Front Square Venture Capital

Front Square Capital was set up to bridge a gap in the university startup market. While working with university-based businesses, it was noticed that there was a barrier to entry for venture capital funds and financial institutions. This is to the detriment of both students who are trying to build a business in college, and to the firms who may be interested in investing in universities. Most of the startup activity within colleges in Ireland takes place within the confines of student-run societies. These societies are only accessible to students. It became apparent that a mutually beneficial relationship could be established between students and investors. The first course of action was to contact VC fund managers to gauge interest. There seemed to be an appetite for such a network from the firm's perspective. Upon further investigation, it seemed that similar models were successfully operating in the US and England. It was surprising that this had not already been established in Ireland, given the entrepreneurial nature and ranking of Irish universities. The perspective of students was also considered. Having consulted with students running businesses in college, the consensus is that early access to capital and forming relationships with investors is likely to only be beneficial.