Zama’s Jeremy Bradley gives advice on how to grow a business in the deep-tech space.

In the past several decades, technology has profoundly altered our lives, both personally and professionally. More recently, the very definition of technology has evolved, with the rise of AI and big data, technology is continually expanding to include new concepts that capture a diverse and ever-changing landscape.

Among these newer concepts is deep tech, a term referring to innovative companies dedicated to developing solutions for complex technical challenges. These firms focus on science, engineering and research, prioritising the creation of technology as intellectual property over mass commercialisation.

Deep-tech companies, with their potential to innovate universally applicable technologies, attract forward-thinking investors eager to lead the next tech revolution.

Recent analysis shows that deep tech claims a steady 20pc of venture capital funding, with deep-tech-focused funds yielding returns of 26pc. This investment interest underscores the importance for founders and C-level execs of effectively managing their companies and resources.

The value of a deep-tech company lies in its employees’ knowledge and skills – researchers, engineers, analysts and scientists working on core technology. While commercialisation may take time, numerous actions can maximise this technical knowledge and bolster the business side.

Sharing is caring

Despite the time it takes for technological advancements to manifest, it’s vital for companies to maintain communication with their audiences, updating them on developments and sustaining interest.

A key method for sharing in-depth knowledge is through white papers. These documents, mixing knowledge-sharing with detailed explanations and examples, serve as effective marketing tools, presenting products scientifically and technically rather than as self-promotion. They inform the public and target audience about the company’s achievements, highlighting the talent and contributions within.

White papers are particularly suitable for bigger projects that require more focus on the theoretical side, many of the applications and developments in the technology can be introduced in a more dynamic way and present a more hands-on approach.

For more dynamic presentations of technology applications and developments, practical demonstrations and tutorials can effectively illustrate the practical uses of the technology. These engaging formats, featuring various team members, showcase the company’s creativity and communication skills.

In the realm of deep tech, community engagement is crucial for continuous technological evolution, similar to the scientific field. Engaging with the community through meet-ups and external speakers can promote openness and offer valuable feedback.

It takes a village

Going one step further, a bounty program can provide additional technical insights on the technology your company is developing.

Classic bounty programs are usually about finding vulnerabilities in a new product or technology before it hits the market. Where there might be some risks in putting your tech out there – no bugs are found or someone might try to misuse their access to the technology – there are many advantages for your company in promoting this initiative.

By submitting your technology to a strong, external stress-test, you can show transparency and confidence in your product. A bounty program can also be a great way to find the right talent, and even to discover new use cases. By turning the program into a competitive grant, inviting participants to explore the technology and applying it to ideas and projects of their own, you can discover new potential applications and business opportunities.

Even with some variations, bounty programs still mostly operate within a given framework. Hackathons offer a different approach, focusing on creativity at a product level: here the community is given access to the technology to explore its potential, with participants encouraged to put it to the test in a collaborative rather than competitive way. Not only do hackathons cultivate a spirit of communion – they can last a few days, bringing participants physically together and become a learning opportunity for all those involved – they also present many advantages for your business.

Putting the technology in the spotlight is a way to explore its full potential as well as legitimate its efficiency and usefulness, especially with external hunters; but participants can also be employees less involved in the technical side, who can take this opportunity to learn about the company from a different perspective such as marketing or business development.

When developing deep-tech products, it’s important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Far from being a limitation, the adaptability of the strategies explained above ae actually an additional point of strength; you can customise them to your company culture and mission, adapt to different products and audiences, and use them to grow your business and explore new markets.

Promoting these types of initiatives is an investment in the future of your company: playing to your strengths – with contained costs – you can create dedicated platforms and channels that will position you as a leading expert voice in the industry and unlock business opportunities.

By Jeremy Bradley

Jeremy Bradley is the chief operating officer at Zama where he oversees day-to-day operations. He is a cross-functional and highly tactical leader who has worked with many organisations to shape strategy, drive communications and partnerships, and lead policy and process. He previously wrote about the value of cryptography for workplaces on SiliconRepublic.com.

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Workers of the future want personalised, quality learning rather than arduous in-person sessions. Employers should track insights using data.

“The L&D landscape within organisations is undergoing a transformative shift. There is a realisation amongst companies that traditional e-learning approaches and the Netflix-style content library model may not be as effective as initially perceived,” says Matteo Penzo, co-founder of Dublin-headquartered e-learning platform Zick Learn.

