All our team have come from development backgrounds in Java, C++, C and Ruby. The nearFormers are at the forefront of Node.js and open web technologies because we can see a better way of doing things.
Cian Ó Maidín
Co-founder and CEO
@cianomaidin
cianomaidin.com
Cian Ó Maidín is a technology Entrepreneur and has been a computer user from early childhood. His career began while studying at the University of Limerick where he worked as a web developer and then as a software engineer for a local company. Cian has worked in enterprise document management and mobile enterprise in Ireland and the UK. Cian returned to Ireland in 2004 where he setup Celsus Innovations. Most recently Cian founded and is CEO of www.nearform.com.
Cian holds a degree in Computer Systems from the University of Limerick and a Diploma in Enterprise Development from the Waterford Institute of Technology. Cian is a community leader, creator of www.nodedublin.com, www.peerconf.com and curator of www.nodeconf.eu. In 2012 Cian was voted amongst the most influential leaders in Irish technology.
Richard Rodger
Co-founder and COO
@rjrodger
richardrodger.com
Richard Rodger is a technology entrepreneur who has been involved in the Irish Internet industry since its infancy. He started out building websites in Dublin in the 1990s for clients such as Davy Stockbrokers and the Department of Agriculture. After a number of years working in technology project management in Germany and Bulgaria, Richard returned to Waterford in 2003 to found Internet startup Ricebridge.com. He subsequently joined the Telecommunication Software and Systems Group (TSSG) at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and became CTO of one of its successful spin-off companies, FeedHenry Ltd. More recently, he became COO and founder of nearForm.com.
Richard holds degrees in Computer Science (WIT), and Mathematics and Philosophy (Trinity College Dublin).
Richard is author of Mobile Application Development in the Cloud by Wiley.
Anton Whalley
Co-founder and VP Engineering
@antonwhalley
Anton Whalley is an accomplished solution architect with 14 years industry experience in both the UK and Ireland. He began his development career building databases and mapping tools for archaeological consultancies and moved on to providing professional software services to private and public organisations such as Vodafone, O2, An Garda Siochana, Fujitsu and Citi Bank.
Anton was originally a field archaeologist before studying IT with the Open University. His autodidactic philosophy to study is a key enabler to his many open source contributions. He has a passion for software and regularly speaks at community events both in Ireland and abroad. He also dedicates time to CoderDojo - an initiative to teach children to develop IT skills and learn to code.
Seamus D'Arcy
Full Stack Developer
@darsee
Seamus is a scientist and full-stack developer, but has always been rooted to the facet of software development that connects us to each other through the medium of the computer. A BSc in Computer Science and MSc in Multimedia Technology from University College Cork gave Seamus a solid foundation in OOP and Web technologies, as well as the opportunity to build a photo-sharing service based in Google Earth and an autonomous robotic environment mapping system.
Seamus is intrinsically interested in finding ways to enrich lives using computers: making repetitive tasks disappear; providing momentary distractions that make us smile, teach us something new or bring us closer to someone; wire-framing and building interfaces that are a pleasure to use.
Current weapons of choice are JavaScript and Node, plain old HTML + CSS and AngularJS. Probably with some Balsamiq on the side...
Previous roles include Senior Developer with Celsus Innovations and Global Business Register.
Cristian Ianto
Co-founder and CTO
@zbangazbanga
Cristian Ianto is a software engineer with a background in mathematics and physics. Has a MSc in Computer Science, obtained in 2002 from the Technical University of Timisoara. Started working in 2002 in the banking software development area for companies in Timisoara and Germany. In 2005 made contact with Irish software industry, helped found the start-up company Celsus Innovations, developing mobile solutions for the construction industry targeting Irish and German companies. Became a partner and CTO in 2007. Got involved in development of statistical and mathematical software for Irish companies. End of 2011, enrolled as CTO of web technology start-up nearForm.com. Technologies: node.js, objective-c, c++, .net, multi-platform app development, web server architectures. Interests: mobile development, neural networks.
