Now in its 14th year, New Frontiers offers a transformative journey for early-stage start-ups. It equips them with the right connections, skills and route to capital to build successful and sustainable businesses.
On Wednesday, over 150 start-ups, drawn from every county in Ireland, gathered at The Heritage, Killenard, Co Laois for New Frontiers Connect 2026. Their purpose: to build the connections that accelerate their journey from “What if?” to “What next?”
Small business junior Minister Alan Dillon
The full-day event featured talks with New Frontiers alumni who shared their experience of the programme and what it takes to grow globally from Ireland. The day was also an important opportunity for start-up founders to meet and build connections.
As well as New Frontiers participants and programme managers, the audience included members of the venture capital community and experts from Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Office and business innovation centres.
The day included expert advice on scaling with purpose, a tactical session on using AI for competitive advantage and a conversation with some of Ireland’s most active early-stage investors.
Opening with remarks from Small Business Minister Alan Dillon, the event closed with a fireside chat with Enterprise Ireland CEO Jenny Melia.
New Frontiers is delivered in three phases. While applicants can apply for the first or second at any point, they must have completed phase two to take part in phase three.
The first phase supports around 500 people each year. It’s a part-time programme delivered on evenings and weekends. Through six sessions with a mentor from their nearest Institute of Technology, participants can identify their value proposition and research their business idea’s market potential.
Successful applicants also get a support package worth over €30,000
Phase two is an intensive six-month, full-time programme with a competitive selection process. In this phase, participants learn to develop and validate their business proposition.
Successful applicants also get a support package worth over €30,000. This includes a €15,000 tax-free allowance, access to resources like Enterprise Ireland’s Market Research Centre, and expert guidance from mentors and investors. They can also access free co-working space, and research and development facilities.
Applicants who succeed in moving to phase three get a further support package valued at over €10,000. They also benefit from mentoring support, introductions to investment opportunities and access to a co-working space for another three months.
In this phase, participants focus on implementing business plans, bringing products and services to market and preparing for further funding.
New Frontiers’ alumni come from sectors as diverse as food and drink to medtech. There’s truly no limit to what ambitious founders can achieve on the programme.
To apply for New Frontiers, applicants must register their interest on NewFrontiers.ie and choose a participating technological university or institute of technology.
Ciara Concannon is New Frontiers programme manager with Enterprise Ireland
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