Irish Venture Capital Association director general Sarah-Jane Larkin said US investors could be more focused on local AI opportunitiesIrish small and medium-sized enterprises saw venture capital funding fall in 2025 for the first time in seven years, a new report has found. Funding over the year was down 23 per cent to €1.1 billion, the first decline since 2018, the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) VenturePulse report found. That followed the sector’s worst second quarter for 10 years, in what the IVCA said was a “rollercoaster” year for Irish SMEs. “Certainly the amount of money being invested there is sucking up a lot of venture capital,” she said. On a quarterly basis, the top deal was by quantum computing company Equal 1 with €30 million in funding, with pharma company Shorla Oncology in second place with its €25 million funding round.

Source: The Irish Times February 09, 2026 02:01 UTC