Ireland’s ambition is clear: build more world-class exporting companies, scale more indigenous firms, and ensure that high-quality jobs and innovation stay rooted here. Enterprise Ireland’s new five-year strategy aims to back 1,000 start-ups and grow 150 large exporting companies. Scale Ireland and the IVCA have been vocal in highlighting a major obstacle to this vision: the lack of private institutional capital available to Irish scaling businesses.
Recent reports underline the urgency:
The Department of Enterprise estimates a €1.1bn scaling finance gap over the next 3–5 years.
Venture capital investment in Ireland has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, down 81% year-on-year.
Irish households now hold over €163bn in deposits, but very little of this private capital finds its way into domestic growth companies.
This creates a ceiling on how far Irish firms can grow before seeking capital abroad—a pattern that too often results in founders, technologies, and jobs relocating overseas.
The reality for Irish SMEs
While policymakers debate long-term reforms, Irish business owners face immediate challenges: working capital gaps, expansion costs, hiring plans, and technology upgrades. For the fourth consecutive year, 80% of start-ups report difficulty raising capital. Even successful scaling firms raising €15m+ rounds describe the process as “slower and harder than expected.”
The message is clear: funding is the number one challenge for ambitious Irish SMEs.
Where BusinessLoans.ie fits in
At BusinessLoans.ie, we recognise that not every business can wait for pension reforms or government schemes to materialise. Companies need flexible, accessible finance today to:
Invest in growth and expansion
Fund stocking and inventory
Manage cash flow gaps
Upgrade equipment and technology
Seize new market opportunities
We work with a wide panel of lenders – from specialist non-bank providers to alternative financiers – to deliver solutions tailored to your business. Whether it’s an unsecured business loan, trade finance facility, asset finance, or revenue-based lending, our goal is simple: keep Irish businesses moving forward without unnecessary delays.
Why it matters now
Ireland risks losing its brightest companies to international markets if the funding gap isn’t addressed. But with the right finance partner, SMEs don’t have to wait for policy to catch up. BusinessLoans.ie helps ensure that ambitious founders can scale locally, compete globally, and keep jobs and innovation here at home.
Ready to grow?
If your business needs funding support—whether €20,000 or €500,000—we can help. Call the BusinessLoans.ie team on 01 55 636 55 or APPLY HERE.
