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Swoop takes the top spot in the Deloitte 2023 Technology Fast 50 awards

1 December 2023

Ranking of fastest growing technology companies generated over €3 billion in total annual revenues

1 December 2023. Swoop is the fastest growing technology company in this year’s Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards, having risen to first place after placing fourth in last year’s ranking. Swoop is a global platform supporting businesses by bringing their data into one place to garner insights and be instantly matched to eligible finance, as well as assess their spend on cost categories such as energy, banking and FX.  

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards is one of Ireland’s foremost technology award programmes. It is a ranking of the country's 50 fastest-growing technology companies based on revenue growth over a four-year period, and this year marks 24 years of the programme celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship in Ireland’s indigenous technology sector.

Reacting to the win, Andrea Reynolds, founder and CEO, Swoop said:

“Swoop's triumph in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 ranking is a testament to our unwavering mission to provide every business access to finance, wherever and whoever they are. This award is not just recognition; it's a reflection of our team's relentless spirit and determination to democratise finance. Our incredible growth since 2018 is a marker of our efficient and sustainable approach, with capital efficiency at the heart of all our decisions. Partnering with industry leaders like Sage, Microsoft, NatWest, and Lloyds has fortified our journey. As we celebrate this achievement, our focus remains forward, dedicated to continued growth in 2024 and beyond. Swoop is not just winning awards; we're pioneering change in the world of business finance.”

Cumulatively, the 2023 Fast 50 winners generated over €3 billion in total annual revenues. The average growth rate of the companies compared to four years ago was 721% and 15 of the 50 ranked companies were first time winners. 

The majority of Fast 50 companies have doubled their workforce since 2019, and now employ over 8,800 people across the country. The companies ranked identified finding, hiring and retaining top talent and international expansion as two of the biggest challenges they face trying to grow their company.  

Announcing the winners of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 programme, James Toomey, partner and Fast 50 lead, Deloitte said:

“Congratulations to all the companies that ranked this year. The Fast 50 awards are an important and exciting moment for Ireland’s indigenous tech industry to reflect on the growth and challenges they have experienced over the past year. Even though this has been a difficult year for tech companies, there are encouraging indicators in these rankings that show the strength of Ireland’s indigenous sector and that our homegrown talent continues to play an important role in building the future of technology. Supporting this ecosystem is not just an investment in innovation, it’s an investment in our collective progress, and networks like Fast 50 are an ideal opportunity to connect and learn from other companies.

Toomey added,

“The majority of the Fast 50 companies have grown their workforce and more than one in five of the companies ranked are new entrants, showing a continued growth in the tech sector and the outreach of Fast 50. M&A is also high on a lot of our Fast 50’s agendas which is supporting them to scale by either taking on investment or acquiring strategic bolt-ons.”

In addition to announcing the ranking of the Fast 50 companies, the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards included several award categories. The ‘Rising Star’ award in association with Enterprise Ireland was a new addition, won by Green Rebel, an Irish data company providing site investigation services to the offshore wind sector. It specialises in a full suite of data services from acquisition through processing, interpretation, reporting and delivery across three key divisions: Geophysical, Aerial Ecology and MetOcean.  

The winners of the awards this year were: 

  • Growing New Technology Award in association with Google  

            Winner: Brightflag      

            This award recognises a company that has created or introduced a new             or innovative product or service to international markets, which helped             grow their business over the last four years.    

  • Impact Award in association with Meta

            Winner: XOCEAN 

            This award recognises a company that has made a significant impact             within the current year.  

  • Scale up award in association with Scale Ireland  

            Winner: Siren 

            This award recognises a company that has demonstrated an impressive             ability to scale up/expand overseas over the last four years.   

  • Advocate for Women in Technology  

            Winner: Laura Haldane, Co-Founder and VP of Sales and Marketing,             SciLeads 

            This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated through             their actions that they are an advocate for increasing participation by             the promotion of women in the technology sector.  

  • Rising Star Award in association with Enterprise Ireland  

            Winner: Green Rebel 

            This award is given to a company who demonstrates a promising             growth trajectory and the potential for inclusion in the Fast 50 rankings             in years to come. Companies being considered for this award have             operating revenues accounting for a minimum of two years and less             than four years.  

