Comment Ian Guider: Government is tone deaf on impact of benefits increases for workers on small firms If we want Scandi levels of entitlements then someone has to pay for it and it shouldn’t be small firms who can’t afford it
Making it Work All bets are on for Cork sports gambling start-up LiveDuel The firm will initially be targeting its betting platform at markets in Latin America, Africa and south-east Asia
Making it Work That’s a wrap: bread business Safa Food bounces back from catastrophic fireFamily firm is back in expansion mode after a difficult few years
Finance Irish SMEs are ‘over reliant’ on international finance - Irish Venture Capital AssociationThe body said Ireland had become hooked on ‘critical but transitory’ scaling finance from global backers
Tech Five Northern Ireland-based tech founders chosen for Endeavor boostThe announcement follows last year’s inaugural Scale Up programme, which focused on supporting women entrepreneurs
Making it Work MCS Tech builds on foundations of the past as it looks to crack mega US marketThe company took learnings from the winding down of MC Support to inform its cloud-based medical software model in 2021, which the founders point to as an enormous international opportunity
Making it Work 256 eyes UK and US as content creation firm targets €5m Business-to-business content creation is the ‘sweet spot’ for the Dublin-based company, whose clients include Fáilte Ireland and Vodafone
Energy Solar panel grants for businesses going ‘gangbusters’, says SEAI chief William WalshThere have been 912 grant applications to SEAI’s ramped up commercial solar scheme since its launch last July, with €15.8 million awarded
ESG Cork coffee roastery Velo brews B Corp statusVelo Coffee Roasters is the first coffee roastery in Ireland to gain the status
SMEs Ireland to join European startup alliance in bid to develop more home grown ‘unicorns’Enterprise Ireland is to be appointed to sit on the Europe Startup Nations Alliance for Ireland
Deposit Return Scheme Ballykilcavan Brewery founder on how the Deposit Return Scheme is hitting small producers hardestDavid Walsh Kemmis of Ballykilcavan Brewery said the model of the scheme was designed by and favours the ‘big guys,’ and lobs a third of his margins off
Making it Work Beotanics shows green shoots of growth as it predicts boom in ingredients businessCrop creator that focuses on ‘lost crops’ is forecasting a surge in international orders
Making it Work Institute of Sustainability Studies looks to quadruple student numbers this yearThe online ed-tech company has its eyes set squarely on the future as it targets growth in new sectors
Making it Work Sustainable focus pays off for Clare-based soap companyPalm Free Irish Soap is stocked by 450 retailers in Ireland, and its owners have plans to expand its export business this year
SMEs Green minister assures small firms of state’s ‘ongoing support’ as deposit return scheme comes into force Ossian Smyth, the minister for the circular economy, said that the government will make the programme work for local businesses
Private Equity Isif agrees €25m investment in SME Impact fund run by AIB and ForesightThe state-backed sovereign investment fund said the commitment is part of its plan to invest €1bn in climate-related projects
Companies Dublin-based Giant Company Attractions wins ‘significant’ US contractAmerican Dream is the second largest mall in the United States
Companies Job creation among Local Enterprise Office companies contracts sharply in 2023The number of new jobs created by micro-enterprises and small businesses plunged 16 per cent last year in the face of high inflation and rising interest rates
Making it Work Galway sports tech firm looks to build on deals with Premier League and NBA teamsPrecision Sports Technology raised €100,000 though an accelerator programme in Austria last year
companies Enterprise Ireland: Many businesses worried about warehoused tax debt deadlineFirms owed €1.75 billion in warehoused debt from the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of 2023