Emer Currie
Question:148. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the position regarding the work of the Finance for Scaling Implementation Group. [49950/26]
View answerWednesday, 1 July 2026
Questions (148)
Written answers
Ireland has a strong start-up ecosystem, but scaling remains a challenge due to limited access to finance. A key barrier is the lack of capital for firms at the scale-up stage. A July 2024 report by my Department, “The Use of Finance as a Catalyst to Develop a Scaling Ecosystem”, identified a suboptimal supply of capital in the market and recommended increasing State capital, incentivising private capital, and a review of tax policy to support growth.
To implement these recommendations, my Department established the Finance for Scaling Implementation Working Group, supported by expert input and a market study by SQW economic research consultants. Commissioned by my Department and published in July 2025, this study found a capital gap of €860 million to €1.3 billion for Series A+ funding rounds starting from €3 million.
The Implementation Working Group is continuing its work in progressing priority actions under the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, aimed at strengthening the scaling finance environment for Irish enterprises.