As the good years in Kinsale draw to a close, Avego looks to a bright future in Cork City.
Avego spent some five years nestled in the picturesque coastal town of Kinsale, Ireland. There was something uniquely charming about a high-tech software business on a mission to make the world’s transportation systems more efficient, being based in a town best known for its quaint beauty and gourmet cuisine. Therein lay a delicious contrast and an inevitable conundrum.
When Avego first arrived in Kinsale, we were a small startup based out of one building. But as the company grew one building became two, became three and while we loved the seaside community, it quickly became clear that our team needed to be under one roof, rather than scattered over 6 floors in three buildings. Unfortunately, an office space big enough for the Avego team wasn’t available in the town.
Thus the move to Cork. Cork is the second-largest city in the Republic in Ireland. Cork is quite a familiar home for technology companies, hosting Apple’s European Headquarters, EMC, McAfee and VMWare to name but a few.
On September 13th a celebratory Avego team entered the modern new Avego HQ on Penrose Wharf in the city center. Transport options for staff and visiting customers are improved due to the location being mere steps from the main bus and rail terminals, and a 10 minute drive to the Cork Airport.
For the staff, city traffic is posing new commuting challenges, those faced by our RTR and Vanpool users each and every day; long commute distances, expensive and scarce parking as well as rush hour traffic have created numerous staff headaches. However, using the Avego app each morning changes that commute from a traffic headache to a faster more fun trip with colleagues.
Our new spacious and colorful office space has taken some getting used to. But, as people began meeting for morning yoga classes, wandering down the banks of the River Lee at lunchtime or taking breaks over heated foosball games, the office transformed from a ‘space’ to Avego’s new home.