When SiliconRepublic.com first spoke to Penzo in September, he talked about the concept of microlearning and how he thinks it can help companies address L&D gaps.

We decided to ask him for his predictions for L&D trends for the coming year. Like other industry people we have heard from about tech trends for the future, he reckons that skills and learning will be a major focus in 2024.

Mobile microlearning

Since Zick Learn considers itself a pioneer of this type of upskilling, microlearning was bound to feature somewhere in Penzo’s predictions.

Microlearning refers to very short, concentrated periods of learning that can be done at any time or any place – usually on a smartphone.

“With the ubiquity of smartphones, organisations are capitalising on the accessibility and convenience they offer for delivering bite-sized, on-the-go learning modules,” Penzo says. “Mobile microlearning enables employees to engage with content in brief, focused sessions, making it easier to integrate learning into their daily routines.”

Convenient, flexible and accessible

As Penzo has hinted at above, workers want convenient and flexible learning methods – that’s why he is a proponent of mobile microlearning.

But no matter what method companies opt for, it must be easy for workers to fit into their already busy schedules. Otherwise, they will end up seeing it as a tick-the-box exercise ­– which is pointless.

“The emphasis on providing quick and convenient learning opportunities will definitely continue to gain traction in 2024,” says Penzo.

“As organisations recognise the dynamic nature of the modern workforce and the need for agility in skill development, the trend towards shorter and more accessible learning formats is becoming increasingly prevalent. The shift away from traditional, lengthy learning sessions reflects a strategic move towards accommodating employees’ diverse schedules and learning preferences.”

Quality over quantity

But it’s about more than just convenience; people want a more holistic, personalised experience when they are learning. They want to be stimulated, not forced to sit through something that won’t help them in the long run.

As Penzo says, “Fostering a culture of continuous learning requires a departure from rigid structures, in favour of more flexible and personalised approaches.

“Organisations are recognising the diverse needs of their workforce and are leveraging advanced techniques to tailor training content based on individual preferences, skills and learning styles. This shift towards personalised learning not only enhances engagement but also ensures that employees acquire skills that directly contribute to their professional growth.”

Paradoxically, the quick and easy way might just be key to delivering that culture. “By embracing quick, convenient learning opportunities, organisations not only empower their people to acquire skills at their own pace but also align their learning initiatives with the evolving demands of the digital age.”

Evidence-based approach

Penzo believes that a greater emphasis “on data-driven decision-making” will happen so companies can reshape their L&D strategies to fit workers’ requirements.

Data is also a good indicator of whether L&D programmes actually work, he adds.

“By harnessing data, L&D professionals can measure the impact of learning initiatives, identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to optimise the overall training experience.”

L&D no-nos

Out of interest, we asked Penzo what are the main mistakes he sees companies make when they design their L&D programmes.

“One cardinal sin in designing future L&D strategies is complacency with existing, seemingly effective methods,” he says. “Believing that if something is working now, it need not evolve, risks stagnation and hinders adaptation to emerging trends.”

Another critical mistake is underestimating  the “importance of flexibility and accessibility”.

“Rigid training structures may alienate a diverse and dynamic workforce. Companies should prioritise innovation, stay attuned to the evolving needs of employees, and embrace new, efficient learning modalities to ensure sustained growth and relevance in their L&D initiatives,” Penzo advises.

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‘Tis the season? Workhuman research says employees are stressed about finances, gift-giving pressures and the never-ending blizzard of emails in their inboxes over the holidays.

Beware the scourge of emails over the festive period – or should that be Scrooge? According to a survey of Irish workers, many are going to be checking their phones for work emails in one hand while holding a mince pie in the other.

Tech company Workhuman uncovered this rather unsettling scenario when it surveyed 1,000 full-time Irish workers in November 2023. Rather than looking forward to a relaxing Christmas, it seemed as though most had concerns about switching off and abandoning workloads.

More than one in four (27pc) said they expected to respond to work emails while on holidays. Almost one quarter (22pc) of employees said they will not be able to fully switch off from work, while 28pc admitted that their large workload means they can’t take as much time off as they would like to.

“Our research has shown that while this is an exciting time of year, it can also be a stressful one. Financial, familial and professional pressures can impact employees over the holiday season,” said Niamh Graham, SVP of global human experience at Workhuman.

Graham added that “When done right, company culture can help to alleviate some of this stress, rather than being a cause of it.

