Fast-growing mobile ad firm considers opening office in Ireland

MOBILE ADVERTISING firm MobileWebAdz is exploring the possibility of expanding into Ireland as it seeks to grow its business further.

The company, which is based in London but was founded by Kerryman Kieran O’Keeffe, was named as the fourth-fastest growing technology firms in the UK by the Sunday Times’s Tech Track 100.

MobileWebAdz’s network displays 18 billion ads per month on mobile websites in more than 200 countries.

It serves markets in Europe, the US, Asia and South America, and has opened seven offices in Tokyo, Mumbai, Capetown, Manila, Phoenix and San Francisco.

The company has its headquarters in London, where it employs 38 people, but Mr O’Keeffe said it is looking at Ireland as a possible location for its technical team when it expands further.

He said the company is “strongly considering” Ireland as a location, but there are a number of factors that need to be considered, including the benefits of having the technical team located close to its headquarters in London and the skill level that the company could take advantage of if it located in Ireland.

Another key consideration is the competitive tax rate in Ireland, which Mr O’Keeffe said is “attractive”.

If it does decide to locate some of its operations here, it will mean a small number of jobs – up to 10 people – but it would be another vote of confidence in the Irish tech sector.

The decision is likely to be made over the next six months, the company said.

MobileWebAdz has ambitious plans. Revenues are expected to be in the region of €30 million for 2012, and the company is aiming to reach €100 million by 2015.

Considering the company has already increased its revenues fourfold in the past couple of years, it may not be as ambitious as it sounds, and Mr O’Keeffe is confident it will meet the targets.

He attributes part of the explosive rise in revenue to the success of the iPhone and other smartphone platforms.

“Mobile internet is very much an emerging market,” he said. “Where people may not have PCs, they have phones.”

Aiming to become one of Ireland’s tech successes, MobileWeb -Adz is targeting Brazil and South Korea as its next areas for expansion.

Some areas of Asia have proved challenging markets, Mr O’Keeffe said.

I think we’ll crack it eventually,” he said. “It’s all about the people, and we have some very good people out there.”