Ergo co-founder John Purdy passes away at 63
John Purdy, co-founder of managed service provider Ergo, passed away suddenly on Friday 23 January. He was 63.
A well-known face in Ireland’s technology sector, in 2024 John received the lifetime achievement award at the Tech Excellence Awards for his contribution to the industry, beginning in the foundation of Ergo in 1993 with Tim Sheehy.
In 2021 John resigned as CEO and stayed on as chair of the company to be was succeeded by Paul McCann, who oversaw a period of significant growth for the company.
John’s passing occurred one day after the closure of a deal selling Ergo to Presidio for €100 million.
As a regular guest speaker in colleges, John espoused his philosophy of business based on the ‘three Bs’: be bold, brave and believe.
“Anytime I speak with students about entrepreneurship I speak about the qualities you need to have when you’re working at start-up,” he told TechCentral.ie. “We’ve all seen start-ups that have had what I call ‘hockey stick’ growth, but that type of growth is not sustainable. I think they understand that taking your time, holding the course, being steady is better.
“I always say that Ergo is a 32-year-old start-up, and we continue to have those characteristics of being an underdog, being hungry, agile and scrappy. It’s important to remember that it’s not an instant road to wealth, it’s a long slog with highs and lows but it can be rewarding.”
John was also a firm supporter of fostering new talent within Ergo through its intern programme and in lending practical expertise to start-ups.
“I enjoy working with start-ups and scale-ups,” he told TechCentral.ie. “And now I have an opportunity to pay forward all the support I received over the years by offering my experience to those coming after me. You see, entrepreneurship is like a drug, if you come off it too quickly you could be in trouble. For now, I’ll continue working with great founders.”
Based in Dublin, Ergo employs 500 with an additional 250 contractors. The company is also known for two successful spinouts: the fintech unicorn Fenergo and process automation specialist FlowForma.
John is survived by his wife Audrey and sons Conor and Kian.
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