Scaling Meath business HR Duo is bringing its innovative HR solutions to the UK market.
Dunshaughlin-headquartered HR tech firm HR Duo has established its first outpost in the UK.
This is the first in a series of planned ambitious international expansion moves as it expands its reach beyond the Irish market.
“UK SMEs experience the same HR inefficiencies and outdated practices as their Irish counterparts”
HR Duo provides HR solutions to SMEs by integrating industry knowledge with the latest technology to deliver the estimated 80% of HR requirements that can be automated.
Untapped market opportunity
“With over 280,000 SMEs, the market potential in the UK is an incredible 24 times larger than Ireland, despite having a population 13 times our size,” said Jerome Forde, CEO of HR Duo.
“This presents an enormous untapped market for HR Duo, with our research showing that UK SMEs experience the same HR inefficiencies and outdated practices as their Irish counterparts.”
Research conducted by the company has shown that almost two-thirds (60%) of British SMEs feel that most HR tech platforms are geared towards the needs of larger companies, with 77% saying they want one targeted towards the needs of SMEs (source: Heads Up Research & Insight, April 2023).
74% of SMEs also stated that “automation of manual HR tasks would be a major benefit to [their] business”
“In the short time since getting our Birmingham office fully up and running, we have taken on dozens of clients, and have received excellent feedback for our offering in the UK. Based on the huge demand we are experiencing there, we will be projecting to grow our customer footprint and recurring revenues by 250% by the end of this year.”
The move into the UK market is a significant step for HR Duo, which has already established itself as a leader in the Irish market, providing HR solutions to companies across a diverse range of industries, from retail to medical devices, hospitality, tech start-ups, and more, with employees numbering from dozens to hundreds of people.
The company’s UK office is just the beginning of its international expansion plans. After announcing the opening of its European Software Hub in Romania earlier this month, HR Duo is already eyeing offices in other markets worldwide, including the US, Australia, and beyond, with a goal of becoming a global leader in HR technology.
“I am delighted to formally establish the UK office of HR Duo in Birmingham, a growing hub for technology and innovation,” said Donal Brady, HR Duo UK country manager.
“A small handful of dedicated staff set up a fledgling operation here a few months ago, but we are now in a position to formalise our presence and bring our team to the next level, targeting growth to at least 20 employees by the end of this year. It’s exciting to be part of HR Duo’s ambitious growth trajectory and help revolutionise how SMEs across the UK handle their HR operations.”
The expansion follows a successful €4.5m Series A funding round in January 2023, which has enabled the company to invest in product development and expand its operations.
