An Irish founder who chose to expand into the UK from Manchester rather than London is set for FUEL Manchester next week.
Fergal O’Connor, a star of our Northern Leaders and Founder 250 lists, is the CEO and founder of Buymedia – a data-driven, AI‑powered advertising platform.
Founded in Galway in 2015, Buymedia expanded to the UK, launching a head office in Manchester in October 2025. It has been ranked as the fourth-fastest-growing tech company in Ireland, and 73rd in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
On Wednesday 28th October, he will speak on the breakfast panel at FUEL Manchester – you can sign up for free at the link below – while a select group of founders will also pick his brains in the following invite-only AI & technology masterclasses.
Register for breakfast panel & networking
O’Connor said: “One of the reasons why we moved a subsidiary of the business from Ireland to Manchester rather than London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or any other region was because of the political structure that is here in Manchester.
“You could see that Andy Burnham had really got into a system here where the government was devolved so when he said he wanted to invest in AI and technology you knew that was going to happen because he had the power to do it.”
Buymedia, which opened a further office in Belfast in May 2026, has grown revenue from €1.58 million in 2021 to €8.63m in 2024, a near 6x increase in three years.
O’Connor is committed to creating up to 100 high-value jobs in the North.
FUEL Manchester is sponsored by GM Business Growth Hub, S&W and Nybble, with support from Bruntwood SciTech.