# Top 50 Sports Startup Investors in Ireland in June 2026 ## Enterprise Ireland - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 11 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Health Care, Information Technology Enterprise Ireland is the government agency responsible for the development and funding of the indigenous business sector. Their mission is to accelerate the development of companies to achieve strong positions in global markets resulting in increased national and regional prosperity. It was founded in 1998 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. ## NDRC - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 5 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Convertible Note - Focus: Software, Information Technology, E-Commerce NDRC builds high-impact new ventures. By providing the people, time, space and investment needed at the earliest stages of dedicated commercialisation work, NDRC is creating companies worthy of commercial investment and with the ability to scale. The NDRC team has the breadth of knowledge and expertise in technology and markets. NDRC worksside-by-side with researchers, entrepreneurs and venture teams to turn great ideas into successful new ventures.By the end of 2014, NDRC’s portfolio of startup ventures had secured a cumulative €88m in follow-on investment from commercial investors, with a combined market capitalisation of approx. €220m. ## Tribal.vc - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 4 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, SaaS, Analytics Tribal.vc is a leading Venture Capital firm investing in the next generation of transformative companies. ## Notion Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: London, England, United Kingdom - Relevant deals: 4 - Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B - Focus: Software, Information Technology, SaaS Notion Capital is a VC firm focused on European SaaS and Cloud. ## Elkstone Capital Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Health Care, Information Technology Elkstone is an investment firm, focusing on entrepreneurs, senior executives, institutional LPs, the venture community, and the Irish diaspora.The objective of the organization is to boost the economic value and overall well-being of the island of Ireland by expanding a network, facilitating deserving investments, and delivering excellentinvestment performance. ## Atlantic Bridge - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Analytics Atlantic Bridge is a Growth Equity Firm with a Cross Border Value Add strategy. We invest in deep technology companies in Europe and the US. Our team is made up of successful entrepreneurs and senior technology industry executives and we invest in strong ambitious entrepreneurs and management teams that have the passion and drive to scale up andexploit major growth opportunities. We help our portfolio companies expand and grow internationally through our global platform with our team and offices in London, Dublin, Munich, Paris and Palo Alto.Atlantic Bridge brings together a unique team of technology entrepreneurs, experienced managers, finance professionals, and investment experts. The team contains a wealth of international business experience across Europe, the UK and the US. They have worked together in various capacities for the last 30 years, bringing a true partnership approach to their firm and their investments. Its investors include the founders, leading institutional investors, and private investors with a track record of investment in successful technology companies.Atlantic Bridge has developed a unique and differentiated strategy that focuses on specific technology themes and the implementation of the “Atlantic Bridge Model” for scaling companies internationally. The “Bridge Model” accelerates the scale-up of technology companies in Europe and the US. This approach is highly differentiated and has delivered strong performance results to date. ## Partech - Type: VC Fund - Location: Paris, Ile-de-France, France - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B - Focus: Software, E-Commerce, SaaS Partech is a global venture capital firm with offices in San Francisco, Paris, Berlin and Dakar. Partech invests in Internet and information technology startups at seed, venture and growth stages. ## Martin Ott - Type: Angel - Location: Berlin, Berlin, Germany - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel, Series A - Focus: Legal, Internet, Information Technology Martin Ott - CEO @ Taxfix ## Octopus Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: London, England, United Kingdom - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B - Focus: Software, Health Care, Information Technology We provide venture capital investment for the people, ideas and industries that will change the world. Learn about what we do and the kind of founders we back. ## HBAN - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Health Care, Software, Medical Device HBAN is dedicated to raising the profile of business angel investment as an asset class on the island of Ireland and to promote the creation of business angel syndicates. ## Ascentifi - Type: VC Fund - Location: Galway, Galway, Ireland - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Health Care, Medical Device, Medical Discover start-up investing made simple. Access VC-led rounds, build your portfolio, and unlock growth at Ascentifi ## Bank of Ireland Seed and Early Stage Equity fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Photography, Solar The Bank of Ireland Seed and Early Stage Equity fund is a joint fund built with contributions from the Bank of Ireland, the University of Limerick Foundation, and government-backed The seed fund will invest in export-oriented high potential firms that operate in the technology, food and financial services sectors, inaddition to supporting patent and patent pending projects within Irish universities, targeting investments between EUR 100K-500K. The new fund comprises of a €17 million investment by Bank of Ireland, along with funding of €8 million from Enterprise Ireland and € 1million by the University of Limerick Foundation. It will be managed by ## Growing Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: Software, Analytics, Health