DCU Ryan Academy is a non-profit, joint venture between Dublin City University and the family of the late Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair. Our mission is to promote an entrepreneurial mindset and real innovation focus among existing Irish businesses and start-ups through training, supports and finance. @RyanAcademy We have accelerated 75 startups through our Propeller, Female High Fliers and UStart programmes   Propeller has provided early stage funding of €807,000 to 29 startups to-date; of our 24 alumni companies, €9 million in follow-on funding has been raised so far and by the end of 2015 we expect Propeller companies to employ over 100 people.   DCU Ryan Academy works directly with over 150 internationally based startups from countries including Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Lithuania   Through our Female High Fliers programme, DCU Ryan Academy has been heralded as an international best practice case study in supporting Female Entrepreneurship by the European Training Foundation   We have worked with over 280 top scientific researchers from Universities and Institutes of Technology all over Ireland to help commercialize their work   We have introduced entrepreneurship & core business skills to over 750 unemployed professionals & skilled technicians; who have then either returned to employment or started their own business.   We provided further education entrepreneurship and business skills-based programmes for 350 people in industries such as construction, community lending, agri and social enterprise - enabling them to refine or gain new business skills.   DCU Ryan Academy's partnership model between DCU and the Ryan family has been recognised by the European Commission as a best practice case study in supporting entrepreneurs.