The Startup Ecosystem of Ireland

Ireland has 8 cities in the top 1000 and has a vibrant startup scene that ranks 16th within the competitive global top 20.

COUNTRY RANKING

Since 2023, Ireland lost 1 spot in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index, having now positioned itself as 16th worldwide.

Population

5.1
Million

Regional Ranking

9th
-
1
In Western Europe

Global Ranking

16th
-
1
Worldwide

Ecosystem

Startup Ecosystem Overview

city skyline during night time

Ireland’s ecosystems enjoy a few substantial advantages. The country is perfectly located between North America and Europe, and has a highly skilled, native English speaking population. According to IDA Ireland, the country has the highest level of STEM graduates per capita in the EU in the 20-29 age group, and a significant number of 23-34 year-olds have completed third-level education. All this, combined with a generous tax policy that encourages giants like Google and Facebook to place their international headquarters in the country, lays the foundation for a global hub. However, the presence of high profile American corporations, while great for the economy, also creates a challenge for the startup scene, as many potential entrepreneurs have the option of taking high paying jobs for established companies instead of following the uncertain path of entrepreneurship.


Now that Brexit has made the UK a more difficult option for immigration, Ireland is a good substitute for EU tech talent wishing to relocate to an English speaking country with an abundance of tech jobs.

However, Ireland’s potential has yet to be fully realized, and many talented Irish founders still choose to relocate or establish their startups in more prominent ecosystems. The most notable example of this is Stripe, founded by the Collison brothers and headquartered in the USA. The public sector is trying to reverse this trend with measures aimed at attracting investment. For example, the Employment Incentive and Investment Scheme (EIIS) offers tax relief to investors, while IDA Ireland is facilitating multinational integration and general economic improvement. In addition, the public agency Enterprise Ireland is providing support for startups by implementing a number of useful initiatives, such as Start In Ireland (a one-stop-shop with information relating to the Irish startup landscape) and the Excel at Growth - Suite of Short Programmes. Under the National Development Plan 2021-2030, the public sector has committed to developing the enterprise infrastructure of the region. For the startup ecosystem in particular, the plan mentions the New Regional Enterprise Development Funding (REDF) under which projects to develop the startup ecosystem infrastructure are envisioned. Finally, serious efforts have also been regarding talent attraction and retention, as the government has allocated €1.9m as part of Tech/Life Ireland, an initiative focused on attracting foreign tech talent into the country.
As more regional startups gain unicorn status, we hope to see even more global attention paid to this vibrant startup scene.

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ECOSYSTEM

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Ecosystem

The Startup Ecosystem in Ireland

Our startup ecosystem map for Ireland includes a sample of 540 tech companies. We have identified as unicorns 6 startups that have passed the USD 1 billion valuations.

Global Rank

Ireland is ranked within the top 20 startup ecosystems globally.

Top Industries

Ireland’s startup scene is best represented in Energy & Environment, Health, and in Software and and Data.

Top Cities for Startups in Ireland - Ranked by StartupBlink
StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Rows:
2023 National Rank & Change ▲
Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries
2023 National Rank & Change City
search leaderboards icon
Global Rank & ChangeTotal ScoreQuantity ScoreQuality ScoreBusiness Score
1st
0
51st
-
5
12.930
00.00
00.00
00.00
2nd
0
275th
+
22
1.613
00.00
00.00
00.00
3rd
0
315th
-
17
1.220
00.00
00.00
00.00
4th
0
352nd
+
47
1.000
00.00
00.00
00.00
5th
new
416th
new
0.760
00.00
00.00
00.00
6th
+
3
800th
new
0.199
00.00
00.00
00.00
7th
-
1
941st
-
10
0.136
00.00
00.00
00.00
8th
-
3
960th
-
94
0.128
00.00
00.00
00.00
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Startups

Notable Startups in Ireland
Workvivo startup icon
Workvivo
Staycity startup icon
Staycity
Cubic Telecom startup icon
Cubic Telecom

Startups

Successful Energy & Environment startups in Ireland
AMCS Group startup icon
AMCS Group
Exergyn startup icon
Exergyn
MaREI startup icon
MaREI

Startups

Startups Ranking by Industry

Energy & Environment icon
Energy & Environment
#5 worldwide

On our map, you can explore a total of 147 startups for Energy & Environment.

Health icon
Health
#8 worldwide

In Western Europe, Ireland's Health is in top 8. Ireland has a concentration of about 97 of the region's total Health startups that are represented on our map.

Software and Data icon
Software and Data
#12 worldwide

Ireland's Software and Data is ranked 12th in the world. Our database contains 70 for this industry.

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