Key Takeaways
- • InterTradeIreland's Venture Capital Conference convened more than 600 entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders in Belfast on March 5, 2026, addressing a tightening funding environment marked by longer fundraising timelines and heightened investor scrutiny.
- • The 15-year-old program has supported 355 entrepreneurs whose businesses collectively raised over €500 million in investment, demonstrating the track record of the all-island venture ecosystem.
- • This year's conference expanded to its most ambitious program structure with three parallel tracks focused on investment trends, scaling strategies, and Life and Health Sciences—a priority sector across the island.
- • Access to finance remains a critical policy priority and a primary growth constraint for early-stage and scaling businesses, according to InterTradeIreland Chief Executive Margaret Hearty, with the conference designed to strengthen investor readiness and facilitate capital connections.
- • The event reflects the growing maturity and scale of the all-island venture ecosystem, with emphasis on helping founders position themselves to raise capital, scale sustainably, and compete internationally in a more selective investment climate.
Summary
InterTradeIreland hosted its all-island Venture Capital Conference in Belfast on March 5, 2026, drawing more than 600 entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders to address capital formation and business scaling challenges. The gathering took place amid a materially more selective and competitive funding landscape, with founders confronting extended fundraising timelines and intensified investor due diligence—a structural shift that dominated conference discussions throughout the day.
The program marked its most comprehensive iteration to date, featuring three parallel stages dedicated to investment trends, practical scaling methodologies, and Life and Health Sciences, reflecting the expanding scope and institutional maturation of the cross-border venture ecosystem. Dr. Caoimhe Archibald, Minister for the Economy, emphasized that small and medium enterprises are foundational to economic competitiveness and sustainability, and that access to knowledge, networks, and funding opportunities across the island is essential for scaling innovative businesses internationally.
InterTradeIreland's 15-year track record demonstrates the conference's relevance to the institutional investment community: the program has supported 355 entrepreneurs whose businesses have collectively raised in excess of €500 million. Margaret Hearty, Chief Executive of InterTradeIreland, characterized access to finance as a persistent and policy-relevant constraint on growth for early-stage and scaling businesses, positioning the conference as a mechanism to enhance investor readiness, clarify investor expectations, and establish the networks required to secure capital. The structured focus on Life and Health Sciences reflects both cross-island priority designation and growing sectoral investment momentum in that domain.
The program marked its most comprehensive iteration to date, featuring three parallel stages dedicated to investment trends, practical scaling methodologies, and Life and Health Sciences, reflecting the expanding scope and institutional maturation of the cross-border venture ecosystem. Dr. Caoimhe Archibald, Minister for the Economy, emphasized that small and medium enterprises are foundational to economic competitiveness and sustainability, and that access to knowledge, networks, and funding opportunities across the island is essential for scaling innovative businesses internationally.
InterTradeIreland's 15-year track record demonstrates the conference's relevance to the institutional investment community: the program has supported 355 entrepreneurs whose businesses have collectively raised in excess of €500 million. Margaret Hearty, Chief Executive of InterTradeIreland, characterized access to finance as a persistent and policy-relevant constraint on growth for early-stage and scaling businesses, positioning the conference as a mechanism to enhance investor readiness, clarify investor expectations, and establish the networks required to secure capital. The structured focus on Life and Health Sciences reflects both cross-island priority designation and growing sectoral investment momentum in that domain.
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