IRELAND · STARTUP GUIDE
Accessing Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Grants in Ireland
Ireland serves as a premier European bridge for international tech, combining competitive corporate tax structures with proactive local support via Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) and Enterprise Ireland. Knowing which grant stage matches your startup prevents premature fundraising and secures valuable non-dilutive capital.
Curated by CofoundAlly · Updated
Recommended local resource
Ireland’s Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) offer first-stop feasibility grants, agile innovation support, and business mentoring for early-stage founders throughout the country.
Resource language: English. Opens in a new tab. Check the official site for current rules and deadlines.
Apply for LEO Feasibility Study Grants before scaling development
Local Enterprise Offices offer Feasibility Study Grants that co-fund up to 50% of qualifying expenditures (typically up to €15,000) to help founders assess market viability, validate technical feasibility, and conduct formal competitive research before incorporating a full company.
Structure a one-week trial project with your prospective cofounder
Whether based in Dublin, Cork, or Galway, ensure your founding team has balanced technical and commercial capabilities. Run a focused, one-week sprint on a single customer feature to evaluate decision-making dynamics before dividing equity.
Scenario: Validating a veterinary appointment management tool in Cork
A Cork-based product designer and an engineer test an automated appointment booking portal for private veterinary clinics. (Illustrative practical scenario, not a customer result.)
- Interview three clinic practice managers to quantify the weekly staff hours lost to phone scheduling and missed appointments.
- Deploy a prototype booking widget to evaluate customer self-service adoption over a 7-day test window.
- Synthesize user feedback and operational data into a formal LEO Feasibility Grant proposal.
Download the one-week team worksheet or use the worksheet to compare investors.
Find someone to build with
Create your founder profile to outline what you are building, the skills you bring to the table, and where you need complementary expertise. You can easily filter by country to find partners in your region. Results depend on who has a profile on CofoundAlly. A match or funding is not promised.