Starting a Business in Galway: Company Formation, LEO Grants and Accounting
Galway is best known in business terms for its medical technology cluster, but it also has a fast-growing software scene centred on the PorterShed in the city and a large Gaeltacht where Údarás na Gaeltachta, not the LEO, is the lead enterprise agency. Galway City Council and Galway County Council are separate rating authorities with different rates for 2026. This page sets out the facts, with sources, and shows how to register and run the books online from anywhere in the county.
Local Enterprise Office Galway
LEO Galway is based at Prospect Hill in Galway city and covers both the city and county council areas.. Feasibility Grant: up to 15,000 euro. The national rule is 50% of costs in the Southern and Eastern region and 60% in the Border, Midland and Western region, which includes Galway (localgov.ie).. Priming Grant: for businesses in their first 18 months with no more than 10 employees, up to 50% of the investment or 80,000 euro, whichever is less, and up to 150,000 euro in exceptional cases (localgov.ie).. Business Expansion Grant: after the first 18 months, up to 50% of the investment. Galway County Council's LEO page states a ceiling of 150,000 euro for this grant.. Grow Digital Voucher: 50% of eligible costs, from 500 euro to 5,000 euro, for businesses trading at least six months with 1 to 50 employees that have done a Digital for Business report. It replaced the Trading Online Voucher.. Start Your Own Business training, one-to-one business advice clinics and mentoring are listed on the LEO Galway site.. LEO Galway also lists the Market Explorer Grant, Energy Efficiency Grant, Green for Business, GradStart, the Food Starter and Food Academy programmes and a Galway Food Directory.
Register your company online from anywhere in Galway
Company formation with staxo is fully online. Limited Company from €199 and sole trader registration from €49, ex VAT.