Enterprise Ireland launches Startup Ireland AI Accelerator Programme at International AI Summit

Enterprise Ireland today announced the launch of the Startup Ireland AI Accelerator Programme, the first specialist accelerator to be delivered under Startup Ireland's €21 million National Accelerator Programme.

The Startup Ireland AI Accelerator which will bring together more than 30 partners, including technology companies Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), Anthropic, Amazon, Crusoe, ElevenLabs, Fin, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAI, Stripe and Vanta, alongside investors and ecosystem partners. The Startup Ireland AI Accelerator will be delivered by Dogpatch Labs.

The accelerator also includes a two-day international trip to Paris, another of Europe's leading AI hubs, to connect with investors, customers and AI founders, including attending F/ai Deal Day at STATION F.

The selected companies will benefit from 12 weeks of direct access to technical expertise, customers and investors to help them develop and scale internationally. Eligible startups will also have access to over €1 million in potential technology and cloud credits

Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland will also collaborate to connect participating startups with multinational companies both in Ireland and in international markets, opening up opportunities to access potential customers, technical expertise and commercial partnerships.  

Conor O’Donovan, Head of Startup Ireland at Enterprise Ireland said, “The new Startup Ireland AI Accelerator – the first programme from Startup Ireland – is the first of its kind in Ireland and brings Ireland’s startup and multinational sectors together to provide our most promising AI-native startups with direct access to the world’s leading AI infrastructure providers, tools and investors. Our goal is to accelerate the development of AI Irish startups by providing access to the technology, connections and mentorship to help them grow faster and scale internationally from Ireland.”

Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland said, “The Startup Ireland AI Accelerator is an important initiative that will strengthen Ireland’s AI ecosystem. By connecting participating startups with IDA’s network of leading multinational companies, the programme will open up valuable opportunities to access technical expertise, potential customers and commercial partnerships. We look forward to working with Enterprise Ireland and the wider partner network to help the next generation of AI innovators compete on the global stage.”

Patrick Walsh, CEO & Founder, Dogpatch Labs said, “80% of the world's top technology companies are already here. Ireland has the ingredients to build globally competitive AI companies. Our job is to put them within reach of founders.”

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Notes to Editors

About Startup Ireland

Startup Ireland is a national, cross-government initiative led by Enterprise Ireland, designed to support founders at every stage of the startup journey, from idea validation and early-stage development to scaling and international growth.

The initiative forms part of Enterprise Ireland's Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally  strategy. Its development has been informed by national and international research, including OECD recommendations for strengthening Ireland's startup ecosystem.

Startup Ireland’s 2026–2030 ambitions include:

•    Supporting 1,000 new startups
•    Ensuring 35% of supported startups are female-led
•    Increasing the number of startups reaching €1 million turnover by 20%
•    Strengthening Ireland’s position as a globally connected innovation hub


About Startup Ireland AI Accelerator Programme

The Startup Ireland AI Accelerator gives founders hands-on access to the tools, engineering expertise and capital needed to build an AI company that can compete internationally.

The programme will run for 12 weeks on a non-equity basis. Each of the ten selected companies will have a named technical lead and receive at least three hours of one-to-one engineering support every week. A dedicated funding track will prepare companies for seed or Series A investment with the programme connecting founders with domestic and international customers and investors.


Technology partners

The wider technology coalition includes Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), Anthropic, Amazon, Crusoe, ElevenLabs, Fin, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAI, Stripe and Vanta. Partners contribute different combinations of engineering expertise, infrastructure, tooling, platform access, credits and commercial support.


Investor network

The programme’s investor network includes ACT Venture Capital, Ada Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, Cherry Ventures, Earlybird, Elkstone, Episode 1, Frontline Ventures, Lightspeed, Playfair, Singular VC and Sure Valley Ventures. No investor partner receives privileged or exclusive access to participating companies.


Regional and ecosystem network

The programme will work with organisations across Ireland to support national recruitment and access to research, sector expertise and founder communities. These include Monzo, Bronto, Jentic, CeADAR, Vcola, ESB, GreenTech HQ, Iarnród Éireann, ICHEC, PorterShed, RDI Hub, Republic of Work, The Mill Enterprise Hub, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Trinity College Dublin and UCD.

For further information contact
press@enterprise-ireland.com