The entrepreneur had just completed the sale of his company, Ergo, for an estimated €100m
He is survived by his wife Audrey, and sons Conor and Kian.
Staff at Ergo were told the news just after US investor Presidio completed an acquisition of the business for an estimated €100m.
Mr Purdy was aged 63. During more than three decades in business he was a winner of the prestigious EY Industry Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014, among other accolades, and backed and supported a number of start-ups as well as his own core businesses.
Ergo, which Mr Purdy co-founded in 1993 with Tim Sheehy, initially sold ink and other supplies. The business evolved into a major IT services player, providing a range of services including cloud and infrastructure, security and license management for a range of large-scale private- and public-sector clients.
A financial services-focused division of the business was spun out as a stand alone, called Fenergo, in 2012, it was subsequently valued at €930m in a 2021 deal.
Ergo, which started in Mr Purdy’s spare room, now has more than 500 staff and offices in Belfast, the state of Minnesota in the United States, Romania and New Zealand as well as in Dublin. The Purdys were majority owners of the business prior to this week’s sale.
Born into a working-class family in Dublin’s Finglas, his father was a shipwright with Guinness who died when John Purdy was still in his teens. In an interview with the Sunday Independent he credited his mother with providing an ethos which would underscore his approach to business.
“She basically told me that it’s okay to fail, that you just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. That was important, I’d say, because failing is how you learn; it’s a part of a path to eventual success,” he said.
“I’ve often thought it’s an awful pity our banks don’t have a similar approach to life.”
In 2021, Purdy tapped former Grant Thornton managing partner Paul McCann as CEO for Ergo and became non-exec chairman. As well as his own main business he was investor in early-stage tech firms – he chaired Vromo, a Waterford-based provider of food delivery software, later bought by the American owner of Dunkin’ Donuts, and Endeavour Technology, a Dublin tech firm.
Paul McCann told staff today: “It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of John Purdy. John co-founded Ergo in 1993 and, only yesterday, completed the sale of the business — a milestone that speaks to the remarkable legacy he created and the dedication he brought to every chapter of his journey.
“His passing comes as a shock to many, and we know this news will be difficult for those who worked closely with him. We will all remember his warmth, his generosity, and the lasting impact he had on everyone he met.
“Our thoughts are with his family — his wife Audrey, his sons Conor and Kian, and his many friends and colleagues. May he rest in peace.”