Initiatives to give start-ups funding boost

Limerick Institute of Technology has unveiled two major funding initiatives to help companies get off the ground.

Michael Noonan, the finance minister, announced the creation of a privately generated €1m enterprise ladder fund, a seed fund to support start-up businesses in the Mid-West.

Meanwhile, a Silicon Valley company set up by Irish business leaders in the US has linked up with the institute to locate in the college campus to give financial support to emerging high-tech companies.