ESNA Welcomes Ireland as Newest Member

Ireland joins ESNA with the commitment to enhance the European startup agenda, bringing a unique perspective to the table.

Europe Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA) announces Ireland as its latest member, bringing the total number of member countries of the Alliance to 19, in another step to strengthen ESNA’s role in bolstering the European startup ecosystem. Ireland joins ESNA with the commitment to enhance the European startup agenda, bringing a unique perspective to the table.

Enterprise Ireland – the Irish government’s trade and enterprise development agency – has been appointed to represent Ireland within ESNA.

Arthur Jordão, Executive Director of ESNA, welcomed Enterprise Ireland who will be sitting in representation of Ireland among ESNA’s members, as he said: “Ireland brings extensive experience in innovative entrepreneurial policies. 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”.

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

Minister Burke TD added: “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 thrive and prosper.”

Ireland has an established reputation as being a global hub for talent, innovation and enterprise. Testament to this is the number of global firms which have established presences in the Irish capital, while Ireland also provides easily accessible processes for startups to start a business or scale, according to ESNA’s latest Startup Nation Standards Report.

Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, said: “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 practice policies which will support the development of companies and exports across Europe.”

ESNA continues to evolve as a dynamic, collaborative entity, dedicated to developing and implementing policies that support startups 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. ESNA’s efforts align with broader EU objectives to enhance competitiveness, address structural challenges. This expansion represents a step forward in addressing these challenges and leveraging the collective strength of the EU’s member states.