Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Belfast technology start-up Cloudsmith has invested over £800,000 in Research and Development (R&D) to develop a new software delivery platform. Unique in the market, the Cloudsmith platform is the first all-in-one managed service platform which offers software developers the observability and control they need to ensure their software is always verified, packaged and optimised. This allows for lightning-fast delivery to its customers.

Alan Carson (pictured), CEO of Cloudsmith, said: “We are tackling the growing complexity of delivering software worldwide. Cloudsmith facilitates modern software development practices, providing a single, secure, location to manage and distribute software artifacts. We provide universal support for all major packaging formats including Docker. This gives our customers a level of control and visibility they’ve never had before, which is vital for security and compliance.

“Invest Northern Ireland has been incredibly supportive of our past R&D projects and we are delighted it continues to help us reach the next stage of our vision. We are currently hiring talented software engineers as we continue to grow internationally.”

Since 2017, Invest NI has supported Cloudsmith’s rapid growth and has offered support towards multiple R&D projects, widening existing trademarks in Europe, Canada and Australia, and enhancing the company website.

This latest offer of £239,000 is helping the company to bring its next product to market through research and development, marketing activities in international markets and the creation of six new jobs.

Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI’s Director of Innovation, Research and Development, said: “Cloudsmith is an innovative local start-up that is using our R&D support to grow and compete globally. We’ve helped the company to grow rapidly, starting with support to launch its first product in 2018, and we are now delighted to be supporting its growth once again.

“It is vital that companies continue to see the importance of investing in R&D which can help to create new strategic business opportunities. We can help with financial support, along with strategic advice and guidance, to help them thrive and compete globally.”

Cloudsmith has also availed of investment from TechStart equity funding, part of Invest NI’s Access to Finance suite of debt and equity funds. TechStartNI and Invest NI’s R&D support are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the EU Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014–2020.