“Ensuring employees are using their paid time off and have a solid coverage plan so they can truly unplug over the holidays is a practice leadership should demonstrate and encourage.”

As well as the thought of work hanging over them for the holidays, workers are also stressed about the consumerism aspect of Christmas. More than half (58pc) said they worried about the financial burden of buying Christmas gifts this year. Respondents expect to spend an average of around €974 each on Christmas gifts this year, according to the research. Nearly a quarter of employees said they would be buying gifts for up to 10 people.

End-of-year bonuses will be key in helping employees afford all this gift-buying, according to Workhuman’s findings.

More than a quarter (27pc) of respondents who receive end-of-year bonuses say they are essential for affording Christmas presents, while a further 53pc said they alleviate some of the financial burden.

That said, as many as half (51pc) of respondents would prefer to receive smaller spot bonuses throughout the year rather than one larger lump sum at the end of the year. Employee recognition schemes received interest from most respondents.

Finally, for people who exchange gifts with work colleagues at Christmas, Workhuman’s survey had a couple of interesting findings. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 44pc receive Christmas gifts from their colleagues and 27pc do a ‘Secret Santa’ at work. Some 32pc get presents from their employer or manager and, of these, 95pc say they usually, or always, like them. However, 12pc admitted they usually re-gift them to someone else.

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The software start-up has developed an automated product to help engineering and operations teams simplify troubleshooting in cloud applications.

Kerno, an Irish start-up that troubleshoots applications for businesses, has raised €1.69m to boost its capabilities.

The seed round was led by Elkstone Ventures with participation from MMC Ventures and angel investors, including Algolia CTO Sean Mullaney and Project A Ventures CTO and MD Stephan Schulze.

Niall McAvoy, a venture partner with Elkstone Ventures, said the institution was impressed by Kerno’s “innovative approach to simplifying troubleshooting in cloud applications”.

“Their commitment to providing a streamlined, out-of-the-box experience for engineering and ops teams sets them apart in a landscape where complexity and inefficiencies prevail,” McAvoy said. “We believe in Kerno’s potential to reshape how critical issues are addressed.”

Kerno was founded last year and has created an autonomous platform to help engineering and operations teams speed up their troubleshooting processes – a task that takes up a large portion of their time, according to the start-up.

The start-up said its product can be installed with no code instrumentation or sidecar required. Kerno said the service can be deployed in a customer’s cloud environment to let them utilise their current cloud infrastructure and reduce expensive data processing and data egress costs.

“In a world where cloud applications are getting more expensive to run and troubleshoot due to complexity, accelerated release cycles, and customer expectations, developers need to be empowered to contribute,” said Kerno co-founder and CEO Sean Madigan.

“Kerno is on a mission to deliver a true cloud-native experience, characterised by speed and cost-effectiveness, to the world of developer observability. With Kerno, development teams can reclaim their time and confidently drive innovation without compromising on speed and quality.”

The product is still in testing with early adopters, but Kerno said it will use the seed funding to scale to more cloud-native developers and increase their employee headcount from 11 to 20 over the next 2 years.

“This funding will help us accelerate time to market through increased engineering capacity and kickstart scaling to millions of developers globally,” Madigan said.

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The outage lasted for roughly an hour and quickly garnered nearly 100,000 reports of issues, but the cause remains unclear.

X – formerly known as Twitter – appears to be operating as normal after suffering a global outage earlier today (21 December).

The outage appeared to be brief but widespread, with 95,000 reports of issues, according to DownDetector. The bulk of outage reports came from US users, but thousands of users in other countries including the UK, Canada and France also reported issues.

During the outage, X users reportedly were unable to view posts, though some examples show users managing to post about the outage while it was ongoing. Users of X Pro – a new version of Tweetdeck – saw a message that said “waiting for posts”, Reuters reports.

An error image shared by The Verge showed a “this page is down” message if users clicked outgoing links on X.

The outage appeared to only last for an hour, but the cause is unknown. Media sites asking for comment from X and its support teams received an automated reply.

Outages on the platform owned by Elon Musk have become more common this year. The site suffered two global outages within a week in March. At the time, the site’s support account posted that some parts of the platform were “not working as expected” due to an internal change that had “some unintended consequences”.

In March, The Platformer reported that the bug occurred because of a mistake by the platform’s site reliability engineer, who was operating alone after Musk initiated a wave of layoffs across the company.

