Enterprise Ireland
Pre-Seed Start Fund
aka PSSF
Convertible loan note investment of up to EUR100,000 for early-stage HPSU candidates and innovative female-founder businesses.
Up to EUR100,000 (convertible loan note)
Last reviewed May 2026
What this scheme funds
The Pre-Seed Start Fund replaced the older Competitive Start Fund as Enterprise Ireland's main pre-revenue funding vehicle. It provides convertible loan note investment of up to EUR100,000 (with smaller tickets in the EUR50,000-EUR75,000 range available depending on call). The fund is sized to extend a founder team's runway from validated proof of concept through to a first paying customer or first institutional round. Specific calls run for female-led start-ups and for sectors prioritised by Enterprise Ireland's strategy. Investment converts to equity at the next priced round; standard EI follow-on supports apply once the company qualifies as HPSU.
Application window
Calls open at set points each year, see EI website
Who can apply
- •Pre-revenue or very early-revenue start-up
- •Plan to qualify as HPSU within 18 months
- •Innovative product addressing an international market
- •Compliant founder team and clean cap table
How it typically funds software
- •Funds initial engineering hires that build the MVP
- •Pays for the initial SaaS stack (cloud hosting, CRM, accounting, payroll)
Worth knowing
Terms and ticket sizes vary by call - always check the live call documentation, not third-party summaries.
Software categories this can fund
Related grants
Enterprise Ireland
High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Funding
Equity-style investment from Enterprise Ireland into export-led start-ups with the potential to reach EUR1m in sales and 10 employees within three years.
Enterprise Ireland
New Frontiers Programme
Six-month entrepreneur development programme delivered through Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities, including a tax-free stipend of EUR15,000 in Phase 2.