Case Study: Ergo achieves IP-driven growth and successful product spin-offs with FlowForma

Accomplishing Ip Success An Ergo & Flowforma View

Ergo, a Dublin‑based IT solutions provider and four‑time Microsoft Partner of the Year Ireland, set out to build proprietary IP to differentiate from services and create product spin‑offs. From a 2012 customer solution Ergo backed the vendor FlowForma to develop a no‑code Process Automation tool built on SharePoint and Office 365, but faced challenges in proving market demand, assembling the right product and channel skills, securing external funding, and ensuring robust IP and legal protections.

FlowForma was incubated inside Ergo using independent market research, a lean product team, external channel specialists and research partners (including Gartner), plus rigorous IP and contracting work to accelerate go‑to‑market. The FlowForma product launched in May 2013 and spun out in early 2016; FlowForma now employs 30 people, is used by over 60 organisations across Europe and North America (over 150,000 users globally), and has contributed to Ergo’s differentiation, two spin‑offs and increased shareholder value (FlowForma valued at €4m).

Ergo

John Purdy

Chief Executive Officer