Irish companies are increasingly making their mark in the United States, building operations and client bases across the East Coast and beyond.
Two Cork-founded companies are among those leading the charge: Cliemaction, led by Paul Murphy; and Otonomee, co-founded by Hilary O’Shea.
We spoke to both business leaders about how they are navigating the opportunities and challenges of building Irish success stories in the US.
Climeaction, which has offices in Cork and Boston, helps businesses reduce carbon and save energy.
Of his strong Cork roots, CEO Paul Murphy, says: “I’ve been in Cork since 2009. I was educated here and I’ve set my roots firmly here. I started Climeaction here with a very practical belief: that climate action in business only matters if it is delivered on the ground.”
From the outset, Climeaction’s focus has been on industrial and manufacturing clients, where energy use is high and where engineering-led solutions can make a measurable difference. “It’s a defendable niche,” he says. “Not many people have the experience we have globally. Cork was a strong place to build the business. It has deep engineering talent, a strong multinational base, and a culture that values problem-solving and execution.”
On their expansion into the US, Murphy says it came from client demand and predefined strategy. “The Irish economy is relatively small compared with that of many States in the US. We want to make impact, and there is only so much impact you can make in Ireland.
“Many US manufacturers and life sciences companies are based here. They were facing rising energy costs, increasing regulatory pressure, and growing expectations from boards and investors. What struck me quickly was that the challenges in the US were very similar to those in Ireland, but at a much larger scale.”
Describing the US is ‘an incredibly attractive market,’ Murphy says it is also complex. “Because we are operating across multiple states, different energy markets and decentralised decision-making, clarity of value and delivery capability really matter.”
On the challenges in their story, Murphy says pace in getting moving with customers has been one. “We have been in the market almost 18 months and it is only now that we are starting to see real traction.”
Interestingly, he says that pace has also been something that has been ‘particularly positive’ about the US market: “Once trust is built, companies are willing to move quickly from analysis to implementation. That creates real momentum.”
As for the main challenge currently being faced, he says it’s scaling responsibly.
“We have been very deliberate about how we grow, putting strong technical leadership and delivery systems in place so that quality and outcomes are not compromised as we expand. The US is an incredibly expensive place to do business.”
Currently, Murphy splits his time between Ireland and the US, working closely with teams and customers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Looking ahead, he says: “Our focus this year is on continued growth in the US, expanding our digital platforms to support large agricultural supply chains, and deepening our capability in delivering complex energy and decarbonisation projects. We expect the US to become a significant part of our overall business – approximately 40% of revenue in 2026 – while continuing to build on our success here in Ireland as our home base.”
On the future of Climeaction, Murphy is ‘genuinely optimistic.’ “Not because the challenge is small, but because the conversation has changed. Businesses are no longer debating whether action is needed. They are asking what works, what delivers value, and how quickly it can be implemented. When climate action is approached as an engineering and execution challenge, supported by clear economics, progress can happen faster than many people expect. Seeing that shift first-hand, both in Ireland and the US, is what gives me confidence in what lies ahead.”
Murphy’s optimism reflects a wider trend among Irish businesses: combining strategic planning with execution to grow rapidly overseas.
Another firm with a strategic overseas growth plan, Otonomee also provides a striking example of this in action. The premium provider of outsourced services operates global customer management solutions, blending human expertise with AI capabilities. Headquartered in Cork, it combines global ambition with deep local roots.
On its origins, chief corporate officer, Hilary O’Shea, says: “My husband, Aidan, and I both grew up in Cork. We went to school here, before attending UCC. We co-founded Otonoomee in 2020. Today, we live close to St. Luke’s with our family. It’s a beautiful place to live and work.”
Fully remote, the business, which has a 600-strong operations and tech team working on four continents, is well known for supporting some of the world’s largest scaling brands in wearable health tech, fintech, facilities management and software as a service (SaaS).
Having established a presence in the US in 2024, Otonomee has grown its team there to 30, working on the East Coast from Florida to North Carolina.
Observing that in the current market environment, US clients increasingly require local support, O’Shea continues: “As a result, we are seeing a growing requirement from our clients, the largest of which are US multinationals and rapidly scaling global brands in the healthtech space. Because they are scaling so quickly, we are seeing huge growth.”
Funding is important in this, with O’Shea noting: “Their access to the funding that fuels their growth is on a level that is unparalleled outside the US.”
Otonomee’s expansion into the US market has provided the Corkwoman with a clear view of the large-scale, rapid adoption of AI in the industry. “The AI providers that we have met in the US are delivering to clients with huge amounts of data,” she says.
“Our learnings here have allowed us greater insights into how other small to medium Irish/European clients can adopt AI efficiently. The entire health delivery model is experiencing a profound transformation driven by AI; one that is reshaping how healthcare is being delivered.”
The business has grown rapidly over the past 18 months, extending its footprint across Europe, the US and Japan. It launched in Colombia in October, and has recently started hiring in Romania.
“It’s hugely exciting for an Irish company to scale on such an international level,” says O’Shea. “That said, Otonomee’s focus is still firmly on the US client market, where there’s a ‘massive opportunity’ in the healthtech space.”
Managing complexity while maintaining service quality and organisational culture has become a central focus.
“We see our challenges as our opportunities,” she says. “Our offering has always been to respond to client challenges; remaining adaptable and flexible, while maintaining quality of service.”
On the complex support solutions the business provides, O’Shea says the work is becoming more complex.
“Customer demands and needs have accelerated. Brand loyalty is at stake, as are client revenues. Our clients need to be able to lean on us to solve complexity. They need us to integrate seamlessly with their complex tech systems.”
Going forward, the goal is to continue to innovate to meet those needs.
“We are attracting incredible talent into our teams,” she says. “And we are developing the exciting partnerships that are essential for providing more efficient outcomes and even greater flexibility to our clients.” As a people-focused organisation, evolving its culture is top of Otonomee’s agenda.
“We have built an incredible culture which now supports a global workforce,” says O’Shea. “This has been a long-standing, intentional goal, one that has taken energy and an unwavering belief in what’s possible.”
Unwavering belief combined with a disciplined approach to scaling internationally has enabled the business to translate ambition into measurable results.
As O’Shea observes: “2025 saw us achieve €20 million in revenue. We are on track to be a €50 million business by 2028.”
