Design & Craft Accelerator

As we enter 2026, the design and craft sector stands as a cornerstone of the Irish economy, showcasing remarkable growth and cementing its place on the global stage. Ireland's heritage of craftsmanship and artistic innovation has never been more relevant, with its artisans and designers driving forward a dynamic industry that blends tradition with the contemporary. This rich tapestry of creativity continues to attract widespread acclaim, bolstering Ireland’s reputation as a global leader in quality, innovation, and cultural expression. 

The sector spans diverse disciplines, from textiles and ceramics to jewellery and furniture, each exemplifying a distinctive fusion of age-old techniques and contemporary design. Irish crafts are not only celebrated for their aesthetic and functional excellence but also for their ability to embody the nation’s cultural identity and storytelling. These qualities resonate strongly with international markets, where demand for authentic, high-quality, and sustainable products continues to rise. 

The Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) is positioned to capitalise on this momentum. Building on the success of the 2024 and 2025 Accelerator programmes, DCCI is collaborating with Portal at Trinity College Dublin to seek companies, keen to ‘scale up’ to join the Accelerator support programme. Targeting companies from across the Design and Craft sector, with significant international export potential, this initiative aims to harness Ireland's creative and entrepreneurial energy, propelling participants to new heights in global markets. 

The design and craft sector remains a vital engine of innovation, creativity, and economic prosperity for Ireland. With strategic programmes like this and a steadfast commitment to nurturing its creative talent, the industry is expected to achieve unprecedented levels of growth and international recognition in 2026 and beyond. 

The opening date for applications will be announced soon.

2025 Accelerator Objectives

In 2025, Ten (10) companies participated in a programme that assisted diverse, multi-sectoral entrepreneurs develop viable business models and business plans and then quickly translated those plans into concrete and scalable value propositions. Our shared ambition is to see more Irish companies competing for business on the international stage.

Programme Overview – Phase 1

• The Accelerator ran for 7 months (March- October 2025) with teams given time to develop their propositions between intense bouts of workshop, peer to peer activity.

• Each of the ten participating companies received €5,000 during the course of the programme.
• Mentoring focused on their activities as they relate to growing their business and launch their solutions into international markets.
• Mentoring ensures that they are grounded in best practice and informed by policy, supports and business practitioners. This stage will culminate in a mid-programme pitch to evaluate progress to date and to help us prepare businesses to focus on their most immediate developmental concerns in the coming months.

At the conclusion of this phase, companies will have:

• A commercialisation roadmap
• Identified critical commercial beachheads.
• Perfected the Art of the Pitch
• Learned How to Sell!
• Created a credible and re-useable Business Model Canvas
• Stand over robust financials

Programme Overview – Phase 2

• After a short summer break, we returned to focus on the hard commercial and investment propositions of the companies involved. We will address needs around customer engagement and acquisition, marketing and sales and the continued development of a robust commercial value proposition with significant international sales potential.
• Each company receive up to (5) hours of individual coaching per month.
• As contributors will be sourced internationally in addition to Ireland, support will be provided for remote access to workshops and mentoring sessions.
• The mentoring will also focus on their activities as it relates to the sustainability of design and manufacture to ensure it is grounded in best practice and informed by policy and business practitioners, and where necessary broker introductions.

Building on earlier learnings, companies will now be in a position to:

• Translate validated business models into initial/multiple transactions with customers/beneficiaries and/or investors.
• Pursue market entry with core product/service in beachhead markets.
• Achieve a meaningful number of commercial transactions that validate the core value proposition and/or
• Attract capital to progress into the next stage in the business development cycle.

Upon conclusion of the Accelerator, your business will ideally have some of the following:

• Full business Deck.
• Evidence of investor interest.
• Evidence of upselling or cross-selling with existing customers.
• Evidence of international sales or interest from international customers/distributors.
• Valuation / Exit Strategy

Demo Day

The programme culminated in October with a Demo Day