The Irish AI Startup Conference 2026

A full day for Irish AI founders and the investors who back them, at the Convention Centre Dublin. The theme is The AI Startup Imperative: Building Defensible Moats, Securing Funding and Scaling Technical Teams.

Attendance is capped and selected: 70 AI startup founders and CTOs based in Ireland and Northern Ireland, chosen from around 700 applications, plus VCs and ecosystem representatives. Confirmed panellists include Brian McGeough, CIO of Creditsafe, Manuela Locarno Ajayi, SVP and board member at TomTom, and Philipp Nieland, co-founder of Nikulipe and PPRO. Roundtable moderators include Martina Fitzgerald of Scale Ireland, Niamh Sterling of HBAN, Barry Brennan of Elkstone and Amy Neale of Delta Partners.

Registration is by approval through Luma and the ticket price is not published. 09:00 to 17:00.

Why go: the roundtable format puts founders across the table from Irish early-stage capital rather than in an audience. Best for AI founders raising in the next year.