Funding awarded to start-ups in 2018 included two calls for up to €1.5 million in funding open to all sectors. €500K in funding targeted recent graduates while €750K in funding was made available through a fintech and deep tech CSF.
Start-ups supported by Enterprise Ireland in 2018 include:
- 82 High Potential Start-Ups – start-up businesses with the potential to create 10 jobs and €1million in sales within three to four years of starting up
- 50 Competitive Start Funds (CSFs) – critical early stage funding into new businesses to accelerate growth
- 28 new female-led HPSUs
- 15 new fintech HPSUs and a further five fintech start-ups were supported under a dedicated CSF fund
- 15 spin-out companies from higher education institutions
- 26 additional HPSUs which received follow-on investment funding as their businesses scaled.
Joe Healy, Manager, HPSU Division, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Even in today’s challenging business climate with Brexit looming, the appetite and enthusiasm amongst entrepreneurs is strong. In 2018 alone, Enterprise Ireland received over 1,300 start-up enquiries, representing a 30% increase on the previous year. Enterprise Ireland works and supports the brightest and best start-ups with the ambition to take their business global. A huge amount of supports exist within the start-up eco-system and we continue to work with our partners, be it through New Frontiers, the third level sector, the Accelerators, the Local Enterprise Offices, the BICs and the investment community to help early stage companies develop and succeed.”
He continued: “Enterprise Ireland’s strategy for 2017- 2020 is to support more start-ups with global ambition to build scale and expand reach. Now at the halfway mark into our four-year strategy, we are on course to meet the ambitious target of creating 60,000 new jobs by the end of 2020. Key to reaching this target is cultivating an environment for more entrepreneurs to develop their business and succeed. Working with the government and our partners, Enterprise Ireland will continue to support and nurture an eco-system that ensures the availability of appropriate supports including finance, mentorship, peer-to-peer learning platforms and access to overseas markets, priming early stage businesses and entrepreneurs to grow. I would like to congratulate the Start-up class of 2018 and we look forward to continuing to work to help them scale into international businesses in the coming years.”
