Scale Ireland

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.

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

Product category

Industry Association / Startup Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAFAC

National Governing Bodies (NGBs)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Rights Holders & Governing Bodies (Federations, Associations, Sanctioning Bodies)

SECONDARYBPAGAKAO

Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Startup advocacy services
• Industry association membership
• Policy research publications
• Startup networking events
• Tech ecosystem support

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• GooglecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKey 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 IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency supporting Irish businesses. Key supporter of Scale Ireland's initiatives including Regional Summits and research surveys.
• Research IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch funding body that supports Scale Ireland's research initiatives and startup ecosystem development.
• Net FeasasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIoT solutions company and supporter of Scale Ireland's initiatives.
• Skillnet IrelandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnterprise development agency supporting workforce learning and Scale Ireland's startup training initiatives.
• Republic of WorksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerStartup hub and partner for Regional Start-up Summits, supporting Cork-based activities.
• AIBsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAllied Irish Bank supported the Frank Talk with Founders event at their Dublin HQ.
• GoodbodysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services firm and supporter of Scale Ireland events including Frank Talk with Founders.
• IntuitsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSoftware company and supporter of Scale Ireland events.
• Fitzgerald PowersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFinance as a service firm offering 20% discount on first year services to Scale Ireland members.
• Spanish Point TechnologiessupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner offering Microsoft AI Transformation Programme and Smart AIM Library access to members.
• StripesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPayment processing platform offering waived fees up to €35,000 in revenue and 50% discount on Stripe Atlas to members.
• AWS (Amazon)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCloud platform offering up to $100,000 in startup credits to eligible Scale Ireland members.
• Google CloudsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCloud platform offering up to $350,000 in credits for AI startups over 2 years to Scale Ireland members.
• JPMorgansupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services firm offering free cap table management for up to 100 stakeholders to Scale Ireland members.
• DeloittesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional services firm offering free 30-minute consultation to Scale Ireland members.
• OrricksupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTech-focused law firm offering 20% discount to Irish-based companies and investors.
• TeamworksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerProject management software platform offering 25% discount to Scale Ireland members (Code: scaleireland0421A).
• NotionsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAll-in-one workspace offering 6 months free of Notion Business + IA to Scale Ireland members.
• LeytonsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerR&D tax credit and grant funding consultants offering free innovation funding consultation and 10% discount to members.
• Dogpatch LabssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup hub that spun out Scale Ireland and continues to support the startup ecosystem.
• Allied for StartupssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of startup associations that Scale Ireland collaborates with on EU policy engagement.
• Tyndall National InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute and Cork partner for Regional Start-up Summit.
• Munster Technological UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity and Cork partner for Regional Start-up Summit.
• University College CorksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity and Cork partner for Regional Start-up Summit.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional 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

• Xx.com/ScaleIreland
• Facebookfacebook.com/ScaleIreland.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scale-ireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/scaleire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scale Ireland