A startup factory based at Dublin’s Dogpatch Labs has welcomed its second cohort of participants.
The Founders Programme takes engineers, builders, and commercial talent and pairs them to create impactful, high-growth startups from scratch.
This year’s cohort brings together 40 people with expertise spanning AI, machine learning, neuroscience, and computational modelling.
Founders is a full-time immersive 12-week course that provides mentorship from top entrepreneurs and the opportunity for €100,000 in early-stage investment.
This year’s cohort include participants from Stripe, McKinsey, Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Workhuman and Wayflyer, as well as graduates from Stanford, Cambridge and MIT.
Previous Founders success stories include Inspeq AI which was co-founded by alumni from Meta and Amazon. It raised €1.1m within six months for its AI-driven security platform.
“This is a new kind of startup factory for Ireland – a model that taps into one of our greatest untapped resources transitioning talent from multinationals into impactful startups,” said Amy Neale, Partner at Delta VC and mentor in the programme.
“The quality of this cohort is really something special,” she added.
The 2025 cohort will culminate in a showcase or “Demo Day” at Dogpatch Labs later this year, where participants will present their startups to leading investors, ecosystem leaders, and stakeholders.
Founders is a two-year pilot funded by returns from successful investments in Irish startups through the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC).
There are questions over the future of NDRC following a decision by the last government to cease funding for the accelerator programme.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to support the NDRC and transfer responsibility to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
