• 12 high-growth start-ups selected for the latest Prep4Seed cohort
•  Prep4Seed is a 12-week intensive investor-readiness programme delivered by the
• Irish BICs – AxisBIC, Furthr, Propelor and WestBIC – in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland
• Programme culminates in May with an Investor Pitch Day hosted by Enterprise Ireland

The Prep4Seed investor-readiness programme returned as 12 ambitious start-ups gathered in Galway for the opening masterclass on The Foundations of Investor Readiness, delivered by WestBIC and Furthr. Prep4Seed is a proven 12-week accelerator delivered by Ireland’s four Business Innovation Centres (BICs) in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland, designed to bring high-growth start-up clients through the investor-readiness process quickly and effectively.

Bridging the gap to seed investment

Despite Ireland’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, many early-stage founders struggle to bridge the gap between a validated idea and a fundable business. Prep4Seed addresses this challenge directly, providing structured support across pitch development, financial fluency, and investor engagement — the three areas most commonly cited as barriers to securing seed investment.

The programme combines five masterclasses run by the Irish BICs with six one-to-one sessions offering bespoke, client-led support from experienced BIC consultants. These sessions ensure that content from the masterclasses is applied in a relevant and practical way to each company. Participants also take part in intensive investor pitch preparation and trial pitches in the lead-up to Investor Pitch Day, hosted by Enterprise Ireland in May.

Twelve companies were selected by Enterprise Ireland from a range of sectors including food, fintech and financial services, life sciences and healthtech, climate tech, enterprise solutions, and digital technologies.

Conor O’Donovan, Head of Start-ups at Enterprise Ireland, said: “The Prep4Seed programme, in collaboration with the four BICs, has proven to be an effective platform to nurture the entrepreneurs and founders of the future. The 12 start-ups represented in the latest programme will gain hands-on experience through preparation and pitching sessions over the coming weeks, equipping them with the tools required to become investment ready. Enterprise Ireland looks forward to supporting these businesses on their start-up journey now and into the future.”

Opening the masterclass, Mary Ryan, Deputy CEO of WestBIC, said: “Each year, Prep4Seed demonstrates the value of structured, hands-on investor-readiness support for ambitious founders. Securing seed funding is as much about confidence as it is about capability, and Prep4Seed helps build both. Over twelve weeks, participants will refine their pitch, stress-test their numbers, and build an investor-ready foundation with one-to-one support from experienced BIC consultants who understand what investors are looking for. We are delighted to welcome 12 new companies into the programme and look forward to seeing them progress.”

Participating companies

Prep4Seed forms part of the Enterprise Ireland and Irish BICs’ broader founder support pathway, which includes programmes such as PSSF webinars and Pre-Seed+, providing continuity of support from ideation through to scale.

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About the Irish BICs
The Irish BICs are a national network of Business Innovation Centres supporting entrepreneurs and innovative companies across Ireland. Working in close partnership with Enterprise Ireland, they provide a continuum of support to help founders build investor-ready, scalable businesses.