Pre-Seed Start Fund
Funds early-stage Irish start-ups with global ambition through milestone-based financing and mentoring support.
The Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF) is a convertible-loan-note investment of €50,000 or €100,000 from Enterprise Ireland for early-stage Irish start-ups with capacity and ambition to succeed in global markets. The €100k variant pays in two equal €50k tranches against milestones. Funding can cover salaries, travel, consultancy and other operational costs, but not sales/marketing or direct export aid; legal costs are capped at €10k. PSSF aims to position companies to attract Seed funding within 6-18 months. Applicants must invest €5,000 of 'new cash' (angel, VC or other private equity — not other public grants) for each €50k of PSSF investment. The company must be located, managed and controlled in the Republic of Ireland. Individuals in the process of incorporating an Irish company can apply; sole traders cannot. PSSF is continuously open with no deadline. A maximum of 3 applications per company in any 12-month period. Applications require a 4-minute PowerPoint video pitch (≤20MB) submitted within 48 hours of application confirmation. Typical legal completion: 8 weeks post-approval; first payment shortly after.
Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.