Meanwhile, the European Commission recently started formal proceedings against X to assess whether the platform has violated the terms of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Its formal investigation into the platform will look in depth at some of the measures X has taken to increase the transparency of the site. The company has already published a transparency report based on the EU’s requirements, but the bloc is concerned that X has not given researchers sufficient access to its data.

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Generative AI is ushering in the next industrial revolution, but as ServiceNow’s Mark Cockerill writes, workers need support to make the tech work for them.

Today’s workers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to learn new skills to keep up. The hype around generative AI apps, such as ChatGPT, has turned it from a niche technology interest to dinner table conversation.

New EMEA-wide research by ServiceNow highlights that workers crave the training needed to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape, with older workers particularly keen to reskill so they can better navigate a digitally transformed future.

For many workers, this coming period of flux is, understandably, sparking fears. The World Economic Forum forecasts an unprecedented period of churn in the job market, with 25pc of businesses predicting job losses and 50pc predicting job growth.

Workers around Ireland and the whole EMEA region now hope employers will provide opportunities to acquire the skills they need to shine in the future – with an emphasis on both digital and creative skills.

Education and AI

There’s a growing awareness that digital technologies present a huge opportunity in our changing world. Particularly as industries automate repetitive processes and AI-driven insights power the growth of businesses in every sector.

Yet, ServiceNow’s research shows that most workers believe much remains to be done. A large percentage of today’s workers feel that the best opportunities lie in digital, with nine out of ten of them believing digital technologies offer a way to progress their careers. However, many remain confused over where to develop the skills required. It’s no surprise, then, that three-quarters of workers believe AI and coding should be mandatory in schools.

Human creativity remains crucial though, with workers feeling this will still be the driving force in the businesses of the future. More than four out of five (88pc) believe that creative writing should be mandatory in schools, higher even than the 78pc who believe AI should be mandatory.

Whilst identified by workers across EMEA as two essential skills at school age, creativity and AI go hand in hand in the workplace too, as the effective deployment of automation tools enables workers to focus on more creative pursuits.

AI and retraining

With a wave of adjustment on the horizon, it’s hardly surprising that workers hope to upskill, and worry that they’re unprepared. Opportunities to upskill are already among the things employees value most. What’s clear from ServiceNow’s research is that workers now crave the specific skills needed to work with AI and other new technologies.

The research found that nine in ten workers over 40 are considering retraining as the AI boom reshapes the way the world works. Yet, almost half of Irish workers (49pc) said they struggle to fit ‘skilling up’ around their work schedules. In this new world, the onus will be on employers to offer workers ways to upskill and navigate the changing workplace. This can be as simple as providing digital access to necessary learning and information resources.

The appetite for such training is already here, with 61pc of workers across EMEA saying they’ve pursued or would pursue more education to develop digital skills. The fact that almost half (43pc) say they feel their formal education did not prepare them adequately for the digital working world they now inhabit is likely the driver.

Short courses delivered by employers can help today’s workers fill this gap, capitalising on workers’ eagerness to experiment with technology. An example of such an initiative is our RiseUp programme, which aims to support talent and develop the skills needed in a fast-growing tech industry.

Launched in October 2022, RiseUp with ServiceNow is creating new opportunities for tech training with a commitment to skill one million individuals by the end of 2024. Earlier this year, we also introduced partner training courses with Microsoft and a professional certificate in IT Leadership on LinkedIn Learning.

Automation in motion

With so many people seeking AI education, you might be surprised to hear that a significant number of workers are already using the technology to automate mundane and repetitive tasks in the workplace. Everyday writing tasks such as work emails and social media posts are one key area where today’s workers are already applying AI.

More than three-quarters (79pc) of Irish workers have either used AI for such tasks or hope to do so, and roughly the same number have used AI to create Excel formulas. As AI ‘thins out’ such repetitive tasks, more than half of today’s workers (52pc) believe it will enable people to work faster and smarter. Workers feel, as they dabble with AI, that the technology has the potential to make the office of tomorrow a brighter, more productive place. By offering the right education opportunities, employers can harness this enthusiasm and evolve with their employees.

The workplace of the future

With technology poised to transform faster than in any previous ‘revolution’, employers and the education sector must evolve to keep pace. Workplaces must offer easily accessible digital touchpoints so employees can gain the skills they need to shine in an AI-driven, digitally transformed world.

