Over the past decade Ireland has become a launchpad for high-growth cyber enterprises, attracting more than €450m in venture capital since 2014 across 101 deals.
This momentum makes Ireland one of Europe’s most capital-efficient innovation hubs, where exceptional talent and strategic support deliver real-world solutions to challenges such as AI-driven attacks and large-scale data breaches.
The sector achieved its strongest year on record in 2024, closing 40pc more VC deals than in 2023 while overall European cyber security funding declined by 9.5pc, according to a new Enterprise Ireland report powered by PitchBook data.
This standout performance has enabled Ireland to hold first or second place in Europe for cyber security VC deal count per capita every year since 2017.
Enterprise Ireland has played a pivotal role, participating in more than three-quarters of all deals over the past decade and establishing itself as Europe’s most active cyber security investor by deal count.
Working alongside Cyber Ireland — the national cyber security cluster — this sustained support helps ambitious Irish companies start, scale rapidly and win business with world-class global investors.
The ecosystem is further strengthened by leading education and research initiatives. Programmes such as Cyber Skills, Springboard+ and the Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Scheme are closing the global talent gap, while Research Ireland centres Lero and CONNECT drive breakthroughs in secure software and network defence.
Today, more than 140 pure-play cyber security companies — both indigenous and foreign-owned —employ 8,100 professionals and generated €2.7bn in revenues last year, representing a 30pc increase from 2022. The sector is forecast to support 17,000 jobs by 2030, mirroring Ireland’s broader economic resilience.
Irish innovators continue to set the global pace. Tines, now a unicorn valued at $1.125bn, secured a €120.7m Series C in Q1 2025 — led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives and one of the largest venture rounds ever raised by an Irish-founded company. Its no-code automation platform is trusted by enterprises worldwide and has attracted investment from Sequoia, Accel and others.
Siren powers real-time investigative intelligence for law enforcement; UrbanFox fights payments fraud with behavioural analytics; Cytidel prioritises vulnerabilities using AI-driven insight; and Vaultree pioneers fully encrypted data-in-use processing.
The cyber innovation from Ireland draws the backing from tier-one investors including Bessemer, Ten Eleven and SoftBank.
Looking ahead, cyber security is set to become an absolute non-negotiable priority for organisations everywhere. This positions Ireland’s ecosystem — built on deep collaboration, relentless innovation and proven global traction — for sustained high-growth investment and undisputed leadership in the years to come.
Anna-Marie Turley is Head of Fintech, Financial Services and Cybersecurity, Enterprise Ireland