Minister Burke Launches New National Enterprise Hub

Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Peter Burke TD, today welcomed the announcement that Ireland has become the latest member of the Europe Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA), an organisation established to enhance the European startup ecosystem. Enterprise Ireland has been nominated to represent Ireland at ESNA and will receive policy support from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. 

Minister Burke TD said: “Joining ESNA is a signal of Ireland’s commitment to helping our businesses to start and grow in a supportive ecosystem. ESNA provides us with opportunities to collaborate, share our experiences and to learn about best practices from other members. Enterprise Ireland brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to ESNA and with policy support and advice from my Department, Ireland will be aiming to further improve our implementation of the Startup Nation Standards.”

ESNA is a collaborative entity, dedicated to developing and implementing policies that support startups across Europe. The alliance is committed to creating favourable conditions for startups at all stages of their lifecycle, significantly contributing to the EU's global competitiveness.

Earlier this week, Minister Burke published a report on The Use of Finance as a Catalyst to Develop a Scaling Ecosystem. Implementation of the recommendations of the report will increase scale up activity in the Irish funding ecosystem by improving access to appropriate finance. 

Minister Burke TD added: “Initiatives like joining ESNA, or exploring ways to better finance our scaling ecosystem or launching our National Enterprise Hub ensure that the business community in Ireland knows it has the full support of Government to help it in every way possible to continue to thrive and prosper”

Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland is extremely proud to be representing Ireland in ESNA, making Ireland the 19th European country to formally join this Alliance.  Enterprise Ireland is committed to working with the Irish government to support Irish companies to start, grow and scale, and to achieve their global ambition. Collaboration is a hugely important element of this, and with Ireland being a member of ESNA we are part of a group that will work together on best practise policies which will support the development of companies and exports across Europe.”

Arthur Jordão, Executive Director of ESNA said,: “Ireland brings extensive experience in innovative entrepreneurial policies. With Enterprise Ireland now representing Ireland in ESNA, we can build on collaborative efforts together with other members to significantly advance startup-friendly policies across Europe. We are confident Ireland will bring a very unique perspective to the table, supporting the economic resilience of the continent and positioning Europe as a leader in the global startup ecosystem”. 

ESNA’s efforts align with Irish and broader EU objectives to enhance competitiveness, address structural challenges. The expansion of ESNA represents a step forward in addressing these challenges and leveraging the collective strength of the EU’s member states.