Born from a passion for technology and a tragic family event, Antrim-based Texthelp is revolutionising how people with literary and mathematical challenges communicate in the workplace and in educational settings.
t’s the creation of Northern Ireland engineer Martin McKay who has gone on to grow the business into a global affair with offices in Boston, Sweden, Norway, and many other English-speaking countries.
And several acquisitions since its launch in the 1996 have reinforced Texthelp’s ambition to create a “cohesive group, pulling on the oars in one direction to become one force for a greater good”.
The company’s software helps people read, write, and communicate with accuracy and fluency, whether that’s in the classroom or office.
“We began as an assistive technology business and that came from a personal reason,” Martin says.
“In the 1990s my father had a stroke and lost the ability to use his right arm and leg. It also impacted the left side of his brain, leaving him unable to speak and communicate,” he continues.
“So, I began making software for people with cerebral palsy and dexterity issues.”
Martin grew up on a farm in the Upperlands area of Co Londonderry with his three siblings.
His childhood and teenage years saw him nurture a passion for technology.
He says: “My mother would always say ‘I pity the woman he marries because he’ll take her apart’.”
He embarked on a career in agricultural microbiology at Queen’s University with a goal to go back into the family’s farming business.
“But after time spent away from home, I realised computing was my passion.
“I suppose before that I just never thought that something I loved so much could become a job,” he says.
Martin left his course at Queen’s to complete a degree in computing at Ulster University’s Coleraine campus.
His business, TextHelp, evolved to become more dyslexia-focused after a trip to Scotland.
It was there where he talked with a university professional who explained that she had one student with cerebral palsy who needed assistive technology, and another 200 students with dyslexia who also needed support.
“And that was really the start of our dyslexia software,” Martin says.
Later, a trip to California and a meeting with a researcher of dyslexia prompted the launch of new tools. Today around 50 million people are using the technology.
At a time when predictive texting was unheard of and even pre-internet, Texthelp was out there making waves with technology that was allowing those living with literary difficulties to “get on with the job they have to do”.
“Today the software is used by students in schools, secondary and primary as well as university but it’s also used in the workplace because when people leave school, they don’t leave their dyslexia behind,” Martin continues.
“Businesses have a legal obligation to provide assistive tools in the workplace, but the other big thing is, businesses want it.
“They want to do a better job at looking after their staff because most people with dyslexia, they only struggle with reading and writing but they can be brilliant engineers and marketers and whatever else they want to be.
“The parallel I use is, I wear glasses, but, if I came into work without them, I couldn’t work.
“So our software is a tool that takes the drudgery out of writing and reading which is often not the main part of a job.”
He explains that Texthelp tech takes away cumbersome typing requirements and instead replaces them with dictation and predictive writing.
It doesn’t work in the same way as today’s handheld devices but by more specialist means, taking into consideration dyslexic writing patterns.
Among the company’s business clientele, it includes the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, NHS healthcare settings and the South Yorkshire Police.
Martin adds: “Our tools are beneficial for all, but they are also necessary for some.”
Such is the success of the business, Texthelp now employs 300 staff globally, 130 of which are based at its home in Antrim.
And that figure is set to grow as more acquisitions are on the horizon.
In July, this year the company completed the acquisition of Wizkids, an edtech company specialising in accessibility tools and data synchronisation.
Speaking at the time, its chief executive Jonas Lund said: “Wizkids becoming part of the Texthelp group is really something special and the climax in our journey so far.
“Joining the Texthelp group will allow us to reach many more students and make a greater impact with our products across multiple geographies.
“I am looking forward to working with Martin and the wider combined team in the Texthelp Group as we work towards our shared goal of an even playing field for all”.
The Wizkids deal followed on from the acquisition of the Lingit Group in March including Lingit, LexAble and Claro Software. Together these companies offer a range of Assistive Technology tools including Lingdys, Textpilot, ClaroRead, Global Autocorrect and Global Tasks.
Martin says: “By bringing together our technologies, we believe we can bring stronger products to those who need it and we’re not done yet. I would say we certainly have an appetite to expand organically and inorganically, outside of Europe, with more US opportunities in mind.
“We have ambitious plans to grow, and we want to help more people, so it makes sense to get all the companies in our sector to become one force for the greater good, changing the way employers work with dyslexia. We can take care of the reading and allow you to get on with work.”
Growth and acquisitions in recent months were made possible by backing from Five Arrows, the private equity arm of Rothschild & Co.
Reflecting on the company’s performance over the years, Martin credits his team and the talent coming out of Northern Ireland’s universities.
He says: “You know I haven’t had to write one code or close one sale this year such is the talent of the team around me. We really wouldn’t be here without them and I’m very grateful for that. We just wish there was more of them.”
He says, at present, he has a shortage of engineers — a challenge faced by many in the tech sector.
“But Invest NI and universities here have done a great job of turning Northern Ireland into a great tech hub. We just need more talent.”
A father of two, Martin also credits his parents for supporting his passion for technology in the days before the true potential of the sector was acknowledged.
“They bought me a computer when it was hard to find them,” he adds.
And as he prepares to celebrate his father’s 80th birthday, he says: “Dad is an inspiration. We call him the Terminator and we’re so glad he’s here to see it. I think my parents are pretty proud of the outcome.
“Our whole family has done well and that’s because of the support of the people around us.
“I believe success comes from effort and application and we can never label people too early in their life.”
