Ireland's startup ecosystem is rapidly growing, with Dublin being the main hub for innovation. As of 2023, Ireland is home to around 1,500 startups. The Irish government supports entrepreneurship through initiatives like Enterprise Ireland and the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC), which provide funding, resources, and mentorship for startups.
Size of the Market
In 2022, Irish startups raised approximately €1 billion in venture capital. This significant investment highlights the robust growth and potential of the Irish startup ecosystem, making it an attractive destination for investors and entrepreneurs alike.
Key Strengths
Strengths of the Irish market include a highly educated workforce, a strong focus on innovation, and a favorable business environment. Dublin is known for its strengths in fintech, healthtech, and software development, attracting significant investments and producing notable startups like Intercom and Stripe.
Major Hubs
Dublin is the primary hub for innovation in Ireland. It is home to a vibrant tech scene and hosts numerous successful startups, benefiting from a concentration of resources, talent, and investment.
Emerging Hubs
While Dublin remains the main hub, other cities like Cork and Galway are emerging as significant players in the startup ecosystem, offering growing opportunities and resources for new ventures.
Support Systems
The Irish startup ecosystem benefits from a strong network of incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces. Initiatives like Dogpatch Labs and the Guinness Enterprise Centre have significantly boosted the ecosystem by offering mentorship, resources, and international exposure.
Challenges
Challenges include high living costs and a relatively small domestic market. These factors can make it difficult for startups to scale and attract talent, posing obstacles to growth.
Opportunities and Future Outlook
Despite these challenges, Ireland is making significant strides in innovation and entrepreneurship. Continuous investment and technological advancement are driving substantial growth opportunities, positioning Ireland for further development in the global market.
Resilience and Adaptability
Ireland's strategic location in Europe and its role as a hub for multinational companies provide startups with opportunities for international expansion. The country's strong emphasis on sustainability and green technology is driving innovation in sectors such as renewable energy and environmental technologies.
Conclusion
Additionally, Ireland's pro-business policies and robust infrastructure make it an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and investors. As Ireland continues to invest in its startup ecosystem, it is poised for further growth and development, contributing significantly to the European and global markets.
How to connect with Angel Investors in Ireland?
Overview
Ireland's vibrant startup ecosystem has seen a surge in activity, driven by a supportive investment community. Key players include top angel investors and leading venture capital firms who are pivotal in fostering innovation and growth in the country. With substantial investments and a focus on mentorship, Ireland's startup landscape is poised for significant expansion.
Top Angel Investors
Some of Ireland's most influential angel investors include Michael Culligan, Brian Caulfield, and Frank Salmon. These investors are known for their strategic investments in early-stage startups, providing not only capital but also valuable mentorship and industry connections. Their investment portfolios often include technology, fintech, and healthtech startups.
Leading Venture Capital Firms
Ireland boasts several prominent venture capital firms, including Atlantic Bridge, Delta Partners, and Frontline Ventures. These firms are instrumental in scaling startups from early stages to market leaders. They invest across various sectors, with a particular focus on technology, healthtech, and software development.
Investment Size and Scope
The investment size in Ireland ranges significantly, with angel investors typically investing between €50,000 to €250,000 per startup. Venture capital firms in Ireland generally make larger investments, ranging from €1 million to €10 million, depending on the stage and potential of the startup. In 2022, Irish startups raised approximately €1 billion in venture capital, showcasing the substantial investment activity in the market.
Number of Investments
Irish angel investors and venture capital firms are highly active, collectively making hundreds of investments annually. This consistent investment flow supports a dynamic and robust startup ecosystem, enabling startups to scale rapidly and reach international markets.
Future Outlook of the Investment Market
The future outlook for the investment market in Ireland is highly positive. With continuous support from the government and private sector, the ecosystem is expected to grow exponentially. Emerging sectors such as fintech, healthtech, and sustainability are likely to attract increased investments, driving further innovation and economic growth.
Support and Mentorship
Support and mentorship are critical components of Ireland's startup ecosystem. Programs like Enterprise Ireland and the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) offer extensive resources, funding, and mentorship. Additionally, incubators and accelerators like Dogpatch Labs and the Guinness Enterprise Centre provide essential support to early-stage startups, helping them navigate the challenges of scaling their businesses.
Government Initiatives
The Irish government plays a proactive role in supporting startups through various initiatives. Enterprise Ireland, for example, offers funding and advisory services to help startups expand globally. The NDRC focuses on digital transformation, providing startups with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in a digital economy.
Conclusion
With a robust network of angel investors, leading venture capital firms, and comprehensive support systems, Ireland's startup ecosystem is well-equipped for sustained growth. The continuous influx of investments and the strong focus on innovation and mentorship create a fertile ground for startups to flourish. As Ireland continues to invest in its entrepreneurial landscape, it is poised to become a significant player in the global startup scene.
Case Studies: Successful Funding Rounds with Angel Investors on Angels Partners
We found 263 Angel Investors in Ireland on Angels Partners
Shaun Abrahamson
Investing in PropTech • Hardware (& Manufact...
