Ireland joins Europe Start-up Nations Alliance

Membership of European body a signal of Ireland’s commitment to grow a supportive start-up ecosystem.

Ireland has become the latest member of the European Start-up Nations Alliance (ESNA).

ESNA was established to enhance the European startup ecosystem.

“Ireland will be aiming to further improve our implementation of the Startup Nation Standards”

Enterprise Ireland has been nominated to represent Ireland at ESNA and will receive policy support from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Collaboration is key

“Joining ESNA is a signal of Ireland’s commitment to helping our businesses to start and grow in a supportive ecosystem,” said Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke, TD.

“ESNA provides us with opportunities to collaborate, share our experiences and to learn about best practices from other members. Enterprise Ireland brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to ESNA and with policy support and advice from my Department, Ireland will be aiming to further improve our implementation of the Startup Nation Standards.”

ESNA is a collaborative entity, dedicated to developing and implementing policies that support start-ups across Europe.

The alliance is committed to creating favourable conditions for startups at all stages of their lifecycle, significantly contributing to the EU’s global competitiveness.

“Initiatives like joining ESNA, or exploring ways to better finance our scaling ecosystem or launching our National Enterprise Hub ensure that the business community in Ireland knows it has the full support of Government to help it in every way possible to continue to grow and prosper,” Minister Burke said.

Earlier this week, Minister Burke published a report on The Use of Finance as a Catalyst to Develop a Scaling Ecosystem. Implementation of the recommendations of the report will increase scale up activity in the Irish funding ecosystem by improving access to appropriate finance.

The development was welcomed by Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy. “Enterprise Ireland is extremely proud to be representing Ireland in ESNA, making Ireland the 19th European country to formally join this Alliance.  Enterprise Ireland is committed to working with the Irish government to support Irish companies to start, grow and scale, and to achieve their global ambition.  Collaboration is a hugely important element of this, and with Ireland being a member of ESNA we are part of a group that will work together on best practise policies which will support the development of companies and exports across Europe.”

He said that ESNA’s efforts align with Irish and broader EU objectives to enhance competitiveness, address structural challenges. The expansion of ESNA represents a step forward in addressing these challenges and leveraging the collective strength of the EU’s member states.

“Ireland brings extensive experience in innovative entrepreneurial policies,” said Arthur Jordão, Executive Director of ESNA.

“With Enterprise Ireland now representing Ireland in ESNA, we can build on collaborative efforts together with other members to significantly advance startup-friendly policies across Europe. We are confident Ireland will bring a very unique perspective to the table, supporting the economic resilience of the continent and positioning Europe as a leader in the global startup ecosystem.”

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