Meet the Irish startup that tokenised a house — and now wants to transform global investing
Ctrl Alt, an Irish co-founded fintech business, is seeking to become the go-to option for institutional investors seeking to invest in alternative assets.
Founded by Jordan McMullen and Matt Ong in 2022, the company has offices in Dundalk, Belfast, Dubai and London, with its headquarters in the latter. To date, the business has raised €4 million in funding.
The company has developed a platform for investments in the likes of real estate or private credit.
'Essentially we make it easier and cheaper for people to invest in alternative assets,' Jack Denton, chief of staff at Ctrl Alt, told the Business Post. We cover anything that needs investment but that ordinary people normally can't invest in.'
'This could be anything from art to a wind farm. Whatever it may be, we help people invest in those projects.'
The business uses a tokenisation platform designed to allow investors to make small partial investments in assets.
'In the same way that a share represents ownership of something, a token is like that but can be transferred and shared on the blockchain. In the UAE, for example, the title deed on a house can be sent as a token on the blockchain,' Denton said.
'On the blockchain we can always track the token down and work out where it is. That makes it more secure.'
McMullen and Ong developed the idea from their time working together in Morgan Stanley, where investments in the luxury market boomed during the pandemic.
'There was a big market for luxury watches during Covid. The value of Rolexes was rising but, to get involved in that market, people had to buy a Rolex. What they wanted to do was offer the opportunity to everyone,' Denton said.
'Tokenisation allowed them to split out an asset into tokens, creating a different way to invest in it. We were the first in the UK to tokenise a house, where people could buy a piece of the property for as little as £10 (€12).'
The business has grown quickly and already had to move offices multiple times in its locations due to the addition of staff. Enterprise Ireland has provided assistance to the company as it manages its growth.
'We've taken big leaps and strides in the past 12 months and grown rapidly. Enterprise Ireland has helped out in a number of ways. They have put us in touch with people, invested in us and let us use their offices,' Denton said.
The company has no plans to raise any more funding at present, with its goal in the near-term to expand its partnerships with institution-level investors.
'We don't want to become a household name, we want to be an industry-known name. If you're a government or family office and want to talk tokenisation, you come to us. We want to be that name in tokenisation,' Denton said.
'We are regulated in the UK and the UAE, and are in the application processes in Ireland. We'd like to look more at Europe, the US and Singapore as well.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
31 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish House to showcase the best of Irish drinks, hospitality and culture at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans
The founders of Lost Irish Whiskey, the ARCD Agency NYC and Bord Bia are proud to present Irish House at Tales of The Cocktail festival in New Orleans. Taking place on Thursday July 24th from 1-6pm, it celebrates the spirit of Ireland in the heart of the French quarter. The Irish House is the largest single event gathering of Irish bars and Irish spirit brands, running at the world's largest cocktail and spirits festival. A first of its kind, it will showcase the best of Irish drinks, hospitality and culture all under one roof on a unique world stage. After more than a decade of attending Tales of the Cocktail, both Tim Herlihy of Lost Irish Whiskey and Leah Doyle CEO of the ARCD Agency, saw the growing presence not just of Irish bars attending the festival but Irish brands too. It gave them the initial inspiration to establish the concept around Irish House and with the support of Daragh Flanagan, the vice president of drinks at Bord Bia, North America, it will be launched this July. Leah details it further by saying, 'Two years ago, Tim and I were standing at an event and looked around and realized how much Irish Talent was in New Orleans, from Irish bar teams in the US like The Dead Rabbit, Bartley Dunnes, Casements to mention a few and the teams over from Ireland like BAR 1661 and Cask - and we decided then we had to bring this event to life and really showcase what modern Irish hospitality is all about. The timing and momentum felt right to combine all Irish efforts in the one setting - and Irish House was born.' Established over 20 years ago with humble beginnings, Tales of the Cocktail has gone on to become the biggest trade conference for the global spirits industry. It's a week-long gala incorporating everything from tastings, seminars, lectures, launches and brand festivities that attracts thousands of trade visitors from every corner of the globe. Stressing the importance of the Irish House's location, Daragh adds, 'Since joining Bord Bia, I set out to elevate our trade education & engagement, particularly in the on-trade, reaching more high-level bartenders across the US & Canada, to spread the good word on all of the amazing modern & innovative Irish drinks producers - Tales of the Cocktail is the perfect platform for this, as the best of the best will all be in attendance!' Bar teams from both the USA and Ireland will be there to mix up and serve some of their best creations made with Irish drinks. They include: The list of participating drinks brands range from well-known multinationals to small independents: In his support of Irish House, co-founder and managing director of the multiple award winning Dead Rabbit shared, 'We've built The Dead Rabbit around a celebration of modern Irish culture, spirits, and hospitality, and Bord Bia has been essential in fostering greater connectivity between Ireland and the States. "The Irish House - and our collaboration with Guinness - represents a first-of-its-kind celebration of Irish culture at Tales, and is the perfect stage to showcase the incredible depth, craftsmanship, and camaraderie that defines just that.' The Irish House takes place on July 24th from 1 to 6pm at 411 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. Admission is free with registration for tickets by clicking here. Follow Irish House on Instagram here.