Elkstone

Quick read

Elkstone is a multi-family office and venture investor, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It operates across venture capital, real estate, and wealth management, with a particular focus on early-stage Irish tech companies. Its €100m Ireland Venture Fund — anchored by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and Enterprise Ireland — is its flagship vehicle, backing seed and pre-Series A Irish startups.

Key facts

Founded

2011

Founders

Alan Merriman, Ruairí O'Neill, Ciarán McIntyre

Employees

36

Sectors

generalist, fintech, ai, healthcare, climate

Website

www.elkstonepartners.com

Investment thesis

Elkstone backs seed and pre-Series A Irish tech companies, aiming to help indigenous startups scale internationally while remaining headquartered in Ireland. It combines a €100m EIIS-eligible venture fund with real estate and wealth management offerings, targeting entrepreneurs, senior executives, institutional LPs, and the Irish diaspora.

Recent activity

• Feb 2026leadership
  Joe Bergin appointed CEO, replacing co-founder Alan Merriman who stepped down after 15 years leading the firm. Bergin, previously Elkstone's MD for private clients, joined the firm in 2019 from Ulster Bank. irishtimes.com
• Jan 2026investment
  Invested in Overpath's $1.92M seed round, the firm's first recorded deal of 2026. tracxn.com
• 2025investment
  Made 8 investments across the year, maintaining an active pace at seed and pre-Series A in Irish tech. tracxn.com
• 2023fundraise
  Closed the Ireland Venture Fund at €100m with ISIF as anchor LP and Enterprise Ireland also participating; fund had already deployed over €10m at close. isif.ie
• 2023press
  Portfolio company SoapBox Labs acquired by Curriculum Associates, delivering an exit for Elkstone and validating the Irish AI sector. linkedin.com
• 2023investment
  Led Lative's $3M seed round, with Enterprise Ireland and Handshake Ventures co-investing. linkedin.com
• 2023investment
  Participated in Vaultree's $12.8M Series A, led by Molten Ventures and Ten Eleven Ventures, alongside SentinelOne and others. zoominfo.com

Notable investments

• OverpathSeed ($1.92M)Jan 2026tracxn.com
• LativeSeed ($3M)2023linkedin.com
• VaultreeSeries A ($12.8M)2023zoominfo.com
• Lakatracxn.com
• Flipdishisif.ie
• LetsGetCheckedisif.ie
• Manna Drone Deliveryisif.ie
• Protex AIisif.ie
• StoryFitSeries A ($5.5M)zoominfo.com
• Jus MundiSeries Aelkstonepartners.com

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

• Joe Bergin · CEO
  LinkedIn
• Alan Merriman · Executive Chairman (co-founder)
• Karl Rogers · Chief Investment Officer
• Barry Brennan · Venture Partner
• Brian Merriman · Partner
• Niall McEvoy · Head of Venture

Sources

• Elkstone's founder steps aside for new CEO
• Elkstone names new chief executive as Alan Merriman steps down
• Elkstone Closes €100m Fund - Ireland's Largest Early Stage Fund
• Elkstone – 2026 Investor Profile – Tracxn
• The Private Markets Specialist | Elkstone
• News – Elkstone Partners
• Elkstone Partners – ZoomInfo
• Elkstone | LinkedIn

Other VCs in Ireland

• Atlantic Bridge · Multi-stage VC, Dublin·
• ACT Venture Capital · Multi-stage VC, Dublin·
• Delta Partners · Multi-stage VC, Dublin

Explore VCs by sector

• Generalist in Ireland
• Climate tech in Ireland

Globally

• Generalist worldwide
• Climate tech worldwide

Frequently asked