Over €200 million invested in Irish women-led start-ups by VCs in 2024
€200.1 million was invested in Irish women-led start-ups by venture capital (VC) firms in 2024 – up 39% on investments of €144.2 million in 2023. This is according to financial data and research firm PitchBook, who published their ‘All In: Female Founders in the VC Ecosystem’ report, a pan-European analysis of VC investment in women founders. The report also confirmed that Ireland is the 2nd country in Europe per deal count on a per capita basis for investment in women-led start-ups and has consistently ranked in the top 5 countries for the past 10 years.
Welcoming the results,Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke said: “The increase in investment in women-led start-ups is 2024 is a very positive trend. Strong VC investment is vitally important for early-stage and high-growth companies and the Government’s €250 million Seed and Venture Capital Scheme, administered by Enterprise Ireland, strengthens the funding ecosystem in Ireland. Having a strong funding environment and harnessing the full talent pool of Ireland’s population is essential to drive enterprise growth.”
Jenny Melia, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland, said: “We are very pleased to see such a strong increase in the level of investment in women-founders in Ireland. This achievement reflects the calibre of women-led startups in Ireland and their determination and ambition to scale their businesses. Through our investments in High Potential Start-Ups (HPSUs), our Pre-Seed Start Fund and supporting a robust VC ecosystem, our focus is not only on ensuring that founders have access to funding to start and grow, but also have the support of an inclusive and well-connected business environment. Enterprise Ireland’s 5-year strategy, launched earlier this week, places a continued emphasis on supporting women founders in Ireland.”
In 2024, significant fund-raises by women founders in Ireland, included biotech AI company Nuritas, founded by Dr. Nora Khaldi raised $42 million, medtech company Luminate Medical co-founded by Barbara Oliveira raised €15 million.
PitchBook’s League Tables for 2024 also reported that Enterprise Ireland continues to maintain its position as the number 1 VC in Europe by deal count.
CAPTION:
Marking International Women’s Day and the results of the Pitchbook Report, photographed (left to right) are: Jenny Melia, Executive Director of Enterprise Ireland; Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke; and Karen May, CFO of XOCEAN, who raised €115 million in 2025 with investors including Morgan Stanley. The investment will expand XOCEAN’s operations and support the development of innovative new technologies aimed at enhancing ocean conservation efforts and improving data collection for marine research.
