The European Commission convened leading European private investors and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to express a joint intention to establish the Scaleup Europe Fund, a new multi-billion vehicle aimed at providing growth capital to European scaleups in strategic deep tech sectors. The initiative is positioned as part of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and is intended to address constraints in late-stage financing for European companies. The potential founding investors named include Novo Holdings, EIFO (Export and Investment Fund of Denmark), CriteriaCaixa, Santander/Mouro Capital, Fondazione Compagnia San Paolo with Intesa Sanpaolo and Fondazione Cariplo, APG Asset Management (on behalf of Dutch pension fund ABP), Wallenberg Investments and BGK (Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego), alongside the Commission and the EIB Group. The fund is expected to focus on late-stage investments across areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum, semiconductors, robotics and autonomous systems, energy, space, biotechnology and medical technologies, advanced materials and agritech, operating as a market-based, privately managed and privately co-financed growth fund investing in major European-led rounds. Next steps include selecting and appointing a management company through a public call to be published soon, with the stated aim of making the fund’s first investments in Spring 2026.
European Commission 2025-10-28
European Commission partners with private investors to establish multi-billion Scaleup Europe Fund for late-stage deep tech scaleups
The European Commission, European private investors, and the European Investment Bank plan to establish the Scaleup Europe Fund to provide growth capital to European scaleups in strategic deep tech sectors. Part of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, it aims to address late-stage financing constraints for European companies. The fund will focus on late-stage investments in areas like artificial intelligence, quantum, semiconductors, and biotechnology, with first investments expected in Spring 2026.