Dan and Linda Kiely, founders of the global outsourcing business Voxpro, have emerged as investors in Cork co-working and innovation space Republic of Work.
It is understood that the Kielys have invested €250,000 in Republic of Work.
Founded by DC Cahalane and Dave Ronayne in April 2017, Republic of Work comprises 25,500 sq ft of space in the centre of Cork.
“Our vision for Republic of Work is crystal clear; we want to see more entrepreneurial activity in Cork – more start-ups, more scale-ups, more businesses thinking differently about their future”
Dan and Linda Kiely grew Voxpro from scratch to a global player employing 6,000 people and serving large customers like Google and Airbnb.
The Kielys sold Voxpro to Canadian call centre giant Telus International two years ago in a deal valued at up to $150m.
Republic of Work: A business for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs
Dan Kiely recently stepped down as CEO of Voxpro but is understood to have remained on board as an advisor.
“As a sponsor of Republic of Work over its first three years, Bank of Ireland is delighted that this great support space for Cork’s business community is receiving this new investment,” said Pat Carroll, Community Enterprise manager, Bank of Ireland Munster.
In a blog post last night, DC Cahalane revealed the investment. “I’m privileged and delighted to announce that today, Dan and Linda have decided to formalise their involvement by joining Dave and myself as investors in the business. Having two of Ireland’s leading businesspeople to guide and advise will be transformative for Republic of Work’s future business. As a friend, any excuse to spend more time with Dan and Linda is a great thing.
“A business like Republic of Work is a big expensive beast of a business. It’s always been 100pc privately funded, we’ve never received a penny of public money. It’s a business by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs. Everything is done on a fully commercial basis so we stay close to economic circumstances and we understand our members better than most as a result. We’re a small start-up with a big dream (and a big building to pay for). It’s not easy but its worth it.
“For the four of us, our vision for Republic of Work is crystal clear; we want to see more entrepreneurial activity in Cork – more start-ups, more scale-ups, more businesses thinking differently about their future. Republic of Work has never ever been about office space or just putting a roof over the head of a business, it has always been about creating a community and support structure for innovative, entrepreneurial thinkers; do’ers, dreamers and builders who are supported on the way up and when there’s inevitable failures can rely on a community to help pick them up, dust them off and try again.”
Written by John Kennedy (john.kennedy3@boi.com)
Published: 7 February, 2020
