Seed & Venture Capital Scheme
Supports Irish venture funds investing in seed and early growth companies with state-backed capital.
The Seed & Venture Capital (SVC) Scheme 2025-2029 is Enterprise Ireland's fund-of-funds programme. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment announced a €250m allocation on 15 August 2024 to be committed over the lifetime of the scheme. The First Call (November 2024) seeks Expressions of Interest from venture fund managers for up to €100m across two stages: Seed Stage funds (where 50%+ of the fund is invested at seed; EI may represent up to 70%) and Series A/+ stage funds (EI may represent up to 50%). Successful fund managers must invest twice EI's net commitment into Irish companies; EI invests pari-passu with the private sector. This programme is not for operating companies — it is for venture fund managers raising new funds. EI builds the Irish equity ecosystem indirectly by anchoring private-led funds. Since 1994 the prior schemes have invested €1.4bn into 600+ EI-supported companies. Strategic objectives also include diversity and gender balance among fund senior teams, leverage of private/international capital, and measured econometric impacts (jobs, exports, scale-ups) across all regions of Ireland.
Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.