Marius Ursache
iOS Ace
@bamse
Marius started his career more then a decade ago, while moonlighting as a network administrator for his faculty. It was then when he discovered the simplicity and beauty of Linux systems. He used Linux (quite a lot) at the next company where he helped build physical firewalls, based on open source software. The next adventure involved working at a company that went from 100 employees and 4 sites to 500 employees, 7 sites and getting acquired by Microsoft. There he used PHP, MySQL and PostgreSQL to move data from one system to another. He also had the pleasure to translate these systems to ones that were using C#, SQL Server and proprietary map-reduce and later to HadoopOnAzure. His latest passion is mobile developement using Objective-C. In his spare time, he loves sending patches to different open source projects (SequelPro, MacHG, Jumpcut).
Andrew Jarocki
Project Manager
@andrewjarocki
Andrew Jarocki has over 20 years of varied experience in the software industry. He began his career as junior programmer for a Swiss-based fund management company but was soon lured to the dark-side of embedded systems where he became adept in using C and assembly language as well as user interfaces on self-service equipment.
Originally a native of England, Andrew moved to Ireland in the Autumn of 1998 where he spent many years designing and developing key, client front-end applications using Windows RAD development tools, as well as Linux-based, high availability, multi-threaded server-side applications and web-services.
In recent years, Andrew has also held roles in Technical and Project Management, where knowing what makes a Software Engineer tick helps to smooth the road between upper management and the guys doing the coding.
Andrew holds a Batchelors degree (Distinction) in Software Engineering from the Limerick Institute of Technology. When not at his laptop, Andrew can be found running and cycling around the beautiful coastline of West Clare, whilst wishing for slightly dryer weather.
Mikael Fernström
User Experience Wizard and Futurist
@mikaelfer
mikaelfernstrom.com
Mikael Fernström studied Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications at the Kattegatt Technical College in Halmstad in Sweden, graduating 1975. He then worked in industry as inventor, electronics engineer, industrial designer, manager, composer and company director, principally in Sweden. He worked with AVAB Electronics in Gothenburg, from 1976 to 1979 building and designing sound and light equipment for theatres. He set up ILF Innovation and developed the business between 1980 and 1989. During this period he developed a number of patents for Signal processing of EMG-signals, Heat-pump control-system, Optical Interconnects, etc. In 1989 the company was taken over. He stayed on until 1991, when he took the opportunity to move to Ireland to work as a freelance consultant.
From 1996 he worked as a Research Officer in the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick, primarily on the development of Multimedia Browsing Systems and the use of sound in human-computer interfaces. In 1998 he was awarded an M.Sc. by research by the University of Limerick and appointed as Lecturer. Subsequently he spearheaded the development of a new taught Masters degree in Interactive Media at UL and was appointed Course Director. He is one of the co-designers of the LiteFoot interactive floor. His research interests cover Computer Science, HCI, Electronics, Sound, Music, Multimedia, History, Archaeology and the Performing Arts. In 1999 he was commissioned by the Irish Pavilion at EXPO2000 in Hanover, together with Mr. Sean Taylor of the Limerick School of Art and Design, to create Bliain Le Baisteach, a multimedia artwork, which was also sponsored by the Irish Art Council and Met Eireann. Between 2001 and 2003 he has been awarded research grants for collaboration with Dr. Joe Paradiso of MIT Media Lab to develop new interactive surfaces in conjunction with Media Lab Europe in Dublin and an EU Future and Emerging Technologies grant within the Disappearing Computer initiative on new object models for sound on computers.
In 2002 he collaborated with Sean Taylor and developed musical composition software that resulted in a multimedia work Coisir an tSionnan, performed an recorded at ESB’s Ardnachrusha turbine hall in October 2002. Both the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Berlin based Brul Chor and Daghda Dance were involved in delivering the piece. In 2005, again in collaboration with Sean Taylor, he was commissioned to create the multimedia performance work TXTULTR for RTE Lyric FM.
He has been the Irish delegate in the European COST Action G6 on Digital Audio Effects and is one of the initiators of European COST action on Control of digital audio effects from human gesture and European COST Action on Sonic Interaction Design. He is a Member of the Audio Engineering Society; Member of the International Society of Ecological Psychology; Member of IEEE; and Lifetime Member of the Electronic Music Foundation.
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