International Finalists:
JOHN DUNNE and TOM FARRELL, Intune Networks
FOLLOWING EUROPEAN project research at UCD, John Dunne and Tom Farrell founded Intune Networks in Dublin in 1999.
Both had been working with US, European and Japanese technology companies on a new type of laser, when they realised they could “beat them” at developing a practical way to calibrate and control such technology.
Entrepreneurial from the outset, the UCD pair formed Intune to create an innovative business around their ideas.
From 1999 until 2005, Intune had fewer than 20 employees and worked hard to survive the telecoms crash in 2001 by managing to shift its technology application into the sensor market for oil and gas. In 2006, its longevity in the optical space paid off as the emergence of YouTube, Facebook, Google and mobile networks offered it a new opportunity. The firm was ready to develop a killer solution for the industry.
Success in designing the world’s first optical packet switch and transport system has achieved global recognition and acclaim. It has won a number of awards, including The Irish Times Innovation Award 2011.
In 2010, the company reported turnover of €10 million. As a Silicon Valley-style company, backed by VC firms to the tune of €50 million to date, Intune has the potential to become “Ireland’s Nokia” due to the scale of the problem it solves throughout today’s global network and internet infrastructure.
The business has survived the largest-ever sector collapse in telecoms and the world’s economic crisis of 2008, while retaining 100 per cent of its core staff, 45 per cent of whom have PhDs. Today, it employs almost 200 – 155 are permanent employees – and has two RD facilities in Ireland, one in Dublin and one in Belfast.
Products
A range of technologies based on tuneable lasers, which has led to the development of the world’s first optical packet switch and transport system . This solves a 30-year-old architectural problem in world networks.
Customers
Intune’s first customer for its new product line is the Government. It was selected to deliver the technology behind the Exemplar Network facility in 2010 and unveiled the full, commercial version of the technology in May. It plans to announce its first customers shortly as trial deployments are rolled out globally.
What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
“Converting technology ‘speak’ into business value is the most challenging aspect of our business. Once you have business value you can attract customers and investors.”
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