  • Financial Services Innovation Award in association with Financial Services Ireland  

            Winner: ID-Pal 

            This award recognises a company with an innovative product or             services that is having a disruptive impact within the financial services             industry.  

  • Alumni Award  

            Winner: Fenergo 

            This honorary award recognises a company that has played a major             part in the Fast 50 Programme to date.   

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 ranking features both private and public listed technology companies that have demonstrated innovative strategies, sound management practices and marketplace vision, driving them to achieve the status of high-growth leaders. Full details on the winners can be found at www.fast50.ie

Ends 

Notes to editors 

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Ranking 2023 

1. Swoop 

2. Moffett Automated Storage 

3. Syndeo 

4. Mail Metrics 

5. Buymedia 

6. ICS Medical Devices 

7. Tines 

8. XOCEAN 

9. Siren 

10. SciLeads 

11. Alchemy Global Solutions 

12. Circit 

13. Fibrus 

14. Ekco 

15. CWSI 

16. ID-Pal 

17. Core Optimisation 

18. CR Payroll Solutions 

19. Reitigh Software 

20. DigitalWell 

21. Locate a Locum 

22. Lifting365 

23. EdgeTier 

24. Lightyear 

25. Brightflag 

26. MediHive 

27. PlotBox 

28. Eppione 

29. Keelvar 

30. SynergySuite 

31. TestReach 

32. Nutritics 

33. Cora Systems 

34. TEKenable 

35. Catagen 

36. MyComplianceOffice  

37. Axonista 

38. OneTouch Health 

39. Zenotec 

40. LearnUpon 

41. MetaCompliance 

42. Playrix 

43. Zartis 

44. T-Pro 

45. Xtremepush 

46. Smarttech247 

47. Totalmobile 

48. Nostra 

49. DreamTec Systems 

50. Kneat  

 

About the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Programme 

To enter the Fast 50 Awards, companies must meet the criteria listed below. Entries must be submitted electronically via the application link at www.fast50.ie, with the necessary supporting documents. 

Fast 50 awards criteria:  

1. The company must have accounts covering a minimum of four years (i.e. four full twelve-month financial periods). 

2. The company must be considered a technology company which, for this purpose, is defined as a company that meets at least one of the following four criteria: 

  • Owns proprietary intellectual property or proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company's operating revenues; 
  • Manufactures a technology related product; 
  • Devotes a significant proportion of operating revenues to research and development of technology; 
  • Is technology intensive or uses its own unique technology to solve problems. 

NB: Companies using third party technology or intellectual property in a unique way do not meet this definition. Consulting companies, professional services firms, resellers and others who don't rely on proprietary technologies to generate their revenue are not eligible. 

3. The parent company must be Irish-owned and have its headquarters in Ireland. 

NB: Companies headquartered in Northern Ireland can take part in the Irish OR the UK programme, but need to choose one or the other and cannot enter both. 

4. The company must not be a subsidiary of a larger group. 

NB: If there is more than one trading company in a group of companies, the nomination should reflect consolidated revenue for year 1 and 4 and not the revenue of a particular company within the group. 

5. The company must have base-year (year 1) operating revenues of €50,000 (£43,000) or more and a current year (year 4) operating revenue of at least €1,000,000 (£859,900). Operating revenue figures must be calculated on a consistent basis. Please disclose in your application any change in revenue recognition between the year 1 and year 4 accounts. 

NB: the accounts for the base-year must have an accounting period ending between 1 June 2019 and 31 May 2020; and the accounts for the most recent financial year must have an accounting period ending between 1 June 2022 and 31 May 2023. 

6. All submissions must be accompanied by signed accounts for the first and last financial year being measured in the competition. Where accounts are not audited, a cover letter must be provided. This cover letter should be on company headed paper, signed by a director of the company, stating and confirming the revenue figure per the accounts. Where only abbreviated accounts are available (with no profit and loss statement shown), please provide alternative financial information supporting the revenue figure presented, for example, management accounts used by the company, along with the cover letter described above.