What began as an experiment between two friends and IT enthusiasts has exploded into one of the most popular poll and survey sites on the internet, with a user base of over half a million people across the globe.

In late 2006, David Lenehan, an IT developer for market research companies and Jonathan Hill, CEO of Infacta, a Sligo based internet software company, decided to test the increasing demand for online polling. The results surpassed their expectations and in 2007, Polldaddy.com was launched.

"We were aware that creating online polls and surveys was becoming more and more popular," explains David, "but until we tested the water we really didn't realise just what a phenomenon it had become. Very quickly we recognised the potential of a smart, funky, user friendly site, which would appeal to a range of users throughout the world. There were already a few other online poll facilitators out there, but we knew we could produce a site which would compete with the best of them."

When setting up Polldaddy.com, David approached Enterprise Ireland for assistance and they told him about the new Transform programme.

"It was perfect timing," says David. "We were ideal participants because our product has a global network, and the programme was ideal for us as it provided a range of support mechanisms and systems which we would otherwise have struggled to source. Jonathan has maintained his position as CEO with Infacta and I work full time at Polldaddy with one other employee, so the funding was particularly welcome as it effectively meant there was a ready salary in the early stages of our development. We are now looking at employing additional people and going through Transform has also helped with that process."

Since its creation, Polldaddy.com has become one of the most popular poll tools on the web. It is accessed by individual social networkers, SME's and high profile media companies and its user numbers are growing by the day. The company has also won one of the CNET Webware 100 awards, a coveted honour amongst web application businesses and one which marks it out as a key player in its field.