On August 13, 2019, Kadence announced that it had set up a Technology and Business Development hub in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The £3.6 million investment was expected to create 41 jobs, with £328,000 of support from Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) toward the new roles.
Why did Kadence open a hub in Belfast?
The Belfast hub was part of Kadence’s 2019 expansion plan to grow sales significantly by building its presence in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the USA and China. At the time, Kadence described itself as a market-leading space management solution.
Alastair Hamilton, then CEO of Invest Northern Ireland, which supported the investment, said: “Kadence’s decision to set up its Technology and Business Development hub in Northern Ireland was influenced by the availability of high quality talent, particularly software engineers, as well as the support offered by Invest NI.”
He added that the company was “a welcome addition to Northern Ireland’s vibrant ICT sector, which has already attracted over 100 global technology companies,” and that “the new jobs created by Kadence will contribute over £1.8m in annual salaries to the local economy and will introduce new skills and new opportunities to the ICT sector here.”
What would the Belfast team work on?
The hub was set up to develop Kadence’s core technology. Its work covered product certification, quality assurance and collaboration with technology partners. It also included a team focused on the commercial go-to-market strategy.
Kadence, headquartered in London at the time, took up residence in the historic Ormeau Baths building, then a co-working space and startup hub run in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs. With the ongoing support of Invest NI, the company planned to draw on talent from both Queen’s University and the University of Ulster.
What led up to the 2019 expansion?
The Belfast hub followed a busy 2018, in which Kadence doubled its workforce. That year it secured investment from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and formed strategic partnerships with Belkin worldwide, Ingram Micro in the North American market, SABA Hospitality in Asia and Westcoast in the UK.
By August 2019, Kadence had been deployed around the world and counted global brands such as Amazon, Pret A Manger, Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and WeWork among its customers.
For more on the company’s history, visit Why Kadence and the Kadence newsroom, or read more from co-founder Dan Bladen.