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Accelerators

We’re growing the businesses of the future faster everyday.

Ireland is home to some of Europe’s top business and start-up accelerator programmes. Through financial support and advice, Enterprise Ireland plays a crucial role in supporting start-up businesses and developing concepts so they are market-ready. Businesses that have a specific niche in the market where Enterprise Ireland believes there is a high probability of success can benefit from a dedicated support programme, which has been particularly beneficial to Ireland’s software sector.

Among the main accelerators programmes in Dublin is the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) LaunchPad initiative, which is funded by the Irish government and the private sector.

The NDRC, a successor of the former MIT MediaLab Europe in Dublin, provides seed funding and support to successful small teams. The goal of this support is to help start-ups move their concept or idea into market-ready outputs. The Propeller Venture Accelerator Fund is an initiative of Dublin City University’s Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship. Its funding assists early stage technology start-up companies. Startupbootcamp is a pan-European network of business accelerators managed by TechStars. The Kauffman Fellows Programme in the United States found that all three start-up accelerator programmes were among the top 8 business accelerators in Europe.

A number of accelerator programmes are also offered by the private sector without government funding. Telefónica’s business accelerator programme Wayra provides start-up funding for firms located in Dublin. The privately funded Fumbally Exchange is a not-for-profit collective of design and creative professionals founded in 2010. The design and innovation hub at Fumbally Square in Dublin’s city centre is home to over 40 small businesses and start-ups.