Organization · Community
Founders
Founders is an Ireland-based organization that connects talented individuals to form startup teams, providing funding and mentorship for early-stage startups.
Overview
What Founders does
What Founders is
Founders is an Ireland-based organization that connects talented individuals to form startup teams, providing funding and mentorship for early-stage startups.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports funder and program host and community capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Community
- Structured capabilities
- Funder · Program host · Community
- Last reviewed
- March 7, 2026
Official channels
Find Founders elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Founders as a funder
Investment thesis
Founders aims to facilitate the formation of startup teams by connecting engineers, domain experts, and commercial professionals. The organization emphasizes strong co-founder relationships and provides funding and mentorship to help teams become investor-ready.
Focus narrative
Founders provides a structured program that includes funding and mentorship for early-stage startups. The organization offers a €2,000 monthly grant during the formation phase and the opportunity to pitch for €100,000 in pre-seed funding. Founders focuses on helping teams become investor-ready and emphasizes the importance of strong co-founder relationships in achieving startup success.
Terms and economics
- Typical check
- $2,000–$100,000
Focus and fit
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Regions
- Europe · Ie
Availability
- Currently deploying
- Yes
Portfolio and track record
- Recorded portfolio count
- 3
Portfolio context
Notable portfolio companies include: GlitchAds: A software solution for automating and optimizing digital advertising campaigns. Inspeq AI: A platform focusing on AI app evaluation and optimization. Talio: Aims to streamline the market research process, reducing the time required for analysis.
Capability profile
Founders as a program host
Program thesis
Founders is dedicated to facilitating the formation of startup teams by connecting talented individuals to help them build successful startups from scratch.
Focus narrative
Founders focuses on helping teams become investor-ready by providing a structured program that includes a monthly grant during the formation phase and the opportunity to pitch for significant pre-seed funding. The organization emphasizes the importance of strong co-founder relationships in achieving startup success.
Value and support
Founders offers a €2,000 monthly grant during the formation phase and the opportunity to pitch for €100,000 in pre-seed funding, along with mentorship to help teams become investor-ready.
Terms and economics
- Indicative investment
- $100,000
- Stipend
- $2,400
Availability
- Application state
- Accepting
Focus and fit
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Angel
- Regions
- Europe · Ie
Alumni and track record
Alumni context
Notable alumni companies include GlitchAds, which automates and optimizes digital advertising campaigns; Inspeq AI, focusing on AI app evaluation and optimization; and Talio, which streamlines the market research process.
Capability profile
Founders as a community
Community overview
Founders is dedicated to facilitating the formation of startup teams by connecting talented engineers, domain experts, and commercial professionals. The organization was established to support ambitious founders in their entrepreneurial journeys, enabling them to find co-founders and build startups from the ground up. With a focus on early-stage startups, Founders provides resources and a structured program to help teams become investor-ready.
Community focus
Founders offers a structured program that includes funding and mentorship for early-stage startups. The organization provides a €2,000 monthly grant during the formation phase and opportunities to pitch for €100,000 in pre-seed funding. Emphasizing strong co-founder relationships, Founders aims to help teams achieve success in their startup endeavors.
Member value
Members benefit from access to funding, mentorship, and a supportive community focused on building strong co-founder relationships. Founders helps teams become investor-ready and provides resources to navigate the startup landscape.
Membership
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Founders · Investors
- Benefits
- mentorship and network-access
- Program types
- community
- Selection criteria
- open
- Stages
- Pre-seed
- Regions
- Europe · Ie
Community activity
Notable members
Notable portfolio companies include GlitchAds, Inspeq AI, and Talio. Key team members include Patrick Walsh (CEO & Founder), Ciaran Burke (Swoop Funding), and Bobby Healy (CEO, Manna).
Common questions
What to know about Founders
Upseed classifies Founders under the Community organization type. Its current public profile includes funder, program host, and community capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
March 7, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.