Championing founder led businesses
Ibec champions the courage and ambition of founder-led businesses in Ireland and recognises their critical importance to our local and national economies. They are the backbone of their communities - they create jobs, they generate opportunities, they encourage creativity and innovation, all leading to positive societal impact. While we have built an exceptionally strong base of brilliant homegrown businesses, we must continue to create the right conditions to support the next wave with the best financial and policy supports, skills programmes and technology solutions.
We’re your strong representative voice working with government to ensure business support and policy are fit for purpose to scale fast growing Irish companies. Our report conveys recommendations to government to ensure that founder led businesses in Ireland are fully supported and that Ireland becomes the best place in the world to start and grow a business.
What founders need / from policy makers
Ibec is calling for a unified strategy to support a thriving cross-sectoral and skills-based founder ecosystem in Ireland. This will require a collaboration across government departments and agencies to design a unified framework for supporting founders. Below are the five pillars such a framework should prioritise:
Streamlining of funding access and getting the tax mix right will help founders establish their business and stay and scale in Ireland.
Hear from our founders / key priorities
“For founder led organisations to become more sustainable, they must receive financial and advisory supports to assist them in embedding sustainability strategies and ESG practices into their business”
“Ireland needs a founder ecosystem that supports transformative, IP-rich ideas, we need policies that nurture innovation, provides for streamlined funding processes and easier access to capital.”
“As a founder, lifelong learning has played a crucial role in shaping my career. Accessible lifelong learning initiatives are essential in developing business acumen within the founder community.”
“Government can empower founders by removing barriers to innovation and working with industry to tailor and simplify the funding environment for each phase of a company’s development”
“Ireland’s ecosystem of start-ups requires a joined-up framework from Government to ensure Ireland’s founder community continues to thrive and increases its diversity”
Ibec supporting founders
Ibec is your strong representative voice working with government to ensure business support and policy are fit for purpose to scale fast growing Irish companies. We’re sharing your stories with policymakers, media and the public-at-large.
Through our trade associations, we support founders directly on their growth trajectory, providing networking opportunities with like-minded business leaders, industry stakeholders and investors. We offer events, training, advice, HR supports and visibility and recognition through our success studies and award programmes.
The Ibec’s trade associations and Business Networks that represent the founders include:
Get in touch
For more than 30 years, Ibec and its 39 trade associations have delivered results for key sectors of the Irish Economy. We support thousands of businesses of every size, spanning every sector of the economy.
Together with our 39 trade associations, we promote a positive business environment in Ireland by campaigning for evidence-based policies that are formulated in consultation with our members.
For any questions or enquiries, please call us on 01 605 1500 or
Email us
Executive Director, Membership & Sectors
