The first quarter of 2026 was unlike any other for venture capital investment, driven by unprecedented spending on artificial intelligence (AI) by investors. There are almost 11,000 AI start-ups in Europe, nearly twice as many as five years ago, according to Eurostat figures. Total venture capital funding for Irish AI companies reached over €106m, with 2025 seeing the highest annual funding at more than €35m. The second-largest market globally for AI venture funding in Q1 was China, with $16.1bn (€14bn) invested. Disseqt AI has raised €1.7m in funding with venture capital funding from Sure Valley Ventures, Delta Partners and Enterprise Ireland, since its start-up last year.

Source: Irish Examiner April 06, 2026 14:04 UTC