Bizstartup.ie - NewsPositive signs for start-ups at AIB

“The entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive and well from AIB’s point of view. The key point with new businesses is they are highly dependent on personal and domestic spending and most of their sales are on a regional or local basis. Therefore we need Irish people to start spending again,” he says.

“The Government has mapped out its stall for the small business sector and all the help and support from both the public and private sectors are aligned. There is €53 million in seed capital funding available now that we didn’t have three years ago and we are getting 200 enquiries a quarter into that area.”

Kelly believes supporting business at a community level is really important. “It could be the summer fete, a local shopkeeper or local incubation. You can build the momentum up to filter into the national level. Starting at parish level is a critical enabler to get people back working. Events such as festivals are very important stimuli for entrepreneurs.”

You can find out more about AIB's Business Start-up Package here.