A List of Support Systems for Irish Start-Ups

Apart from being able to enjoy a 12.5% corporation tax, operating a company in Ireland has its privileges too. One of these privileges is access to many support systems in place to foster entrepreneurism in Ireland. That said - let’s dive right into 7 Supports in Ireland for Irish Start-Ups:

1. Enterprise Ireland & Local County Councils

This should be the first port of call for any start-up in Ireland. Getting connected with your local county council and having an appointed advisor from Enterprise Ireland ensures you have your foot in the door to the competitive Irish market. Their website can be found here and you can find your local county council here.

2. IBYE

This one is exclusive to young people and is a fantastic way to get exposure for your business if you’re under 21 years of age. This is a national competition to find Ireland’s best young entrepreneur and has so far awarded 180 talented entrepreneurs across every county in Ireland. Go through Business planning, prototyping and proof of concept in a competition that awards €5000 to the number 1 spot. Find out more details here.

3. Angel Investors

The Halo Business Angel Network, a joint initiative of Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland, is a key angel investment platform in Ireland. HBAN has invested €10.8M in 2015 in 50 companies and specialises in investing in early stage technology. You can find out more about them at their website here.

Although not unique to Ireland, www.angel.co is a great notification board for all things start-up. From finding a co-founder to recruitment, this is an important resource to keep in mind during vital recruitment stages.

4. Startupdublin.com & First Friday Brekkie

Dublin is the only city in the world to have a commissioner for startups - Niamh Bushnell. Startupdublin.com invite likeminded start-up founders to come along on the First Friday of every month for a public breakfast known as the First Friday Brekkie. Here you will meet a society involved in the Irish start-up scene and grants great networking opportunities. This is a must if you can make it!

5. Online StartUp Groups

Connect with the already growing start-up community in Dublin by looking up various groups on Facebook. There are groups on everything from design and innovation to operations so make sure to get in touch with them.

Here is a link to a good group called StartUp Ireland to get you started and connecting..

6. Shared Office Spaces

If you're looking for office space, consider one of the many shared spaces in Dublin. These are also host to many insightful events ranging from IP to technology development. Spaces like these are popping up all over Dublin – DoSpace, Guinness Enterprise Centre etc. just to name a few – and are a great way for start-ups to have their own address for filing paperwork as well as in contacting clients.

Here's a link to a comprehensive list of shared office spaces from IBYE.

7. University Start-Up Incubators

This one only applies if you are a student in Ireland and attend the relevant university. Incubators are growing in popularity and are popping up in most universities – they give their students a chance to learn the ropes of beginning their own business in the safety and comfort of an accelerator programme. Usually there is mentorship, advice, relevant speakers and events provided, as well as office space, and a monthly stipend for the duration of the programme.

Here I’ve rounded up a list of the top programmes in Irish Universities:

LaunchBox - Located in Trinity College Dublin, this is a 3 month programme that funds student startup ideas and helps develop them into a commercially viable company. Check out a video we made for one of last years participants below: