisations, this facility will also play an important role in our global expansion. We look forward to leveraging our existing technical operations expertise in Ireland, along with the expertise of the EirGen employees, to build a robust and effective manufacturing operation that will enable us to meet the unmet needs of people impacted by rare diseases around the world.”

Founded in 2008, Horizon is focused on researching, developing, and commercialising medicines that address critical needs of people affected by rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases. In 2014 the company established its global headquarters in Dublin.

Photo: Ross Frenett (right) with Moonshot co-founder Vidhya Ramalingam