Technology is accelerating like never before. Training and upskilling have never been more important to give workers the right blend of technical know-how and human creativity for the future of work.

By Mark Cockerill

Mark Cockerill is VP of corporate, M&A, securities and international development at ServiceNow. He is also VP of the European Company Lawyers Association (ECLA) and he sits on the board of the American Chamber in Ireland.

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Eugenio Longo of Tata Consultancy Services explains how digital twins could improve sustainability practices, from analysing energy systems to simulating emission reduction strategies.

We at SiliconRepublic.com have investigated the potential of digital twins – virtual replicas of real-world objects, processes or systems – numerous times in the past. From looking into its capabilities in manufacturing to its use in the telecommunications sector, it’s clear that this technology could have a wide impact on services and industries in the near future.

According to the TCS Digital Twindex 2023, a study conducted by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), experts believe that digital twins will become commonplace across business and society by 2035, with predictions that healthcare, mobility and retail will adopt the technology within the next three years.

But while discussions of the benefits of digital twins in regards to operational efficiency are frequent, some experts have also highlighted the tech’s potential impact on companies’ sustainability practices.

Eugenio Longo, sustainability director at TCS Europe, believes that digital twins will boost sustainability practices in companies due to its provision of “risk-free business experimentation”.

“[Digital twin technology] enables organisations to experiment with and evaluate multiple business strategies at scale to view the results prior to real-world execution and it enhances the comprehension of reality by digitally representing the physical asset and helps in preventing and suggesting actions.”

Digital twin benefits

Longo provides an abundance of examples of how digital twins can benefit companies’ sustainability practices, such as through the monitoring and administration of energy systems. He says that digital twins can be used to track energy usage, spot inefficiencies and maximise efficiency.

“Businesses can create plans to cut energy use and integrate renewable energy sources by modeling various scenarios.”

As well as promoting the integration of renewable energy, Longo also believes the tech can aid companies in their overall reduction of emissions through the modelling and evaluation of the environmental impact of their operations, allowing businesses to cut emissions and develop carbon reduction plans.

Digital twin tracking capabilities can also be used in supply chain management to benefit the retail industry, as it offers “real-time process visibility”.

“Businesses may pinpoint opportunities for development, lower emissions associated with transportation and increase the sustainability of their supply chains overall,” says Longo.

But not all of the benefits relate to energy systems and emission reduction. According to Longo, this tech can also help manage and monitor product life cycles. “Businesses can enhance product longevity, recyclability and sustainability by making well-informed decisions based on data analysis conducted throughout the product’s life cycle.”

Finding the balance

When implementing sustainable practices and initiatives in a company, finding the balance between these practices and operational efficiency is an important consideration.

According to Longo, digital twins can help companies find this balance through the use of simulations and virtual environments.

By using real-time simulations of their operations, he says that organisations can “continuously assess their environmental impact and model different scenarios”, which then allows them to understand how operational changes can affect both efficiency and environmental outcomes.

Emission reduction strategies can then be experimented with in virtual environments, by simulating green technology adoption, supply chain optimisation and energy efficiency improvements. As a result, organisations may be able to find the best strategy for balancing environmental and operational considerations.

Digital twins can also be used to collect and analyse operational and environmental data, says Longo. “Decision-makers can then rely on these data-driven insights to understand the correlation between operational practices and environmental impact, which leads to informed decision-making.”

Challenges of future integration

By the sounds of things, the potential impact of digital twin technology on organisational sustainability could be substantial. Considering that this tech is predicted to see broad adoption in the near future, you can’t help but wonder what could delay its integration.

For Longo, addressing potential challenges with the tech can help ensure its successful integration.

One major challenge that he highlights is the complexity of digital twins, which requires the presence of a skilled workforce to ensure implementation. Longo says that organisations must have skilled professionals with expertise in digital twins, data analytics and simulation technologies.

“As these professionals are very highly demanded, some organisations may perceive this as a potential challenge.”

Longo also says that a cultural shift may be required in some organisations. “Those that are resistant to change, lack awareness or are reluctant to adopt new technologies may perceive this positive change as a potential challenge they need to overcome to fully benefit from the technology.”

Another challenge that he highlights is the issue of data security, privacy and ethics, which he says may pose a barrier due to the fact that digital twin tech often collects and analyses sensitive data, dependent on its application. However, he suggests a simple solution.

“Organisations must simply comply with relevant data protection legislation to maintain trust and transparency and avoid legal issues.”

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