Scale Ireland
Scale Ireland is an independent not-for-profit representative organisation for Irish tech startups and scaling companies, providing policy advocacy, member perks, networking events, and the annual State of Start-ups Survey to its 800+ member community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Scale Ireland does
Scale Ireland is Ireland's leading independent not-for-profit representative organisation for indigenous tech start-ups and scaling companies. Founded in 2020 after spinning out of Dogpatch Labs, it operates as a membership-based community organisation with over 800 member companies, representing 2,099 Irish start-ups and scale-ups that collectively employ 45,652 people, of which 51% are based outside Dublin. Its mission is to support, promote, and advocate on behalf of Irish tech companies to government and EU institutions, and to create favourable conditions for them to succeed. Scale Ireland does not develop proprietary technology; its core deliverables are policy advocacy, member services, events, and research.
Scale Ireland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scale Ireland
- Legal name
- Scale Ireland
- Website
- https://scaleireland.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Scale Ireland is an independent not-for-profit representative organisation for Irish tech startups and scaling companies, providing policy advocacy, member perks, networking events, and the annual State of Start-ups Survey to its 800+ member community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scale Ireland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industry Association / Startup Advocacy
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO)
Keywords
Where Scale Ireland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Scale Ireland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Scale Ireland generates revenue through annual membership fees charged at tiered rates based on company size, from free tiers for students and pre-revenue startups to €2,500 per year for companies with 101+ employees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Student - Free tier for those learning their craft |
| Subscription | Annual | Pre-Revenue - Free tier for idea stage start-ups |
| Subscription | Annual | Member - For supporters, consultants & employees |
| Subscription | Annual | 1-10 Employees - For early-stage start-ups |
| Subscription | Annual | 11-30 Employees - For growing start-ups |
| Subscription | Annual | 31-100 Employees - For scaling start-ups |
| Subscription | Annual | 101+ Employees - For market leaders |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron - For supporters of the mission |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Partner - For corporate collaboration |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Scale Ireland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scale Ireland is an independent not-for-profit representative organisation that sells annual membership subscriptions to Irish tech start-ups and scaling companies. Members receive access to over €500k in partner perks and discounts, a Slack community, networking events, and research outputs, while the organisation also conducts the State of Start-ups Survey, runs Regional Start-up Summits and Frank Talk with Founders events, and advocates to government on policy matters affecting Irish start-ups.
Product overview
Scale Ireland is a not-for-profit representative organization that offers a membership platform providing access to perks, discounts, community tools, and networking for Irish tech startups. The organization conducts annual State of Start-ups Surveys providing research insights, organizes the Regional Start-up Summit events, and engages in policy advocacy through submissions to government. The core offering is membership with tiered pricing (€0-€2,500/year based on company size) that grants access to over €500k in partner perks, Slack community, Bridge for intros, events, and research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scale Ireland Membership Annual subscription membership sold directly to Irish tech start-ups and scaling companies, providing access to partner perks, discounts, Slack community, and networking. Pricing is tiered by company size from free (students, pre-revenue) to €2,500 (101+ employees), with bespoke Corporate Partner and Patron tiers.
- State of Start-ups Survey Annual research publication surveying Irish founders and CEOs on the start-up landscape, producing a published report used for policy advocacy and ecosystem benchmarking.
- Regional Start-up Summit In-person summit series held in Irish regions, convening start-ups, investors, government and ecosystem partners for networking and policy engagement.
- Frank Talk with Founders Founder panel event series held in Dublin, with panels of start-up founders discussing fundraising, challenges, and operating practices.
- Policy Advocacy & Submissions National policy reports, government submissions, and EU-level advocacy representing Irish start-ups and scaling companies to policymakers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Represents 2,099 Irish start-ups & scale-ups employing 45,652 people
Companies that use Scale Ireland
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Scale Ireland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Scale Ireland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- GooglecoreKey supporter and partner of Scale Ireland, supporting the State of Start-ups Survey and Regional Start-up Summits. Provides Google Cloud startup credits as member perk.
- Enterprise IrelandcoreGovernment agency supporting Irish businesses. Key supporter of Scale Ireland's initiatives including Regional Summits and research surveys.
- Research IrelandcoreResearch funding body that supports Scale Ireland's research initiatives and startup ecosystem development.
- Net FeasasupportingIoT solutions company and supporter of Scale Ireland's initiatives.
- Skillnet IrelandsupportingEnterprise development agency supporting workforce learning and Scale Ireland's startup training initiatives.
- Republic of WorksupportingStartup hub and partner for Regional Start-up Summits, supporting Cork-based activities.
- AIBsupportingAllied Irish Bank supported the Frank Talk with Founders event at their Dublin HQ.
- GoodbodysupportingFinancial services firm and supporter of Scale Ireland events including Frank Talk with Founders.
- IntuitsupportingSoftware company and supporter of Scale Ireland events.
- Fitzgerald PowersupportingFinance as a service firm offering 20% discount on first year services to Scale Ireland members.
