Leo Clancy
CEO, Enterprise Ireland
Ireland’s relationship with the United States continues to be a key driver of economic opportunity for both of our nations. The points of connection, relevance and mutual benefit continue to deepen, expand, and evolve. Our cultural ties and shared values have helped us to build these links, making business straightforward.
The United States is now the second largest export market for Enterprise Ireland client companies, and Ireland is a huge investor in the United States for our relative scale. The story less often told is the acceleration of Irish companies from working in partnership with US firms operating here in Ireland.
Over the past 100 years US multinationals have made increasingly significant and complex investments here.
Those projects are often at the cutting edge of their industries, whether in semiconductor, pharma and biopharma, medical technologies, data centres or centres of excellence for services and research. Irish owned companies have been integral to providing local, high precision delivery capability to these industries across construction, services, product partnerships and more. These projects have often represented firsts in Europe for their industries; the Irish partners have grown capability along with them.
Experience and track record delivering these novel and exacting requirements has over time allowed our clients to create innovative export products and services. These now represent thriving businesses in their own right and Enterprise Ireland is connecting those companies with potential customers and partners around the world, including through our 6 offices in the United States.
A further hugely valuable outcome of these investments has been the boost to the number and type of innovative companies starting and scaling in Ireland.
Our educated workforce has always been a key economic driver, and Irish businesspeople are pragmatic and purposeful. When these native strengths are layered into an ecosystem that includes the leading global companies in their fields, the industrial capital to grow great global businesses from Ireland is second to none.
We have seen an increase of 20% in the number of startup companies supported by EI in the past two years and the ambition level is growing all the time. Access to customers, talent and knowledge that come with those investment over time is a key accelerator.
This is great news for Ireland and for the hugely important US multinational firms who have located here. Together we are creating a value proposition for both countries that is second to none globally.