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Louth fishermen treated like second-class citizens – ‘We have been absolutely screwed since Brexit'
Prawns are their bread and butter, yet their prawn quota has dropped by 30 to 40pc in the past five years. But they are also not allowed to fish for Squid around the lucrative Rockall fishery because of Brexit - and Royal Navy warships have been patrolling to keep them out of the area. Niall Connolly whose family are synonymous with fishing in Clogherhead revealed: "We have been absolutely screwed since Brexit and the truth is we have been treated like second class citizens by the EU for years. "What is going on is criminal. Prawns are our main catch in Clogherhead yet our quota is down by 30-40pc in the last five years and we are struggling to survive. "We can't fish for Squid around Rockall which makes matters worse. "Our prawn quota for July is 16 tonnes while a year ago it was 24 tonnes. The squeeze is on especially for fishermen in the south-east. "They traditionally fished for Sole but can't because Belgium has most of the quota and then they in turn are now going after prawns to survive which is putting pressure on the rest of us." In the last few years the Dept of Marine brought in a decommissioning scheme to remove some of the fleet so the rest could earn a living with the quotas they had. But Niall Connolly said: "Because our quota is so low many are fishing for scraps. "We are lucky that we are in the prawn game and we are just about getting by. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more "But the Irish Mackerel quota for instance has been slashed and there are big boats around the country tied up for nine months of the year because they have no quotas, which is wrong." He called on the Government and the new Minister for Fisheries Timmy Dooley to up their game in Brussels and negotiate the EU Common Fishery Policy so Irish fishers get a better deal. He added: "We need a better deal for Irish fishermen, there are so many livelihoods depending on it." The CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Association Aodh O' Donnell revealed that Irish Fishermen are facing a 15pc cut in their quotas over the next six years and something urgent needs to be done to stop it.
Dublin Live
an hour ago
- Dublin Live
Housing price inflation hits 10-year high, according to new report
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Housing price inflation has hit a 10-year high, according to a property website. Prices rose by an average of 3% across Ireland during the second quarter of 2025, House Price Report released on Monday said. The typical listed price nationwide in the second quarter of the year was €357,851, 12.3% higher than a year previously and 40% higher than at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The current rate of inflation in the market is the highest seen in the 10 years since mortgage market rules were introduced. The surge in Dublin of 12.3% is in line with the average for the rest of the country, whereas in the rest of Leinster, the annual increase in prices is 14.3%. Inflation is also close to the national average in both Limerick city (12.8%) and Galway city (12.5%). In Waterford city, the rate is 15.2%, while in Cork city the increase in prices is slower, at 8.6%. The average list price in Dublin is €467,913, €369,938 in Cork city and €426,348 in Galway City. Ireland's limited supply of homes, due to stalled construction during the recession, is blamed for now skyrocketing house prices. The Government has boosted its target for the homes it aims to build as a result, despite missing its target last year and the housing minister stating this year's target of 41,000 is 'not realistic'. The number of second-hand homes available to buy nationwide on June 1 was close to 12,100. This is largely unchanged from the figure a year ago and less than half the pre-Covid average of almost 25,000. Author of the report Ronan Lyons, an economist at Trinity College Dublin, said it was up to policymakers to solve the housing shortage. 'The fastest increase in housing prices since mortgage market rules were introduced a decade ago highlights the importance of addressing Ireland's chronic and worsening housing shortage. The substantial increases over the past year in almost all parts of the country are linked to the lack of second-hand supply. This in turn is related to the increase in interest rates earlier in the decade. 'As interest rates come down and mortgage-holders come off their fixed rate terms, the picture for second-hand supply will improve. There are already some tentative signs in Dublin of an increase in second-hand supply. Nonetheless, the second-hand market is only part of the solution. 'Ultimately, policymakers have to address their failure to recognise and provide the framework for enough new homes each year.' Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