- Spanish Point TechnologiessupportingTechnology partner offering Microsoft AI Transformation Programme and Smart AIM Library access to members.
- StripesupportingPayment processing platform offering waived fees up to €35,000 in revenue and 50% discount on Stripe Atlas to members.
- AWS (Amazon)supportingCloud platform offering up to $100,000 in startup credits to eligible Scale Ireland members.
- Google CloudsupportingCloud platform offering up to $350,000 in credits for AI startups over 2 years to Scale Ireland members.
- JPMorgansupportingFinancial services firm offering free cap table management for up to 100 stakeholders to Scale Ireland members.
- DeloittesupportingProfessional services firm offering free 30-minute consultation to Scale Ireland members.
- OrricksupportingTech-focused law firm offering 20% discount to Irish-based companies and investors.
- TeamworksupportingProject management software platform offering 25% discount to Scale Ireland members (Code: scaleireland0421A).
- NotionsupportingAll-in-one workspace offering 6 months free of Notion Business + IA to Scale Ireland members.
- LeytonsupportingR&D tax credit and grant funding consultants offering free innovation funding consultation and 10% discount to members.
- Dogpatch LabssupportingStartup hub that spun out Scale Ireland and continues to support the startup ecosystem.
- Allied for StartupssupportingGlobal network of startup associations that Scale Ireland collaborates with on EU policy engagement.
- Tyndall National InstitutesupportingResearch institute and Cork partner for Regional Start-up Summit.
- Munster Technological UniversitysupportingUniversity and Cork partner for Regional Start-up Summit.
- University College CorksupportingUniversity and Cork partner for Regional Start-up Summit.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Scale Ireland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- StartupAUS: Australia's peak advocacy body for the local startup ecosystem, producing annual Crossroads report and lobbying government. Same template as Scale Ireland — nonprofit, national scope, research + policy advocacy for tech startups — operating in a different geography.
- NZTech: New Zealand's peak technology industry body representing a national member base through policy advocacy, research and events. Closely mirrors Scale Ireland's structure — nonprofit, national remit, founder/scale-up focused — in a much smaller adjacent market.
- Tech:NYC: New York City's tech industry advocacy organization representing the local ecosystem to policymakers and convening founders. Compare-and-contrast peer for Scale Ireland — same membership + advocacy model at city/state rather than national level.
- Startup Canada: Canada's national startup advocacy organization representing founders through policy, programs and community events. Functionally analogous to Scale Ireland — nonprofit, member-supported, focused on national policy representation for the tech startup sector.
Broad incumbents
- DigitalEurope: The leading EU-level trade association for the digital technology industry, advocating on policy, regulation and skills across member states. Comparable to Scale Ireland in advocacy and member-services remit but operating at EU level rather than a single national jurisdiction.
- Silicon Valley Leadership Group: Established Silicon Valley technology and business advocacy group representing major employers on policy issues. Wider remit and bigger budget than Scale Ireland but a useful incumbent peer for the same broad national/regional policy advocacy function.
- Tech Council of Australia: Industry body representing Australian technology companies to government, focused on policy, talent and capital advocacy. Functionally analogous to Scale Ireland but operates as a broader industry council rather than a startup-only body.
Direct peers
- TechUK: The UK's largest technology industry association representing member companies through policy advocacy, research, and events. Closest functional analog to Scale Ireland operating in a neighbouring national market with a similar tiered-membership, advocacy-led model.
- Allied for Startups: European network of national startup associations that Scale Ireland directly partners with for EU policy engagement. Same operating model: membership-based, sector-wide advocacy for tech startups, with policy and research as core deliverables.
- European Startup Network: Federation of national startup associations across Europe working on EU policy and ecosystem development. Direct peer and potentially a coordination counterpart for Scale Ireland on cross-border policy and benchmarking activities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Scale Ireland social profiles
Digital presenceScale Ireland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scale Ireland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Scale Ireland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scale Ireland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scale Ireland
What does Scale Ireland do?
Scale Ireland is an independent not-for-profit representative organisation that sells annual membership subscriptions to Irish tech start-ups and scaling companies. Members receive access to over €500k in partner perks and discounts, a Slack community, networking events, and research outputs, while the organisation also conducts the State of Start-ups Survey, runs Regional Start-up Summits and Frank Talk with Founders events, and advocates to government on policy matters affecting Irish start-ups.
Is Scale Ireland a public or private company?
Scale Ireland is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Scale Ireland founded?
Scale Ireland was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Scale Ireland based?
Scale Ireland is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Scale Ireland make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Who are Scale Ireland's main competitors?
Regional players on record are StartupAUS, NZTech, Tech:NYC and Startup Canada. Broad incumbents are DigitalEurope, Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Tech Council of Australia. Direct peers are TechUK, Allied for Startups and European Startup Network.
Does Scale Ireland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scale Ireland.
What industry is Scale Ireland in?
Scale Ireland's product category is Industry Association / Startup Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAFAC, National Governing Bodies (NGBs), with a secondary code of BPAGAKAO, Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8600.