DBIC Ventures

DBIC Ventures, now rebranded as Furthr VC, is the venture capital arm of Furthr — formerly the Dublin Business Innovation Centre — and holds the distinction of being Ireland's first seed fund, established in 1990. With over three decades of continuous investment in early-stage Irish technology companies, the firm is one of Europe's longest-tenured seed investors. It focuses on globally scalable B2B software and Class I/II medical device companies headquartered in the Republic of Ireland, always co-investing alongside business angels, Enterprise Ireland, and other VCs. Furthr VC writes initial checks of EUR 200,000 to EUR 650,000 at seed to Series A stages, in rounds ranging from EUR 500,000 to over EUR 2 million, with significant capital reserved for follow-on investments. In 2019, DBIC Ventures and Enterprise Ireland launched a EUR 23 million Smart Tech Fund — which grew to EUR 32 million following the Furthr rebrand in 2022. With 61-plus investments across fintech, cybersecurity, healthtech, ICT, and digital transformation, the portfolio includes Klearcom in IVR testing SaaS, Evercam in construction computer vision, and Bluedrop Medical in diabetes devices. Managing Partner Richard Watson and Partner Colm O'Sullivan lead the firm, supported by Investment Associate Saurabh Kumar. Furthr's three-decade tenure in Dublin's technology ecosystem, combined with its Enterprise Ireland co-investment mandate, makes it a central institutional anchor for Irish B2B software and medtech founders seeking their first institutional capital.