The NDRC is Ireland’s accelerator for tech companies. Since 2020, it has operated a €17 million five-year contract to manage a suite of startup programmes on behalf of the state. Although NDRC will close at the end of 2026, there is still time to apply for its supports and follow in the footsteps of some of Ireland’s most successful technology companies.
NDRC uses a mentorship-driven approach to help high-growth, globally scalable tech, digital media, and consumer product startups. Its network of 200 mentors includes top entrepreneurs who have been founders of billion-euro companies and now provide hands-on mentorship to new founders. A specialised concierge service maintains over 200 connections to top-tier national and global venture capital firms.
The NDRC’s startup programmes
Two impactful supports that NDRC delivers are the Accelerator and Pre-Accelerator, based in Dogpatch Labs in Dublin’s Digital Docklands.
NDRC Pre-Accelerator
A virtual six-week programme designed to help you validate your idea, refine your pitch, and connect with a network of fellow founders. The Pre-Accelerator features fireside chats, check-ins, workshops, breakout sessions, and mentoring. It ends with a showcase day, which gives you the opportunity to pitch to investors and your fellow entrepreneurs.
The programme focuses on a new area of the business each week: 1) Customer Discovery & Development, 2) Product, 3) Go-to-Market (GTM), 4) Financial Modelling & Market Sizing, 5) Refining your Narrative, and 6) Funding & Next Steps. As the name suggests, the goal is that you apply to an accelerator programme within three to six months of completion.
NDRC Accelerator
The Accelerator is a six-month programme of two halves – three months of foundation lead to Demo Day, during which you pitch to a global audience of startup stakeholders and potential clients/collaborators. You then dive into another three months of development, during which it is expected that you either drive revenue or raise funding. The hybrid delivery means you will need to be on-site at Dogpatch Labs in Dublin for three ‘core’ weeks during the programme; the rest is facilitated virtually.
During the programme, you will receive coaching from accomplished mentors and Entrepreneurs in Residence. Other benefits of being on the Accelerator include 12 months’ free membership of Dogpatch Labs, international passporting to other startup hubs, investor dinners and lunches, and follow-on support.
In addition, the NDRC Accelerator invests €100,000 per startup using a founder-friendly SAFE. SAFE stands for Simple Agreement for Future Equity; it was an instrument created by Y Combinator over a decade ago and NDRC’s version has been adapted to Irish law. It’s based on two factors – valuation cap and discount – which makes them simple to prepare and execute without substantial legal costs. The NDRC SAFE is uncapped with a 20% discount.
The NDRC’s other startup supports
In addition to the pre-accelerator and accelerator, the NDRC offers the following supports:
- Office Hours
30-minute weekly online sessions with experienced founders and ecosystem leaders so that you can get early feedback on a startup idea and/or guidance and signposting on the different supports available within the startup ecosystem. - Startup Sprint
A one-day sprint designed to turn ideas from concept to reality. You will be able to connect with other entrepreneurs for a day of workshops, startup resources, and access to entrepreneurial mentors. It helps you formulate your idea and explore the potential of creating a globally scalable business. - Founder Weekend
Like the sprint, the Founder Weekend allows you to explore a startup idea and learn first-hand what it takes to move an idea from concept to reality. The high-impact startup experience gives you access to over 25 mentors, entrepreneurs, and guest speakers over two days.
Impact of the NDRC on Irish startups
Participating on an NDRC programme is a great validator for an early-stage business; we’ve seen up close how good the supports and networks were for our clients. Originally a collaboration between the state and third-level institutions*, the NDRC has been run for the last five years by a consortium of Dogpatch Labs (Dublin), PorterShed (Galway), RDI Hub (Killorglin), and Republic of Work (Cork).
By the end of 2022, 50% of participating startups had completed a seed investment round within six to 18 months of completing the programme, significantly higher than the 35% target. A recent impact study found that in the four years to 2024, NDRC alumni created over 700 high-value Irish jobs and secured €200 million in follow-on investment. 30% were women-led startups, which is above the European average for venture capital.
Some NDRC success stories include SilverCloud, a digital mental health platform that was acquired by US telehealth leader Amwell for $226 million; Nuritas, a biotech pioneer that uses AI to discover peptides for health and nutrition and raised $75 million from global backers like U2 and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff; and legal software business Brightflag, which was acquired by Wolters Kluwer in a €425 million deal.
*note: The National Digital Research Centre, as it was known, is nearly 20 years old and started as a translational research group, taking university research projects and looking at ways to commercialise them. It was only later it started developing startup programmes.
Replacing NDRC with the National Accelerator Platform
Although highly successful, the NDRC in its current form will not be around for much longer. Last year, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) announced it would not be renewing the NDRC contract when it expires. After substantial backlash, a one-year extension was granted this summer to allow sufficient time for a replacement to be put in place. For now, all we really know is that it will be called the National Accelerator Platform and run by Enterprise Ireland (EI).
Some have described closing the NDRC as a move against innovation, but I think it makes sense to completely reimagine the state aid given to startups. The budget invested (€17 million over five years) seems really low given the government has billions in extra taxes and a very poor record developing indigenous firms. I think we should invest at least €100 million per annum to this area; but also some of this should be in the form of startup loans being repaid and investments being successful.
The landscape has changed significantly since the mid-noughties, and Enterprise Ireland’s role has been evolving too. But EI would not be my choice to handle nascent ventures (anecdotally, they just cannot compete in areas like culture and networking) and private operators that specialise in startups are preferable to deliver this type of project. Let’s also not forget that while most of our supports are geared almost exclusively for SaaS or tech companies, there are fantastic opportunities in areas such as travel, environment, services, retail, wellbeing, etc., going untapped.
There’s still time to apply to an NDRC programme
The NDRC Accelerator takes an always-on approach, which means there are no fixed cohorts and no deadlines. Applications are open on a rolling basis, so you still have time to join and benefit from this fantastic programme before it closes. (If the NDRC doesn’t suit you, check out our list of the main generalist and sector-specific accelerators in Ireland.)
Hopefully this won’t be the end, rather a new beginning. The multinationals may not stay forever, so developing indigenous industry is strategically important for Ireland.
