News Release
Caroline Gaynor named as chairperson of Irish Venture Capital Association
- Speculation on tariffs emphasises Ireland’s “over reliance on FDI manufacturing”
Dublin; Wednesday, 20th August, 2025: Caroline Gaynor has been elected chairperson of the Irish Venture Capital Association, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. She is a partner in Silicon Valley headquartered, Lightstone Ventures, where she specialises in biopharmaceuticals and medical technology investments. She replaces Gerry Maguire, general partner, Atlantic Bridge, who has completed his term of office.
Irish Venture Capital Association
The Irish Venture Capital Association is the representative organisation for venture capital and private equity firms on the island of Ireland. Last year venture capital investment into Irish tech start-ups and SMEs totalled over €1.3 billion.
Commenting on her election as chair of the IVCA she said that recent speculation surrounding tariffs has emphasised Ireland’s over reliance on FDI manufacturing. “Moving pharmaceutical manufacturing is a complex and lengthy process, so I don’t think tariffs will impact in the near term. However, it shines a spotlight on our need to embrace a two track approach to industrial development with a more urgent focus on scaling indigenous start-ups, as well as incentivising FDI investment in R&D, which is far ‘stickier’ and less mobile than manufacturing.”
Caroline joined the US VC fund, Lightstone Ventures in 2017, after completing the BioInnovate programme in 2013 and having worked on a number of early-stage medical device start-ups. Prior to that she spent 11 years in the pharmaceutical industry, working for IPHA, Schering AG and Bayer Healthcare in regulatory affairs, product management, sales and marketing and market access/reimbursement. She is a director at Amber Therapeutics, ProVerum Medical, Carrick Therapeutics and Volta Medical.
She is a graduate in Pharmacy from Trinity College Dublin and holds Masters’ degrees in Pharmaceutical Medicine and BioInnovation from Trinity College Dublin and University of Galway respectively.
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About the Irish Venture Capital Association
The Irish Venture Capital Association, which marks its 40th anniversary this year, is the representative organisation for venture capital and private equity firms in Ireland.
An independent DCU report found that Irish venture capital and private equity supported the state’s investment through its agencies’ Enterprise Ireland and Irish Strategic Investment Fund and geared up investment through the Seed & Venture Capital Programme by almost 16 times.
The study estimates that employment numbers in venture and private equity backed firms grow by an average of 27%, compared to an overall increase in employment in the economy of just over 3% per annum over a similar time period.
Ronnie Simpson BBS, FPRII; Member, National Union of Journalists
Ronnie Simpson Consulting
(Formerly of Simpson Financial & Technology PR).
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