Talent availability and a strong insurtech cluster were just some of the reasons why EverQuote chose Northern Ireland for its new software development centre.

EverQuote operates a leading online insurance marketplace, connecting consumers with insurance providers. The company's mission is to empower insurance shoppers to better protect life's most important assets—their family, property, and future. It is striving to be the largest source of insurance policies in the world, using data and technology to make insurance simpler, more affordable and personalised, ultimately reducing cost and risk.

In January 2021, EverQuote announced it would set up a software development centre in Northern Ireland, building a team with 70 people over three years. The roles include both recent graduates and staff experienced in software development, IT and product management.

EverQuote uses data science and machine learning to deliver a personalised, frictionless experience for its customers. To realise this vision, the company requires highly skilled software engineers and developers. The company’s CTO had previous experience working with tech teams in Northern Ireland and realised it was some of the best talent he had seen in his career.

EverQuote is on target to reach 50 employees by Summer 2022.  It has recently been awarded the Bronze Diversity Mark Accreditation for its commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion within the workplace. The Independent Assessment Panel recognised a high level of ambition with appropriate, measurable and time-bound targets. 

In July EverQuote is looking forward to welcoming the graduate class of 2022 and one year placement students. “This is an amazing opportunity to join our growing and talented team.” said Mark O’Connell, Site Lead in Belfast.  “At EverQuote we believe in lifelong learning. We provide learning platforms, innovation time and career coaching, as well as plenty of opportunities to get exposure to complex engineering problems at scale."

NASDAQ-listed Rapid7 counts cyber security hub Belfast among its 14 global locations. 

More than 10,000 companies across 125 countries– including 52% of the Fortune 100 – rely on Rapid7’s cyber security software and services to keep their IT safe and secure.

Rapid7 first arrived on Northern Ireland’s technology scene in 2014. Despite having offices across the Americas, IMEA and APAC, the company needed a well-trained workforce of engineering, development and customer support professionals to service its growing client base – in particular, their European customers.

The company initially set up a software innovation centre in capital city Belfast, creating 75 highly skilled jobs and dozens of student placement opportunities. The investment helped them tap into the region’s world-class technology talent and unique Assured Skills programme, which is free for investors and helps companies train and recruit employees with specific skills that fulfil their business needs.

In early 2020, Rapid7 announced plans to double its workforce in the region, adding 200 new roles and signing a 10-year lease on a larger office space. After going remote during the pandemic, Rapid7 was able to open its expanded Belfast office, which can accommodate up to 400 employees, in early 2021.

Michael Keimig, Rapid7’s Global Real Estate Senior Manager, said the new 49,000-square-feet space in Chichester House signals the company’s long-term commitment to Northern Ireland: “We are committed to expanding our base within the Belfast cyber security hub, solidifying our position to help our European clients and to attract the best cyber security talent … We want this office to not only house our current employees, but also those we’ll be bringing on as part of future expansion in the region.”

Rapid7 was drawn to Northern Ireland’s unique, globally recognised cyber security ecosystem, which includes both international firms and innovative, home-grown start-ups. The sector continues to grow thanks to the region’s compelling combination of technical talent, cost competitiveness, and breadth of academic R&D – Northern Ireland is home to the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen’s University Belfast, the UK’s official cyber security knowledge centre and commercialisation hub.

The company also utilised support from Invest Northern Ireland towards new job creation, and a range of soft landing support.

Leading US insurance agency taps into Northern Ireland talent to build first-of-its-kind tech platform - SimplyIOA.

Insurance Office of America (IOA) is an insurance agency that provides property and casualty, employee benefits, and personal lines insurance coverage to more than 72,000 clients. With $2.5 billion of insurance premium written annually, IOA is the 4th largest privately held insurance brokerage in the United States, employing 1,300 associates in 60 locations across the US and now, in Northern Ireland.

In September 2020, IOA opened a technology centre in Belfast for its new quote-and-buy home and auto insurance platform, SimplyIOA, the first independent insurance comparison service of its kind in the US. IOA initially planned on having 40 new software engineering and data science roles, but within nine months, because of the strong talent pool, the company decided to put a portion of its enterprise systems roles in Northern Ireland.

Today, the Belfast team also supports IOA’s enterprise wide digital technology services in areas including IT, infrastructure and operations, cyber security, data science and engineering, application development, and intelligent automation.

When IOA began looking at technology hubs across the US and Europe, Northern Ireland was at the top of the list. The region’s deep pool of highly skilled technology talent and the education system that cultivates this expertise were a perfect match for IOA’s need for experts in software engineering, cyber security, data science, and machine learning.

Once IOA decided to build its technology centre in Belfast, Invest NI took a consultative, collaborative approach to working with the company, making it easy for them to set down roots. Based on IOA’s five-year plan, Invest NI helped the company formulate growth strategies, advising on what support could be available for job creation, training and development, and R&D.

Invest NI provided IOA assistance to support new job creation and a variety of soft landing support. The company expects to expand its presence in Northern Ireland even further over the next five years. In the words of IOA Chairman & CEO Heath Ritenour, “This is the smallest we’re ever going to be.”