Many Australian investors would love to own shares in some of the world's biggest and best technology stocks, but are uncomfortable with — or unable to — invest in foreign shares.
First of all, investors can actually gain exposure to certain companies such as Microsoft and Amazon.com by investing locally. They can do this by purchasing units in BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS (ASX: NDQ), which is an ETF trading on the ASX (Note: The Motley Fool has no association with BetaShares).
Alternatively, there are a number of attractive Australia-based technology businesses which you can invest in directly. They could also generate solid growth over the coming years. Here are a few ideas that you can consider:
Bulletproof Group Ltd (ASX: BPF) is a cloud computing business which specialises in helping other companies to move their operations to the cloud, enabling them to simplify their IT systems and reduce their capital requirements. In other words, those businesses will use the storage space and computing power of another business, such as Amazon Web Services, saving them time, space, money and effort.
While Bulletproof's customers could manage this migration for themselves, it can become a complex operation that creates a distraction for managers, so many would prefer to employ Bulletproof to help them.
Catapult International Group Ltd (ASX: CAT) shares have risen strongly over the last 12 months, but there could be more gains to come. The company provides the software and hardware that is used by elite sports-persons and teams around the world, allowing them to track their on-field and off-field performances. They also help the athletes monitor the risk of injury, with the technology becoming an integral part in the preparation of many teams in the lead-up to game day.
Of course, there is the potential for cashed-up competitors to also try their luck in the market, which is a key risk for Catapult. But it is certainly developing a good reputation for itself, with some of the biggest sports teams in the world raving about the product.
Notably, these reviews, provided on page 28 of Catapult's half-year presentation, were provided by the company itself, so there is obviously a bias towards the better reviews, but they are encouraging nonetheless.
iSentia Group Ltd (ASX: ISD) is significantly larger in market capitalisation than either Bulletproof or Catapult, but it still has plenty of growth potential. The company offers media monitoring services to a number of the world's biggest companies, giving them crucial business intelligence into what is being said about them, when and by whom.
The company recently noted that it processes approximately 282 stories per second from various media sources, with monitoring of social media platforms a growth area for the business. Indeed, iSentia provides a vital service for many businesses and if it can continue to develop new ways in which it can enhance that service (whilst increasing revenue per customer), iSentia could certainly be a winner for long-term investors.
