Céad míle fáilte!

The Irish diaspora is known for its achievements in innovation and technology. At irish insights, we explore a group, sector, or location where this community has impacted global business every few weeks.

This week, we have analysed 49 data points for ~500 Irish VC/Investment professionals making significant contributions worldwide, including name-checking the 19 most notable Irish-born investors shaping technology and innovation.

Some trends and achievements are fascinating (guess who’s the most popular VC “influencer”?), while others, such as the most popular Irish University for future investors, are somewhat predictable.

In the AI age, analyzing 24,500 data points is more manageable, and the analytics and insights are remarkable! Well, to me, anyway:

Now, down to business—here are some quick links to navigate if you are short on time:

• Irish VC Talent Spans 39% UK, 32% US Markets 🌎

• 127 Trinity College, 120 UCD Alumni Leading Global Venture Capital 🎓

• From Big Four to Big Bets: The Career Paths of Irish VCs 🚀

• 1 in 3 Partners: The Quiet Power of Irish VCs 👏🏻

• The Irish VC All-Stars: 12 Names to Know 🇮🇪

Enjoy ☘️

Who and Where are Irish Global Irish Investors?

Unsurprisingly, the UK (39%) and the US (32%) host the most significant clusters of Irish VC talent. London, New York, and San Francisco serve as the primary hubs. Still, you'll find the Irish influence stretching across continental Europe (mainly Germany, France, and Switzerland), Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong), and even the Middle East (UAE).

The gender balance reflects the broader industry - about 70-75% male and 25-30% female, which aligns with the global VC industry average (women comprise approximately 26% of VC investment professionals as of 2022, according to Deloitte). While still imbalanced, it's encouraging to see Irish women not just participating but excelling - many hold senior partner positions or have founded their funds.

Trinity to Techstars: The Educational Edge

What's striking is the educational pedigree. Trinity College Dublin (127 alumni) and UCD (120) dominate as undergraduate alma maters, followed by University College Cork (19), Queen's Belfast (16), and University of Galway (12).

But here's where it gets interesting - these Irish investors frequently top up their education with prestigious international credentials:

• Dozens hold MBAs from Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, and London Business School

• Many pursued specialized MSc degrees from the London School of Economics or HEC Paris

• 29 professionals have completed the Chartered Accountants Ireland program, which is not surprising given the level of financial analysis that VC typically carries out.

This blend of Irish foundations with global finishing creates a powerful combination, equipping them with technical knowledge and international business acumen.

From Big Four to Big Bets: The Career Paths of Irish VCs

Once armed with a degree likely from a South Dublin University, of course, there's no single path to VC success, but clear patterns emerge in the data:

• Many start with professional services: KPMG, Deloitte, and PwC top the list — the Big Four continue to act as launchpads into the VC world. EY is not far behind. These firms offer a foundation of analytical and commercial skills that translate well into early-stage investing.

• The Founder-to-Funder journey: At least 25 in our dataset were former CEOs or founders. Brian Long founded Parthus (IPO) and GloNav (acquired by NXP for $110M) before co-founding Atlantic Bridge. This operational experience gives them credibility with entrepreneurs.

• A surprising number have entrepreneurial roots": “Stealth Startup” roles show up multiple times — a sign that many Irish VCs have first-hand founder experience. That background is often a strength when evaluating and supporting early-stage companies.

• The Banking-to-VC pipeline: About 16 professionals from institutions like J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs, applying financial acumen to startup funding. Eoin Duane's path from J.P. Morgan to Insight Partners exemplifies this trajectory.

• Tech company experience is present but not dominant: Google and Meta appear less often than finance or consulting firms. While Big Tech adds credibility, it's not the most common path for Irish VCs.

1 in 3 Partners: The Quiet Power of Irish VCs

The data shows that approximately 1 in 3 Irish VC professionals have reached the Partner or Managing Director level, demonstrating their outsized influence and success rate compared to the industry average. It’s a very impressive stat, to be fair. Here are some track records that stood out:

• Brian Long has overseen dozens of acquisitions of portfolio companies to tech giants like Intel, Qualcomm, HPE, and Dell

• Fergal Mullen helped build Highland Europe into a €1.8+ billion fund that backed major European success stories like GetYourGuide and Huel

• Rory O’Driscoll, a Dublin-born co-founder of Scale Venture Partners in Silicon Valley, was profiled as “The Clare man with the Midas touch” by Irish media for his string of SaaS investment successes.

• William McQuillan became the youngest partner of a European venture fund at just 24. McQuillan has invested in 25+ European tech companies, with six exits so far.

Many have received prestigious recognitions:

• Gareth Keane was selected as a Kauffman Fellow (Class 15)

• Several have appeared on Forbes lists, including the Midas List

• Patrick Ryan made Forbes EU's 30 Under 30 Finance list

• Barry O’Reilly bestselling author of "Lean Enterprise" and "Unlearn", and co-founder of top 10 venture studio, Nobody Studios.

