European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund)

The EIC Fund is the venture arm of the European Innovation Council and acts as an investment fund under private law with the European Commission as a shareholder. Its primary goal is to bridge the funding gap for breakthrough technologies in Europe, specifically focusing on high-risk deep tech innovators ranging from startups to mature scale-ups. The fund provides the investment component of the EIC Accelerator and the STEP call, aiming to support future global leaders by crowding in private capital as a strategic risk-taker. The fund operates across all verticals and throughout the EU and Horizon Europe countries, providing investments ranging from €0.5M to €30M. This investment is split, with investments between €0.5M–€10M channeled under the EIC Accelerator and investments from €10M–€30M under EIC STEP Scale Up. The EIC Fund supports game-changing innovators from early-stage startups to scaling deep tech leaders. Its edge lies in taking minority equity stakes (typically around 10% but can go up to 25%), offering follow-on funding in subsequent rounds, and creating thematic portfolios for strategic tech areas. Additionally, the fund has a Trusted Investors Network comprising 110+ trusted investors managing €360B+ assets. The fund's organisation structure ensures a blend of grant and equity support while inviting private capital for Europe’s most promising deep tech companies. The EIC Fund's structure includes the European Commission (shareholder), the EIB (investment advisor and future investor of record), an external Fund Manager, qualified investors who validate prospects, and co-investors who invest alongside the Fund. The EIC Fund Board oversees investment strategy, while the Advisory Committee provides independent advice. Company Board Representatives work with the EIB, the Fund Manager, the Board, and the European Commission to aid the growth of EIC-funded companies. EISMEA manages the grant component, selects companies for support, conducts due diligence, ensures grant/equity coordination, provides Business Acceleration Services, and operates a platform to connect companies with co-investors.

Deep tech, all verticals

Core thematic spaces, technologies, and target market segments of interest.