Professional services group Gateley is proud to sponsor the Best Start-Up or Emerging Business of the Year category at the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2025.
Recent data analysis by R3, the UK’s insolvency and restructuring trade body, reveals that Northern Ireland saw the largest percentage increase in start-up numbers in 2024 compared to other UK regions. Over 16,600 firms were established in Northern Ireland in 2024, marking a 26% rise from 2023. According to the Global Start-Up Ecosystem Index of 2024, Belfast has maintained its high ranking at 11th nationally since 2023.
Gateley’s Belfast office, home to Gateley Legal NI and Gateley Capitus, has a strong track record of supporting and advising innovative, high-growth business enterprises, from start-ups to scale-ups and beyond, across Northern Ireland.
Aubrey Calderwood, managing director of Gateley Capitus, a specialist tax consultancy advising businesses on property tax and innovation tax incentives, emphasises the critical role of Northern Ireland’s start-up and emerging business ecosystem to its long-term prosperity.
Aubrey Calderwood
“Northern Ireland has demonstrated incredible resilience in recent years and remains a hugely attractive hotspot for start-ups, emerging businesses, and investors,” Mr Calderwood said.
“Diversification is critical to any region’s long-term prosperity, and Northern Ireland is better placed than many to withstand any economic shocks that may lie ahead. The support offered through organisations such as Invest NI is invaluable with dedicated programmes and funding aimed at female and student entrepreneurs.
“However, it’s crucial that businesses, especially start-ups and emerging businesses, remain vigilant.”
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The tax measures introduced in the Chancellor’s Budget in October, increasing raw material costs, labour shortages, and rising energy prices are just some of the many issues that businesses are grappling with.
Alison Reid, partner and office head for Gateley Legal NI, said one key area driven by start-ups and emerging businesses is the region’s burgeoning tech sector, with strengths in financial technologies, legal tech, cyber security, and artificial intelligence, making it the second fastest-growing knowledge economy in the UK.
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Recent examples include the £18m fundraise from US investors by Belfast IT company Cloudsmith and the 100-plus jobs being created in the city by London based Napier AI.
Ms Reid also stresses the diversity of start-ups across Northern Ireland as a core strength.
“Start-ups are a vital component of Northern Ireland’s economy. They drive innovation, create jobs, diversify the economic base, attract key investment, support local communities, and enhance our global competitiveness,” she said.
“This is why we are delighted to sponsor the Best Start-Up or Emerging Business of the Year category at the 2025 Belfast Telegraph Business Awards.
“By continuing to support and nurture the entrepreneurial ecosystem, we can ensure that Northern Ireland continues to deliver sustainable economic growth and a prosperous future for all.”
There are now just 10 days left to enter the awards by the deadline of March 21. To enter, go to www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/businessawards/enter