Two technology companies yesterday announced plans to create 83 new jobs.
Irish-owned NitroSell, which provides e-commerce software as a service to retailers, is to create 51 new jobs in Cork over the next four years.
The announcement was made at the opening of its new 4,000 sq ft headquarters in the Cork Airport Business Park yesterday.
In a further endorsement of the Digital Hub project in Dublin, Gala, a Japanese online gaming company, is to establish its European headquarters there, creating 32 jobs over the next three years.
A total of 84 companies are now based at the hub, employing some 600 people.
NitroSell, which was established in 2005, has more than 500 customers - mostly US retailers. It has also entered the UK market and it has plans to expand into Europe, South America and Australasia.
NitroSell currently employs 16 people. The new jobs will primarily be in software engineering, but some will be in the supply chain, sales and marketing. The company has a global partnership with Microsoft's Dynamics Division and its customers are largely small-sized to medium-sized retailers.
It recently recruited former Horizon senior executive Charles Garvey as its chief executive.
NitroSell will shortly complete a €1.5 million round of funding. This brings to over €3 million the amount raised since the company was founded.
Gala, one of Japan's largest operators of online game communities, has set up its Dublin base to grow its number of users in Europe. Founded in 1993, the company was listed on Nasdaq Japan in 2000.
It entered the online gaming business in 2006 following the acquisition of a number of Korean development companies.
Also in that year it opened a US operation, Gala-Net, to serve the US market.
The Irish operation will be a direct subsidiary of Gala-Net and it will handle localisation, marketing and customer services for European users.
Satoru Kikugawa, chairman and group chief executive of Gala, said that the company was attracted by Ireland's strong internet infrastructure and young creative workforce.
"There is a strong supply of software, localisation and technical expertise here which is essential for our potential growth and expansion in the European market," Mr Kikugawa said.