Care Growing Capital is an early-stage investment firm specialized in supporting startups with their roots in Ireland. ## Cloud Apps Capital Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: San Francisco, California, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Series C, Series B - Focus: SaaS, Software, Enterprise Software Cloud Apps Capital Partners is a market-focused venture capital firm helping early stage companies in the cloud business applications sector. We know firsthand what it takes to build category-leading business application companies. We also recognize entrepreneurs need much more than capital which is why we differentiate and pride ourselves onthe guidance and support we give entrepreneurs to help accelerate and maximize their business potential during the critical early stage. Our firm is leading change in the venture market for early-stage companies with our market-focused Classic Series A approach which provides early stage investments of $2 to $10 million and full board support. This “classic” approach benefits entrepreneurs by giving them the right financial backing along with operational guidance from a seasoned, skilled and engaged investment firm.We are the leading investor in early stage cloud business applications companies. Cloud Apps Capital Partners has more direct operating, commercial and venture experience building great cloud business app companies than any other early stage VC firm. This translates into exceptional market and business insights, guidance grounded in expertise for our entrepreneurs, plus access to a world class network of cloud business application executives. ## 4Di Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Cape Town, NA - South Africa, South Africa - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A, Pre-Seed - Focus: Software, Financial Services, Mobile 4Di Capital is an independent seed- and early-stage technology venture capital firm based in Cape Town, South Africa.Nurture capital is the term that best describes 4Di Capitalâ€:tm:s purpose and philosophy.We understand that in the early days of any business, support, mentoring and access to networks is just as important as seed capital.Using tried and tested international venture capital best practices, adapted for local use, we believe in entrepreneur-friendly finance without frills, and in working as a team with our investments to achieve their true potential.4Di Capital Early-Stage Technology Fund 1 targets startup investment opportunities with high growth potential at the seed- and early-stages in the mobile, enterprise software and web sectors.We look for founder teams with hungry passion, commitment, domain expertise and deep insights into the large market problems they wish to solve with their technology solutions. ## Velvet Sea Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dover, Delaware, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Software, Fitness, Blockchain Velvet Sea Ventures is a venture capital firm that helps entrepreneurs turn their visions into reality. With more than 80 years of combined experience as founders and venture investors and more than $2.2 billion invested, the firm provides seed-to-growth stage capital investments coupled with strategic support across all sectors. Velvet Seaspartners’ past investments include such notable companies as Twitter (TWTR), Square (SQ), SpaceX, Snap Inc. (SNAP), Facebook (FB), Pinterest (PINS), Domo (DOMO), Buzzfeed, Namely, Eaze, Braze, and Map Anything (CRM). ## Atlantic Bridge University Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Medical Device, Health Care, Big Data We invest in entrepreneurs with the ambition to create world-class companies of scale. ## NewsWhip - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: B2B, SaaS, Fitness NewsWhip is the world's most comprehensive content discovery and analytics database. Their suite of products give customers the ability to predict which stories will be important today, and understand how to create successful content over the long term.NewsWhip serves over 500 of the world's leading publishers, brands and agencies,including: Reebok, the Washington Post, Conde Nast, Google, MasterCard, BuzzFeed, Time Inc., and more. NewsWhip Spike is their real-time, predictive content discovery dashboard — offering a one-stop view of what's important across both the web and 5 social networks. Spike is the only tool that discovers stories within 2 minutes of publishing, and predicts their spread across social.NewsWhip Analytics is a database of how audiences have engaged with stories across every social network over the long term. NewsWhip customers use Analytics to benchmark how they stack up against competitors and track engagement trends around events and seasons. ## Sara Davies - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Angel, Seed - Focus: Toys, Gaming, Rental Sara Davies ## Avalanche - Type: VC Fund - Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A, Grant - Focus: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Gaming Avalanche is the fastest smart contracts platform in the blockchain industry, as measured by time-to-finality, and has the most validators securing its activity of any proof-of-stake protocol. ## Veddis - Type: VC Fund - Location: London, England, United Kingdom - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Mobile, Internet, Software Veddis is an investment advisory firm that seeks to create value through sourcing tailored investment decisions that meet the right criteria of asset class, risk profile, and geography. They currently manage a portfolio of carefully selected companies which specialise in technology, health & wellbeing and retail. Their sophisticated planningprocess provides their clients access to global investment vehicles free from bias, and has culminated in a longstanding record of superior returns. As a truly independent company, every decision they make is solely with the investors’ interests in mind. ## Litquidity Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: New York, New York, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Marketing, Advertising, Marketplace Litquidity Capital is an investment firm. ## Enterprise Equity - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dundalk, Louth, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series