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Angel investing failing to grow wings for Irish start-up market

Ireland is way behind the curve when it comes to getting angel investors to back early-stage companies. Jonathan Keane reports on efforts to change this

Menno Axt, head of platform for Dogpatch Labs and the NDRC accelerator: Ireland is ‘really punching below its weight’. Picture: Fergal Phillips

The early days of a start-up founder’s journey to raise capital is a difficult one, especially for an unproven company trying to get off the ground.

Often the first tranche of money for a start-up comes from angel investors, individuals that are willing to take a punt on a fresh-faced entrepreneur long before venture capital firms take notice.

But not everyone thinks angel investing is realising its full potential in Ireland.

Brian Caulfield, an angel ...