PRESS RELEASE
24th January 2023
- New jobs to be created as a result of €6.2m investment from Enterprise Ireland and leading VCs
- New roles to include technology, sales and marketing
- inclusio first ever platform that provides a scientific approach to Diversity and Inclusion
- inclusio has ambitions to be Ireland’s first female-founded tech Unicorn
inclusio, a tech-startup, has announced plans to create 80 jobs on the back of a €6.2m funding investment in the unique diversity and inclusion platform.
The Enterprise Ireland-backed firm made the announcement in light of collective funding raised in its latest seed round, totalling €4.1m. This latest funding round was led by Elkstone and backed by Atlantic Bridge, Enterprise Ireland, and Oyster Capital, as well as private investors Brian Caulfield, John Hearne and Wakeup Capital.
On the back of this latest funding round and to fuel further growth, inclusio will create 80 jobs in the next 18-24 months. The additional team members will help inclusio to expand into new markets and to build on its existing customer base which already includes Sodexo, RSA Insurance Ireland, 123.ie, FBD insurance, Linesight, Kilsaran, Public Appointments Service, IPB insurance and Teagasc. The new roles are in Technology, Sales and Marketing. They will be based at its headquarters in Dublin and will add to its base of 35 employees.
inclusio is developed by experts in behavioural data science, psychology, artificial intelligence, equality, diversity and inclusion. inclusio works with organisations — both in the private and public sector — providing them with scientific, evidence-based data and inclusion insights linked to their business KPIs and ROI.
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Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD, said: “I want to commend Sandra and the team at inclusio on its recent funding success. I know that inclusio has ambitious global plans and is already seeing massive international growth and interest in its offering. Diversity, inclusion, dignity and respect in the workplace are core elements with which this Government wants to continue to build our economy. inclusio is championing this and will play a leadership role in offering employers tangible technological solutions in this space going forward. The jobs created by inclusio will serve a number of different areas including tech, sales and marketing and highlight the innovation at the core of the Irish-start up sector which is central element to our economy.”
Sandra Healy, CEO and Founder, inclusio said: “There is nothing else like inclusio in the world. In 2016, inclusio set out to solve a problem and bring a scientific-evidenced approach for employers to listen to the collective voice of their people and to measure, track and act on Diversity and Inclusion. Our software helps organisations pinpoint and focus Diversity and Inclusion actions in a more strategic way. We are now beginning to create international and sector benchmarks — with a focus on leading the way globally in this space.”
“This funding and jobs boost will further help us on our journey of scaling our team and offering our knowledge and expertise to ensure companies can get Diversity and Inclusion right and ensure that it’s not a tickbox exercise. I’d like to acknowledge the support of Enterprise Ireland in backing inclusio from the beginning. Enterprise Ireland’s funding of the research and development into inclusio were the building blocks of the platform. I’d also like to thank our range of investor funding which will drive our growth strategy over the next 18 months.”
Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy said: “We at Enterprise Ireland recognise the importance of diverse business teams and that increased diversity fosters innovation, creative thinking and leads to better results for businesses. As far back as 2016, the excellent team at inclusio foresaw a gap in the market and the pressing need to address Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace. Enterprise Ireland is delighted to have partnered with inclusio at each stage of its rapid growth journey through research commercialisation, our flagship High Potential Start-up Programme and in international markets. Congratulations to Sandra and the entire inclusio team on its job creation plans and recent investment wins. We look forward to working with the team as they continue to scale and compete in global markets."
Niall McEvoy, Venture Partner at Elkstone commented: “Diversity and Inclusion is a critical issue for modern leadership teams in building the businesses of the future. inclusio has developed a category leading platform based on the data science of D&I, offering company leadership teams real data driven insights to develop and deliver actionable solutions to drive organisational change. The leadership team at inclusio are already recognised global thought leaders in the space. We look forward to working to support the team at inclusio in delivering accelerated growth across global markets”
In 2015, inclusio CEO, Sandra Healy founded the world’s first Centre of Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion research at Dublin City University. Between 2016 and 2020, she and her colleagues Deborah Murphy and Arthur Lubambo were supported via Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund to develop “inclusio”.
inclusio is the first digital platform to combine technology, behavioural science and psychology for organisations to use to help them drive improvements in Diversity and Inclusion within their workforce and deliver measurable improvements in their culture and business performance that should be realised as a direct result of these improvements in the employee lived experience. inclusio spun-out as a private company in 2020.
inclusio is currently working closely with Ulster University and Stanford University in the US on a project around accommodations for neurodivergent staff, for example, people with autism.
Additional investor comment
Contributing to the funding announcement, additional investors backing inclusio were united on the enormous impact the digital platform can deliver for organisations globally.
Oyster Capital’s Marc McCabe added: “Creating a vibrant and diverse workplace is proven to help businesses’ perform better. inclusio gives businesses the tools to engage and support an inclusive workforce which is a huge competitive advantage for their customers.”
Dr. Helen McBreen, Atlantic Bridge commented: “We are delighted to be supporting inclusio on their exciting journey to becoming the gold standard for collecting, measuring, and delivering actionable insights on Diversity and Inclusion data. Diversity and Inclusion is a vital issue for businesses around the world, and we believe that inclusio’s proprietary AI technology coupled with the team’s domain expertise make them well equipped to drive meaningful change in organisations worldwide.”
Faye Walsh Drouillard, Wakeup Capital stated: “WakeUp Capital invests in companies evolving legacy industries to be more measurably sustainable and inclusive. inclusio is doing just that with their authentic and data backed tech solution for corporate DEA&I analysis and reporting. inclusio is a values-driven tech for good company with expertise rooted in rigorous behavioural science approach, which enhances diversity, combats discrimination and ultimately improves their customers' performance. DEA&I based technology is critical to any business competing in today's complex world and Sandra Healy and the inclusio team are leading the way in Ireland.”
Stephen Vard, Tech investor concluded: "Inclusio are one of the most exciting tech start ups in Ireland, offering a unique deep tech approach to understanding Diversity and Inclusion. They have the potential to transform DE&I practice and become a global leader as the industry benchmark for DE&I and employee understanding"
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