B - Focus: Software, Information Technology, Health Care Enterprise Equity (or EEVC) is an excellent for providing capital to early stage and expanding business throughout Ireland. ## Norwest - Type: VC Fund - Location: Palo Alto, California, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series B, Series C, Series A - Focus: Software, Information Technology, Health Care Norwest backs high-potential founders with capital, guidance, and operational support from early-stage to IPO across sectors like SaaS, biotech, consumer, and more. ## Earlybird Venture Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Berlin, Berlin, Germany - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B - Focus: Software, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence Founded in 1997, Earlybird is a pan-European VC investor backing tech-enabled companies and investing in their growth and development. Funds include Earlybird, Earlybird Health, Growth Opportunities. ## Silicon Valley Bank - Type: VC Fund - Location: Santa Clara, California, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Debt Financing, Series B, Series A - Focus: Software, Health Care, Biotechnology Silicon Valley Bank is the financial partner of the innovation economy; helping individuals and investors in the innovation ecosystem achieve extraordinary outcomes. ## Blockchain Founders Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Singapore, Central Region, Singapore - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, FinTech We Focus Exclusively On Adding Value To Blockchain & Emerging Technology Projects With Real World Applications. ## Dan Ryan - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Angel - Focus: Retail, Fashion, Fitness Dan Ryan is the Chief Operating Officer of Kokoro Zenwear and Commercial Director at Peachylean. ## Dan Leavy - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Sports Dan Leavy ## Development Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Private Equity - Focus: Manufacturing, Telecommunications, VoIP At Development Capital, they are aware of the significant growth opportunities available to mid-sized companies and understand the management teams’ unique requirement for not only finance, but also for a funding partner who will bring experience, expertise and international reach to assist secure and maximise the business growth opportunity.Development Capital provides investee companies with a unique and unprecedented partnership approach which will maximise the growth opportunity in the most prompt and efficient manner. In addition to their experienced Investment Directors, their partners include:High profile and experienced Industry Experts who will provide direction and support to investee companies; andMajor Irish Corporates who have committed not only funding but also their international experience. ## Fuel Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: London, England, United Kingdom - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: Software, SaaS, Information Technology Fuel Ventures - a leading early stage seed / growth stage EIS Fund based in London, UK. Investing in the most ambitious technology companies. ## Jordan Lamour - Type: Angel - Location: Lyon, Rhone-Alpes, France - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Sports, Software Jordan Lamour is the Chief Technical Officer and Founder of TopOrder and he attended Rennes 2 University. ## Business Growth Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: London, England, United Kingdom - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Private Equity - Focus: Software, Health Care, Information Technology BGF is the most active equity investor in the UK and Ireland, providing long-term, minority investment to growing companies. ## Venturewave Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: Health Care, Education, Apps VentureWave Capital is an actively managed private equity group that invests in and builds great companies. ## Walter Walsh - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Sports, Software Walter Walsh ## Touker Suleyman - Type: Angel - Location: London, England, United Kingdom - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Angel, Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: Fitness, Advertising, CRM Touker Suleyman is a multi-millionaire Turkish Cypriot fashion retail entrepreneur and investor. In 2001, his company Low Profile Group purchased UK shirt maker Hawes & Curtis, and in 2008 he purchased UK fashion label Ghost. More recently, he has invested in a number of start-up companies including Bikesoup and Huxley & Cox. ## FEXCO - Type: VC Fund - Location: Killorglin, Kerry, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: FinTech, Finance, Fitness Delivering great outcomes through Fresh Thinking and deep relationships across payments, business services and innovation. ## Castlegate Investments - Type: VC Fund - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A - Focus: Mobile, Sports, Fashion Castlegate Investments is a private equity and family office firm. ## Western Development Commission - Type: VC Fund - Location: Ballaghaderreen, Roscommon, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Health Care, Medical Device, Biotechnology Supporting communities to grow, investing in businesses to scale and planning for the future of the western region. ## AIB Seed Capital Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Health Care, Medical The AIB Seed Capital Fund was established in 2007 to provide venture capital for companies at the seed and early stages of development across a range of sectors throughout the Republic of Ireland. The Fund was established under the Enterprise Ireland Seed and Venture Capital Programme 2007-2012.The Fund has a total of €30m under managementwith AIB and Enterprise Ireland both committing €15m. It is managed by experienced managers with extensive expertise in making seed and early stage investments, adding value and facilitating business success.The Fund managers are empowered to make seed investments of up to approximately €500,000. Furthermore, the Fund has the capacity to make investments in later rounds to support the continued growth of investee companies.The