Los Angeles - California, U.S.A. - Germany - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Icela
Previous Investments
• CrowdTwist:
$20000
• Hades:
$1900000 (Seed Round)
• Radiator Labs:
$2400000 (Seed Round)
• Radiator Labs:
$300000 (Pre Seed Round)
• Radiator Labs:
$220000 (Pre Seed Round)
• Arbor:
$2600000 (Seed Round)
• ChargeLab:
$15000000 (Series A)
• ChargeLab:
$4000000 (Seed)
• ChargeLab:
$1000000 (Pre Seed)
• Covetool:
$30000000 (Series B)
• Covetool:
$800000 (Seed)
• Electric Visionary Aircrafts:
(Convertible Note)
• Electric Visionary Aircrafts:
(Seed)
• HAAS Alert:
$5000000 (Seed)
• HAAS Alert:
$1000000 (Seed)
• Partsimony:
$2000000 (Seed)
• Oonee:
(Pre Seed)
• Pallon (fka Hades):
$2000000 (Seed)
• Aquagenuity:
(Pre Seed)
• FIRMUS:
(Pre Seed)
• FIRMUS:
(Convertible Note)
• Metalmark Innovations:
(Pre Seed)
• CoInspect:
$150000 (Seed)
• CoInspect:
$2000000 (Seed)
• Hubbster:
(Seed)
• Evolve Energy:
(Pre Seed)
• Kift:
(Convertible Note)
• Food for All:
$700000 (Seed)
• Flair:
$810000 (Seed)
• Flair:
$300000 (Convertible Note)
• Flair:
$230000 (Convertible Note)
• Flair:
$330000 (Seed)
• Flair:
$130000 (Convertible Note)
• GreenQ:
(Convertible Note)
• Thrilling:
(Angel)
• RoadBotics by Michelin:
$4000000 (Seed)
• RoadBotics by Michelin:
(Seed)
• Coord:
$5000000 (Series A)
• Blueprint Power:
$4000000 (Series A)
• Miles:
$4000000 (Seed)
• Rentlogic:
$2000000 (Seed)
• Rentlogic:
(Series Unknown)
• Campsyte:
$100000 (Seed)
• VERSATILE:
$1000000 (Seed)
• Bowery Farming:
$8000000 (Seed)
• Citymart:
$750000 (Seed)
• Citymart:
(Seed)
• Kelvin:
$2000000 (Seed)
• Kelvin:
$300000 (Pre Seed)
• Kelvin:
$220000 (Pre Seed)
• BlocPower:
$200000 (Pre Seed)
• BlocPower:
$600000 (Pre Seed)
• Rachio:
$7000000 (Series A)
• Rachio:
$500000 (Convertible Note)
• Rachio:
$700000 (Convertible Note)
• Future Motion:
(Series A)
• Architizer:
(Series A)
• Architizer:
(Convertible Note)
• Mark43:
$11000000 (Series A)
• LogCheck:
(Seed)
• Valet Anywhere (VA):
$1000000 (Seed)
• Valet Anywhere (VA):
(Convertible Note)
• Revivn:
(Seed)
• BRCK:
$1000000 (Seed)
• BikeSpike:
(Convertible Note)
• Skycatch:
$3000000 (Convertible Note)
• Dash:
$1000000 (Seed)
• KIWI:
(Convertible Note)
Shaun Abrahamson
Los Angeles - California, U.S.A. - Germany - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Icela
Investing In
PropTech • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Energy • CleanTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • DeepTech • Mobility • Woman Focused
Description
Most Interested In
We're interested in teams re-imagining cities in 3 areas - GHG reduction, climate adaptation and solving problems associated with high density (like traffic or public safety).
Cities are complex, so founders continue inspire and amaze us by identifying new systemic issues and solutions. If you're re-imagining city life, we'd love to hear from you.
Not Interested In
We don't invest in edtech or healthtech. Certainly not a vote on whether we want to see these categories succeed, we just think they need additional focus/skills which we don't have. That said public health is a growing area of interesting.
Shaun Abrahamson is a Founder and serves as Managing Partner at Urban Us. Shaun is a Member of the Investment Committee, and he leads investment selection and communications with portfolio companies, members of the Network, and limited partners in Fund II. Before founding Fund I, Shaun was an active angel investor, investing in more than 20 firms between 2007 and 2013 in his personal capacity. Early-stage investing and advising is informed by his experiences building MediaSentry (acquired by SafeNet in 2005), Starmedia Network (acquired by France Telecom) and Oculus Technologies (MIT CADLab spin-out). In 1999, he was an early employee at govWorks, one of the earliest startups focused on serving local government. govWorks was ahead of the market and failed during the dot-com bust, becoming the subject of the documentary Startup.com in 2001. Shaun has written for organizations such as The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Huffington Post, and CNNMoney. Crowdstorm, published by Wiley, was his first book and is a guide to working with large online crowds to find and evaluate ideas. The book is based on Shaun's experience working with Starbucks, Omnicom Group, $300 House, and Life Edited. Shaun has an MSc from MIT; an MBA from the Berlin School of Creative Leadership; and a BSc from the University of Cape Town. He is also an Angel Investor.
