Applications Now Open for New Entertainment IP Lab
Posted: 22nd September 2026
Eight-week accelerator will help eight Irish production companies turn existing IP into investable businesses
Applications are now open for The Entertainment IP Lab, a new eight-week business accelerator designed to help Irish producers turn an existing piece of intellectual property into a commercially investable proposition.
Open to Irish producers working across television, film, animation, games, XR/VR and publishing, the Lab will select eight companies to take part in a project-led programme running from November 2026 to January 2027. Each participating company will work through a structured curriculum — including an IP Audit, Story World and Audience Mapping, a Cross-Platform Opportunity Audit, a Rights Architecture Audit and an Entertainment IP Business Model Canvas — culminating in a live pitch to an industry panel.
Participants will be mentored throughout by six established figures from international entertainment IP: Diana Williams (CEO & Co-Founder, Kinetic Energy Entertainment, and former Lucasfilm executive, USA), Triona Campbell (CEO, Roundstone Media, Ireland), Nuno Bernardo (Founder, beActive, Portugal), Dan Marks (Founder, Theseus Agency, UK), Colum Slevin (COO, StoryToys, Ireland) and Aaron Margolin (BlushCrunch Studio).
The Entertainment IP Lab is supported by Coimisiún na Meán, with the mentor programme supported by Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet. This programme is also supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme.
The Lab runs alongside The Entertainment IP Summit, the free, online industry event returning for its second edition on 13–14 January 2027 after drawing 728 registrants in 2026. The Lab's eight companies will present their finished investor pitches at a live panel on 15 January 2027, the day after the Summit concludes.
Applications for The Entertainment IP Lab close on Friday 16 October 2026, with the eight successful companies announced on 23 October. Places cost €600 per project, payable on acceptance. Full eligibility criteria and the application form are available at entertainmentipsummit.com/entertainment-ip-lab
Irish producers are sitting on some brilliant intellectual property, but turning a great story into a great business takes a different set of skills. The Entertainment IP Lab is designed to close that gap — over eight weeks, with mentors who’ve actually built and sold IP internationally, these eight companies will leave with a real investor pitch, not a workshop certificate.
— Suzanne Leyden, Programme Director, The Entertainment IP Lab & The Entertainment IP Summit
Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet is delighted to support the mentor programme for The Entertainment IP Lab, giving Irish producers direct access to the kind of international expertise that turns strong IP into a genuinely investable business.
— Gareth Lee, Network Manager, Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet