The agency has also announced a successor to the National Digital Research Centre, which comes to a close this year.<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s state agency for home-grown business development spent nearly \u20ac33m last year to support 198 new start-ups in the country. And 99 of the start-ups supported in 2025 say AI plays a central role in their business, mirroring global adoption of the technology.<\/p>\n
The investment marks a 19.2pc jump from 2024<\/a>, when Enterprise Ireland (EI) supported 157 home-grown start-ups with \u20ac27.6m.<\/p>\n The latest figures were announced today (6 May) at the annual EI Start-up Day in Dublin\u2019s Aviva Stadium, which recognised both the outgoing and incoming cohort of start-ups from the programme.<\/p>\n Speaking to the press, EI\u2019s executive director Kevin Sherry noted that the \u2018Class of 2025\u2019 had strong medtech, fintech and AI representation.<\/p>\n \u201cAI [is] being leveraged across a whole range of businesses,\u201d said Sherry. \u201cAnd you see entrepreneurs looking at the disruption that AI presents and seeing that as an enormous opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n The 2025 cohort consisted of 90 \u2018High Potential Start-Ups\u2019 and 108 businesses supported through early-stage funding. A total of \u20ac32.9m was invested last year, with \u20ac23m in equity investment and \u20ac9.55m in pre-seed funding.<\/p>\n And complementing these were EI\u2019s seed and venture capital schemes, which invested \u20ac80m into 76 home-grown companies last year, the agency said.<\/p>\n Gendered breakdown shows that more than 50pc of the early-stage start-ups were female-led; meanwhile, 28 supported start-ups emerged from the research ecosystem, and \u20ac22m was awarded to third-level researchers via the Commercialisation Fund.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s never been a better time to start a business in Ireland,\u201d Sherry added. \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to take that step \u2026 there\u2019s plenty of support available there from Enterprise Ireland and other support in the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n EI CEO Jenny Melia added: \u201cStart-ups are critical for our future \u2013 economically, reputationally and societally.\u201d<\/p>\n New NDRC successor announced<\/p>\n The National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) is getting a successor in the form of a new National Accelerator Programme, with a budget of \u20ac21m over the next three years. The programme will seek applicants shortly, Enterprise Ireland has said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve listened closely to founders who have told us they need early access to capital, experienced mentors, specialist expertise and international markets and investors,\u201d said Conor O\u2019Donovan, head of start-ups at Enterprise Ireland.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new Start-up Ireland National Accelerator tender will deliver best-in-class accelerator and training supports, with a strong focus on native AI, emerging technologies and specialist sectors, broader regional coverage, and fast-tracked access to funding and international markets.\u201d<\/p>\n The Irish Government opted to extend the NDRC programme until the end of 2026<\/a> after deciding to close it<\/a>\u00a0in 2025.<\/p>\n The new accelerator forms a key priority under the Government\u2019s Action Plan for Competitiveness and Productivity, and makes up a central pillar in EI\u2019s new Start-up Ireland initiative, which is expected to formally launch in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n The new programme will work closely with operators to deliver a redesigned accelerator model which focuses on specialist sectors, more extensive regional coverage, enhanced international connectivity, reduced fragmentation and improved access to founder-led mentorship, EI said.<\/p>\n The programme is \u201cdesigned to strengthen and streamline Ireland\u2019s start-up support ecosystem and unlock the next generation of high-growth, globally scalable start-ups\u201d, said Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, TD.<\/p>\n