Christopher Dean
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
Boston - Massachusetts, U.S.A. - Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Previous Investments
• ShipMonk:
$290000000 (Private Equity)
• Brooklinen:
$50000000 (Series B)
• AceUp:
$650000 (Pre Seed)
• SidelineSwap:
$2000000 (Seed)
• SidelineSwap:
$2000000 (Seed)
Christopher Dean
Boston - Massachusetts, U.S.A. - Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Vice President, Media & Entertainment, Salesforce Industries at Salesforce
Chief Strategy Officer and Head of BD, @skype (11/08-06/11)
25 years of Consumer, Tech and Finance start-up experience
Kellogg MBA '93, Vassar BA Econ '86
Marek Olszewski
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
San Francisco Bay Area, Germany - U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Icela
Previous Investments
• CodeFights:
$2500000 (Seed Round)
• Capsule Wallets:
(Seed)
• Remox:
(Pre Seed)
• Numoen:
$1000000 (Seed)
• CyberBox:
$150000 (Seed)
• impactMarket:
$2000000 (Seed)
• Paychant:
$400000 (Pre Seed)
• Ari Swap:
$700000 (Pre Seed)
• Payourse:
$600000 (Pre Seed)
• Coinprofile:
$600000 (Pre Seed)
• Netra:
$500000 (Convertible Note)
• CodeSignal:
$3000000 (Seed)
• Accion Systems:
$2000000 (Seed)
Marek Olszewski
San Francisco Bay Area, Germany - U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Icela
Dr. Marek Olszewski is a Co-Founder of Celo. He is a Co-Founder and served as the Chief Technology Officer at Locu. Prior to Locu, Marek was a senior PhD candidate at MIT CSAIL. He is a Facebook Fellow and the recipient of the J. Edgar McAllister Fellowship. He has prior work experience at a number of technology companies including Google, Microsoft (Research) and Sun (Labs). He is also an angel investor.
Brian Caulfield
Investing in Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) &b...
: Germany France Italy Spain Poland Romania Netherlands Belgium Czech Republic Greece Portugal Sweden Hungary Austria Switzerland Denmark Finland Slovakia Norway Ireland Luxembourg Malta Iceland Monaco, U.S.A.
Liam Casey is the Founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer of PCH. He also serves as a Board Member at Sisu Aesthetic Clinic. Prior to that, he served as the Marketing Director for Meadows & Byrne. He holds a Degree from Cork College Of Commerce.
Rodrigo Sepulveda
Investing in Advertising • Productivity
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A. - France - Luxembourg - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg,
Previous Investments
• Culture Secrets:
(Seed Round)
• Demenager Facile:
(Seed Round)
• Holberton School:
$2000000 (Seed Round)
• RecargaPay:
(Convertible Note)
• Dott:
$100000000 (Series B)
• Dott:
$34000000 (Series A)
• Wizata:
$3000000 (Series A)
• Wizata:
$2000000 (Seed)
• Nannybag:
$2000000 (Seed)
• Nannybag:
(Convertible Note)
• Wefarm:
$13000000 (Series A)
• Smartrenting:
(Series A)
• Spire Global:
$40000000 (Series D)
• Spire Global:
$70000000 (Series C)
• Service:
(Convertible Note)
• Verse:
$5000000 (Series Unknown)
• OpenExo:
(Convertible Note)
• Pliops:
$30000000 (Series B)
• Salonkee:
$1000000 (Seed)
• Passbolt:
$530000 (Seed)
• Glose:
$3000000 (Series Unknown)
• Catalyte:
$27000000 (Series A)
• Tribe:
$3000000 (Seed)
• Tribe:
$3000000 (Seed)
• Tribe:
$500000 (Seed)
• Nektria:
$2000000 (Series A)
• itravel:
$2000000 (Series A)
• Attach:
(Seed)
• Boostable:
(Seed)
• Allmyapps:
(Series A)
• Manifest:
(Seed)
• Getaround:
$3000000 (Seed)
• amiando:
(Seed)
• Wavestorm:
(Seed)
Rodrigo Sepulveda
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A. - France - Luxembourg - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg,
Investing In
Advertising • Productivity
Description
Most Interested In
Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, SpaceTech, DeepTech, AI, ML
Not Interested In
FinTech, AdTech, Ecommerce, CleanTech, BioTech
CEO at @sepulveda-capital. Managing Parter Expon Capital. Serial entrepreneur (5 founded, 3 sold). Invested in North America (CA, NY, FL), Europe (FR, DE, CH).
Michael Klein
Investing in HealthTech (& Fitness) • Medica...
San Francisco Bay Are..., U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, Monaco
Michael Klein
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, Monaco
Founder of Foreword.vc, an early-stage micro fund backing startups throughout their initial chapters. Also advisor at Web Summit and EiR at Seedcamp.
Previously covering Europe for Techstars Ventures and founding member of Web Summits venture fund, Amaranthine.
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