Angel investments through 2014 totalled €30m in Ireland, according to figures released by the Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN).

HBAN, a joint venture between Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland, said that angel investment tallies have been rising steadily since 2011.

Of the €30m raised during 2014, €9.5m came directly from angel investment, with the rest leveraged from public and private funds, including Enterprise Ireland, venture capital companies and founders.

The group estimates that 700 jobs will be created by 2017 by HBAN-supported companies.

Technology based startups across both Ireland and Northern Ireland made up a large segment of the companies supported by HBAN last year.

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They included Galway-based medical devices company, Embo Medical, which raised €3m, with over €1.5m stemming from business angel funding alone during 2014.

Northern-Ireland based Treze, a software company dedicated to protecting children from cyber bullying through technology, raised nearly €150,000 from business angels, and is planning to create 20 jobs over the next three years.

In Dublin, Lumafit, which provides an interactive fitness coach that can fill the role of a personal trainer, raised a round of €575,000, of which €175,000 came from angel investors.

John Phelan, national manager of HBAN, said that the group helps business angels find suitable companies to invest in through advice, networks and syndicates.

“We recognise the growing importance of business angels as catalysts in startup companies, particularly in the technology and knowledge economy and sectors associated with it, like medtech, fintech and agritech,” Phelan added.