Fund will be managed by Enterprise Equity Venture Capital and the Dublin Business Innovation Centre. This unique partnership brings together extensive regional and investment expertise.Enterprise Equity will evaluate and manage all investments outside the city and county of Dublin, as well as investments that require in excess of €250,000 from the fund within the city and county of Dublin.Dublin Business Innovation Centre (DBIC) will evaluate and manage all investments within the city and county of Dublin when the initial investment amount required from the Fund does not exceed €250,000. ## Seroba Life Sciences - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Health Care, Biotechnology, Medical Seroba is a leading European life sciences venture capital firm focused on value creation through backing winning innovations in biotech and medtech. ## Meg Lustman - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Angel - Focus: Retail, Fashion, Fitness Meg Lustman is the former chief executive of Hobbs London. ## Keith Bank - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Video, Media and Entertainment, Sports Keith Bank is the CEO and Founder of KB Partners and has a diverse background in start-up companies, real estate and other entrepreneurial ventures.Keith has been a very "hands on" venture capital and angel investor in a wide variety of industries, including the medical, semiconductor, internet, telecom, software, cable TV, sports andgolf, consumer and retail, and social media arenas. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Versatile Sports Partners and Club Champion Golf and holds multiple other board seats. Prior to forming the KB Partners venture funds, Mr. Bank co-founded and served on the Board and as President of MST Analytics, Inc., a semi-conductor product and services business which was successfully sold to ATMI, Inc., a public company, in 1999.Keith was a founding board member of the Illinois Venture Capital Association, and served as its Chairman in 2005-2006. He was the recipient of the IVCA’s prestigious Fellows Medal in 2006. Keith founded, and for 16 years, served as the Chairman of the Chicago Select Golf Invitational, one of the largest American Cancer Society golf fundraising events in the country, having raised approximately $8 million under his guidance. He has been honored by Crain’s Chicago Business as a “40 Under 40”, a Who’s Who of Chicago Executives and as one of the 100 most prominent members of Chicago’s technology community. Keith is active in CEO’s against Cancer and NU Wave, an athletic fundraising vehicle for Northwestern University.Prior to forming KB Partners in 1996, Keith was a Principal at HSA, a Chicago based national real estate development, investment, management and brokerage firm. There he was instrumental in the development, acquisition, financing, sale, and leasing of over three million square feet of property with a value in excess of $650 million. Other career highlights include co-founding a deep discount retailer, acquiring and completing a successful turnaround of a women’s apparel manufacturing and sales company, and procuring the equity and debt financing for, and serving as the Producer and Executive Producer of feature films entitled “Heaven is a Playground” (1991) and the BAFTA award winning "Tommy's Honour" (2017).Keith graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. degree in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA in Finance with honors from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.He is 99% of the way towards achieving his goal of playing the Top 100 golf courses in the United States. ## Paul McGreevy - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Private Equity - Focus: Energy, Fitness, Nutrition Paul McGreevy ## South East Business & Innovation Centre - Type: VC Fund - Location: Waterford, Waterford, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Angel - Focus: Sports, Outdoors, Sporting Goods South East Business Innovation Centre supports the generation and development of new innovative enterprises by providing tailored business consultancy services in Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary. ## Adam Byrne - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Sports Adam Byrne ## Malin Corporation - Type: VC Fund - Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series B, Series C - Focus: Biotechnology, Health Care, Biopharma Malin Corporation plc (“Malin”) is an Irish incorporated public limited company whose head office is in Dublin, Ireland with subsidiary offices in New Haven, Connecticut and Research Triangle, North Carolina, USA.Malin’s purpose is to create shareholder value through the selective long-term application of capital and operational expertise toprivate, pre-IPO, pre-trade sale operating businesses in dynamic and fast growing segments of the life sciences industry. Through its operational involvement, Malin works with its investee companies to enable them to reach the full potential of their value proposition and to achieve commercial success. ## John Hearne - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Sports, Software, Consulting John Hearne, CEO and co-founder of Cúram Software ## David Shapiro - Type: Angel - Location: New York, New York, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Focus: Gaming, Sports David Shapiro is the Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners. He attended the University of Michigan. ## BlueRun Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Menlo Park, California, United States - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Series B, Seed - Focus: Software, Mobile, Robotics BlueRun Ventures is a venture capital firm with offices in the United States, Shanghai, Beijing, and Korea. BlueRun invests in information technology, mobile, and consumer technologies, with an emphasis on mobile opportunities. BRV has invested in over 160 companies, with select exits from PayPal (acquired by eBay), Waze (acquired by Google),Topsy (acquired by Apple), Coupa (NASDAQ: COUP), and more. In 2005, BlueRun changed its name from Nokia Venture Partners. While branded as Nokia Venture Partners, the firm helped to build emerging market leaders such as Airgo, Bitfone, Cornice, PayPal, Wavemarket, and WiderThan.