VC investment in Ireland rose 25% to $1.45 billion in 2025, up from $1.15 billion in 2024, according to the latest KPMG Venture Pulse report.
In Q4’25, 19 VC deals secured $155.1 million, up from 14 deals raising $150.1 million in Q3’25. The increased 2025 investment value reflects a number of more sizable financing rounds particularly at the beginning of the year including Tines ($125 million), XOcean ($120 million) and Fire1 ($120 million).
While Irish VC investment did moderate somewhat during 2025, given broader macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges, Irish start ups continued to attract VC investment with further notable raises during the year including Proverum ($80 million), NomuPay ($77 million) and Nory AI ($36 million).
The Irish market in 2025
Commenting on VC activity in Ireland, Gavin Sheehan, Partner, Deal Advisory at KPMG in Ireland, said:
“It's been a strong year for VC investment in Ireland, with overall investment up substantially year on year. Sentiment is pretty good across the board as we head into 2026. We are seeing a lot of interest in AI, as most jurisdictions are, but we're also seeing continuing strength in the fintech and medtech sectors as well. We're also seeing bigger ticket sizes compared to previous years which is very positive.”
VC investment in Ireland remains strong
The Irish market in Q4’25 maintained a steady cadence of activity; some of the larger deals were fintech lender Teybridge Capital Europe that secured $58 million, smart kitchen company Fresco which raised $17 million and Bronto, a log data platform, which raised $14 million.
While venture capital investment in Ireland was somewhat subdued in Q4’25, overall, the full-year activity in 2025 remained solid and exceeded the total recorded in 2024. Investor sentiment remained resilient throughout the year, with fintech and medtech attracting the greatest share of VC interest.
Trends to watch for in Q1’26
While enthusiasm for AI continues to build in Ireland, investment in the sector has so far skewed toward smaller, more targeted rounds, primarily supporting niche applications and vertical-specific solutions rather than large-scale platforms.
Looking ahead to 2026, Ireland appears well positioned for continued growth in VC investment as maturing companies begin to attract larger deal sizes. As confidence in the market strengthens, deal volume is also expected to improve alongside investment values.
Global VC investment
Global venture capital investment rose from $125.6 billion in Q3’25 to $138.1 billion in Q4’25, marking a fifth consecutive strong quarter. 2025 as a whole attracted the third-highest annual level of global VC investment.
Meanwhile, VC investment in Europe rose marginally from $20.6 billion in Q3’25 to $21.1 billion in Q4’25, though overall deal volume remained soft, falling from 2,005 to 1,652 quarter-over-quarter.
The AI sector was incredibly robust in Europe this quarter, led by a $578 million raise by France-based Brevo, a $300 million raise by Germany-based Black Forest Labs, and a $200 million raise by UK based Synthesia.
Q4’25 — Key highlights
- Global VC investment increased from $125.6 billion across 9,434 deals in Q3’25 to $138.1 billion across 7,981 deals in Q4’25.
- VC investment in the Americas climbed sharply from $82.5 billion in Q3’25 to $95.1 billion in Q4’25, driven primarily by the United States, where investment rose from $78.75 billion to $91.15 billion over the same period.
- Europe delivered a solid quarter with $21.1 billion invested, though this was well below its 13-quarter peak reached in Q3’25.
- Q4’25 was Asia’s strongest quarter of the year, with $21.4 billion of VC investment, but this level remains very low compared to historical norms.
- Corporate VC-participating investment jumped from $61.6 billion in Q3’25 to $77.0 billion in Q4’25. The United States accounted for the largest share at $52.1 billion, marking its fifth consecutive strong quarter of CVC activity. Europe remained steady at $9.9 billion in Q4’25, while the most pronounced increase came from Asia, where CVC investment surged from $11.1 billion in Q3’25 to $13.3 billion in Q4’25.
- Global exit value grew from $153.5 billion in Q3’25 to $178.0 billion in Q4’25. Regionally, US exits swelled from $75.0 billion to $93.6 billion quarter over quarter, while Asia saw healthy growth from $41.0 billion to $64.0 billion. Europe experienced a sharp pullback, with exit value falling from $27.6 billion in Q3’25 to $18.4 billion in Q4’25.
- Global VC fundraising remained exceptionally weak, totalling just $118.4 billion at the end of the year.
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