The Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) is to help Irish start-ups expand in the UK by establishing links with innovation hubs throughout the country over the next year.
The deal, which will also facilitate the growth of UK start-ups in Ireland, will give fledgling companies access to local networks, workspace, universities and market-entry support as they build their businesses.
“When start-ups scale into new markets, they often don’t know where to begin. They are tasked with finding new customers, team members and growth opportunities in places where they may know very few people,” said Niamh Collins, centre director of the GEC. “The UK is a natural next market for many Irish companies, but international expansion is a significant undertaking for a start-up. By partnering with established hubs on the ground, we can reduce some of those barriers and give founders a much stronger starting point.
“We are creating connections that founders can actually use – and opening doors to some of the strongest regional innovation ecosystems in our nearest international market.”
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The entrepreneurial hub is signing a series of deals that will establish links with 20 innovation hubs by the end of 2027, focusing not only on major cities but the regions too. The GEC has already established partnerships with Sister, Manchester’s innovation district, Central Tech Liverpool and CodeBase in Scotland.
“At a time when both the UK and Irish governments are focused on driving growth, backing innovation and helping ambitious companies to scale, these new partnerships will help innovative businesses to reach new markets, attract investment and create high-quality jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea,” said UK ambassador to Ireland Kara Owen.
The GEC has supported more than 1,500 start-ups in its more than 25-year history, with its 160 resident businesses generating a combined turnover of €140 million last year. More than €70 million of that figure was exports.
