Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said that supporting Ireland’s entrepreneurs and start-ups is a key priority of the Government and his Department, speaking at InterTradeIreland’s All-Island Venture Capital Conference in Dublin today.
With over 1,600 people registered to attend, the theme of the all-island conference was The Investment Landscape in 2025, with keynote speeches and panel discussions focusing on angel networks, seed investment schemes and how entrepreneurs and start-ups across the island of Ireland can access investment.
Collaboration is the reason we are here today. InterTradeIreland’s Venture Capital Conference is all about making connections between ambitious entrepreneurs, high-growth potential firms and investors. This event provides an ideal forum to help businesses secure the funding that will enable them to realise their objectives; whether they are seeking early seed funding vital for growth, or trying to secure larger-scale investment to begin trading in new export markets.
Minister Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
Speaking at today’s event, InterTradeIreland’s Chief Executive Margaret Hearty said:
2024 was a landmark year for venture capital investment on this island, reaching an all-time high of €1.48 billion.
InterTradeIreland supported over 1,000 entrepreneurs and companies across the island last year. For both current and aspiring entrepreneurs, access to finance is critical to unlocking their potential, growth opportunities and the creation of high-quality jobs. We give SMEs the knowledge, skills, and connections they need to secure funding whether that’s through seed capital, angel investment, or venture capital. Our Seedcorn competition helps small businesses get investor-ready and for 2025 we have introduced three new categories Business to Business, Business to Consumer and Deeptech to attract and support even more entrepreneurs. Seedcorn applicants benefit from expert advice and connections to investors. The all-island winners of each category will also receive a €100k prize. Seedcorn is now open for applications, and I’d encourage any business seeking investment to explore this valuable opportunity.
Margaret Hearty, Chief Executive, InterTradeIreland
Hosting the event was Susan Hayes Culleton, award-winning author, speaker, and co-founder of The Positive Economist. Delegates also heard from Marina Gorey, High-Performance Culture Coach and former Head of People at Seedcamp, and co-founder of SuperAwesome, as well as Jimmy Martin, Co-Founder and CEO of AMCS Group, a market leader in performance sustainability, enabling resource-intensive industries to boost sustainability and profitability.
It was a pleasure sharing my experience building high-growth companies and scaling successful teams. Events like InterTradeIreland’s Venture Capital Conference are invaluable for connecting with others and learning from their experiences. I've certainly gained valuable insights into the 2025 investment landscape.
Marina Gorey, Head of People, Seedcamp