While some have become investment “influencers” on Linkedin:

The Irish VC All-Stars: 12 Names to Know

Fergal Mullen🇨🇭 - Co-founder of Highland Europe in 2012 after an "entrepreneurial adventure" scaling Cambridge Technology Partners to 5,000+ employees and a $5B IPO. His focus on enterprise SaaS and consumer internet companies has led to significant exits, including Privalia, Photobox, and Nexthink.

Maureen Haverty 🇬🇧 - A space-tech investment principal at Seraphim Space, Haverty brings operational expertise from Apollo Fusion, a satellite propulsion startup acquired for $145 million in 2021. With a doctorate in nuclear engineering, she evaluates and accelerates space technology commercialization, mentoring aerospace startups and pushing the boundaries of space investment.

Brian Long 🇺🇸 - The Trinity-educated engineer who founded and IPO'd Parthus Technologies before launching Atlantic Bridge in 2004. Under his leadership, the fund has expanded to offices in Dublin, London, Palo Alto, and beyond, managing specialized funds, including a university research commercialization fund.

Eamonn Carey 🇬🇧 - After founding and selling a mobile content startup, he became Techstars London MD and later headed Techstars NYC. He is now with Tera Ventures. He's personally mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs, often focusing on founder-friendly investing practices and inclusive approaches.

Eoin Duane 🇺🇸 - The UCD grad who joined Insight in 2016 and rose to Managing Director by 2023. In 2022, Private Equity International named him a "rising star 40 under 40" in growth investing. At Insight Partners, he focuses on enterprise software and "structured equity" growth investments, often deploying $50M+ per deal.

Patrick Ryan 🇬🇧 - The Trinity alum who co-founded Odin in 2020 after identifying pain points in angel investing. His platform now powers thousands of angel investors, with Patrick authoring The Odin Times newsletter to democratize venture investing knowledge.

Barry O'Reilly 🇸🇬 - Raised in Skerries, Barry is a bestselling author and serial entrepreneur. He spent over a decade advising Fortune 500 companies, helped lead six startups—his last acquired by Atlassian—and most recently co-founded Nobody Studios, a global top 10 venture studio with the bold mission of launching 100 companies in 5 years. His books, Lean Enterprise and Unlearn, place him as a leading voice in product and business innovation.

Kieran Gartlan 🇧🇷 - With 25+ years in South America's agriculture sector, including heading Brazil's office for CME Group, he launched The Yield Lab's Latin American fund in 2018. Under his guidance, dozens of agri-food tech startups across Brazil, Argentina, and Chile have received funding and acceleration.

Barry Maloney 🇬🇧 - A founding partner of Balderton Capital, Maloney is renowned for high-profile tech exits, including Bebo (sold to AOL for $850M), MySQL (acquired by Sun for $1B), and LoveFilm (acquired by Amazon). He helped raise Balderton's assets to ~$1.8B by 2009, making it one of Europe's largest VC firms.

Ciarán O'Leary 🇩🇪 - Dublin-born co-founder of BlueYard Capital, O'Leary has built a $500M VC firm focusing on frontier technologies like Web3, biology, AI, and data infrastructure. An early backer of Protocol Labs, he has raised a $185M fund to support seed-stage deep-tech startups.

Paul Kenny 🇦🇪- A serial entrepreneur turned investor, Kenny founded Cobone.com, the Middle East's largest e-commerce site, achieving a multi-million euro exit. Now Managing Partner at Emerge Ventures and CEO of Odla, he advises startups across MENASA, focusing on e-commerce and fintech. Recognized by Forbes and Gulf Business, he has been honored as a top entrepreneur and influential expat in the UAE.

Isabelle O'Keeffe 🇬🇧 - A venture capitalist who launched a £95 million software fund at Sure Valley Ventures, O'Keeffe secured a landmark $450 million exit with Landvault. Her investment portfolio spans AI, immersive tech, and cybersecurity, with deals in Virtex Stadium and Ambisense.

What Makes Irish VCs Different?

What stands out is how Irish investors uniquely blend analytical rigour with operational know-how and a global perspective. They're equally comfortable in Silicon Valley boardrooms or European startup hubs, often serving as bridges between continents.

Many remain connected to Ireland, with about 15% maintaining formal advisory roles with Enterprise Ireland or Irish startup organizations. The Irish knack for connection and communication is invaluable in an industry built on relationships.

As venture capital increasingly shapes which technologies get built and which problems get solved, these Irish voices ensure our small island maintains an outsized influence on global innovation.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this deep dive; if you know someone who would like to read this, you can share it or help us choose our next topic:

Some Due Diligence

This dataset profiles over 500 Irish venture capital professionals globally, particularly those outside Ireland. Compiled from publicly available LinkedIn data, it includes job titles, employers, locations, education, and experience. While we strive for accuracy, some information may be incomplete.

The dataset serves research and informational purposes; no private data is used. Our small team is dedicated to accuracy. Please report errors or inquire about our report's production process.

Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.