New technology venture set up by Limerick entrepreneur in €1m boost

A NEW Irish educational technology venture founded by a Limerick-born entrepreneur has secured €1m in funding.

Ian Dodson, who hails from Greenfields, is founder of AICertified, which aims to create the global certification standard for artificial intelligence (AI) skills.

It replicates what the businessman’s former company, the Digital Marketing Institute did when it was established in 2008 - but this time for AI.

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The marketing institute produced more than 75,000 graduates by building a university-accredited and industry-validated standard for professional competence.

Mr Dodson’s new firm has secured the funding round from investment firm Oyster Capital, which was supported by Enterprise Ireland.

Speaking of his new project, he said: “This is about more than a course or a certificate - it’s about creating a measurable and trusted framework for competence in AI.”

At the moment, he believes the training market for AI is “fragmented and fundamentally unreliable.”

“No one has yet defined what it is to be AI certified, nor the progression route to get there. Our answer is simple - set a single reliable standard, provide an outcome-driven path and certify skills in a way employers and students can trust,” he added.

Mr Dodson said the investment will accelerate product development, grow his team and scale the company’s learning platform ahead of the launch of its first course next month. It’s expected the firm’s headcount will grow from eight to 15 in the next year.

Martin Scully, chief executive at Oyster Capital said: “We invested in AICertified because Ian and his team have done it before. The demand for structured, credible AI training is enormous.”