Kara Connect, a health and well-being platform, is to create up to 100 new jobs in Ireland following a decision to establish operations in Dublin as part of a major push into new markets.
The expansion, which follows a recent €6 million Series A funding round, is to be led by John McElligott, a tech veteran, who has been a board member of the company since 2020. McElligott, who was one of Ebay’s first employees in Ireland, has been appointed chief operating officer (COO) and Head of Ireland for Kara Connect.
John and the team at Kara Connect have selected TalentHub to work with as their exclusive recruitment agency partner as they build out their sales, marketing, client service and finance functions for their Dublin operation.
Kara Connect is based at the Guinness Enterprise Centre in the Liberties, which is developing a healthtech cluster with over 20 start-ups in the sector based there.
Pictured left CCO John McElligott & Founder Thorbjorg Helga Vigfusdottir
Founded by Thorbjorg Helga Vigfusdottir, Kara Connect is a health and well-being platform that connects employees with coaches, counsellors, and therapists.
Thorbjorg Helga Vigfusdottir, Kara Connect’s founder and CEO, said:
“Dublin is recognised around the world as a location for top talent and as a global tech hub, making it the ideal location for us to establish our European sales and marketing hub”.
It provides organisations with access to over 30 different services, including career and life coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, speech therapists and financial counsellors.
While employers have control over the number of sessions provided and certain statistical data on usage, Kara Connect does not disclose any information regarding services that individuals have signed up for to ensure confidentially. Users can opt for both online and in-person sessions with accredited experts.
Kara Connect, which will spearhead its expansion into Europe from Dublin, currently works with a diverse range of mainly Nordic clients, that include Landspitali, the national university hospital of Iceland; Reykjavik Power; Samkaup, an Icelandic supermarket chain; and the University of Reykjavik.
John McElligott, COO at Kara Connect said:
“In the last 12 months the number of employees saying they feel stress or anxiety most or all of the time has jumped to 36 per cent from 24 per cent but only 7 per cent of these individuals have used their companies’ schemes. So there is a huge unmet need or reticence to use existing services either because they aren’t wide-ranging enough or because people don’t feel comfortable with them”.
“The fact that we provide 100 per cent confidentiality, strong security, and a wide range of services means that Kara Connect has become popular with employers looking to offer support to their staff” he said.
TalentHub has already begun recruiting for the new positions available at Kara Connect.
Morgan Cummins, Director of recruitment & Coaching at TalentHub said:
“We are delighted to be working with the team at Kara Connect on their mission to become the world’s leading well-being platform. They are a team of inspirational people and have a product that is enabling everybody to access the help they need. At a time when people are more and more looking for purpose in their work, we believe Kara Connect are building something special to be a part of”.
If you wish to learn more about Kara Connect roles, contact Morgan Cummins – [email protected] / 01 634 4888 / 087 777 6961
