In recent years, Europe has emerged as a thriving hub for innovation in the health technology sector. European startups are pioneering groundbreaking solutions that not only improve the quality of healthcare and health systems across the world but also redefine the general way we approach well-being in the 21st century. From digital health platforms and wearable devices to AI-driven diagnostics and telemedicine, the health tech ecosystem is buzzing with creative solutions. This wave of developments has been accelerated in recent years, partly due to a rising number of investors specifically dedicated to health tech and life science ventures. In this article, we delve into the leading VC funds that foster the growth of healthcare startups in the continent - including those exclusively focused on healthcare as well as sector-agnostic investors who have significantly contributed to the health sector with their investments’ scope and volume.
So without further ado, let’s explore the top European health tech and life science VC funds.
List:
- EQT Life Science
- Novo Holdings
- SV Health Investors
- Sofinnova Partners
- Novartis Venture Fund
- Seventure
- Forbion
- Health Cap
- Abingworth
- Thuja Capital
- BGV
- Inkef
- Biomed VC
- Redalpine
- Panakes
- Ysios Capital
- Healthy Capital
- Archventure
- Inhealth
- Heal Capital
- Fprime Capital
- Kurma Partners
- Nina Capital
- Remind VC
- Ananda VC
- Apex Ventures
- Index Ventures
- Balderton Capital
- Octopus Ventures
- Speedinvest
- b2Ventures
- Hoxton Ventures
- High Tech Gründerfonds
- Albion VC
- Ascension VC
- Venture Kick
- SFC Capital
- Seed camp
- Almi
- Eight Roads VC
- Meta Planet
- Black Pearls VC
- Simpact
- Industrifonden
- General Catalyst
- Giant VC
- Inovo VC
- Karista VC
- Red Alpine VC
Healthtech or life science specific:
EQT Life Science
EQT is a global investment company with a significant presence and offices worldwide, investing across projects, companies, stages, and verticals. EQT Life Science is their Europe-based arm which invests directly in innovative life sciences and health care companies. They have raised more than €3 billion and have invested in over 150 private companies, with a dedicated team of highly experienced investment professionals with backgrounds in medicine, science, and industry. They target a wide investment range, from €10 million to €60 million, identifying the most innovative solutions to address unmet clinical needs and generate superior returns for their investors.
Novo Holdings
Novo Holdings is a Denmark-based holding and investment company, managing assets of one of the world's largest enterprise foundations - Novo Nordisk Foundation. They are one of the biggest investors in the life science sectors, operating out of specific funds for companies at all growth stages - from seed to venture and growth. With these investment vehicles, they aim to generate a selection of benefits which include creating and building life science companies in Scandinavia, investing in established life science companies with a strong long-term potential, and directing their expansion capital to both public and private companies. They aspire to bring more than capital to their investments but also to leverage their deep-rooted life science expertise and network. Regarding geography, they target three regions - Europe, North America and Asia.
SV Health Investors
SV Health Investors is a global private equity and venture capital investment platform, headquartered in the UK, that empowers innovators to improve patients' lives. They are committed to supporting breakthrough companies and treatments that can have the power to change the lives of people. Their primary investment principle is diversity and so they locate their capital across stages, sectors, and geographical regions. The firm manages a portfolio of funds tailored to meet the specific needs of LPs and entrepreneurs. These funds include the Impact Medicine Fund, which forms and funds early-stage biotechnology companies developing precision medicines, the Growth Fund, which accelerates growth-stage healthcare services, medical products, and digital health companies, and the Medtech Convergence Fund, specializing in novel medical devices and remote-monitoring technologies. In addition to these core funds, they also operate the Dementia Discovery Fund, focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics for dementia, as well as the International Biotechnology Trust plc, a publicly traded investment trust.
Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading venture capital firm that specializes in life sciences investments, with a particular focus on healthcare and sustainability. They are operating out of offices in London, Milan, and Paris, with a comprehensive approach supporting companies at all stages of growth through six investment strategies:
1. Sofinnova Capital Strategy: Acts as a founding and lead investor in early-stage biopharma and medtech start-ups that focus on groundbreaking therapeutic technologies.
2. MD Start Strategy: Sofinnova's in-house medtech accelerator.
3. Sofinnova Crossover Strategy: Supports ground-breaking innovations in later-stage biotech and medtech companies, enabling ambitious life sciences companies to reach their full potential.
4. Industrial Biotech Strategy: Seeks early-stage investments that will have a positive impact on sustainability in the chemicals, agriculture, food, and materials sectors.
5. Sofinnova Digital Medicine Strategy: Backs early-stage startups at the intersection of biology, data, and computation.
6. Sofinnova Telethon Strategy: Seeks early-stage projects to bring the best Italian science to the world stage.
Novartis Venture Fund
The Novartis Venture Fund is a leading global life science investment firm focused on fostering innovation and driving significant patient benefit. Managed by Novartis, a global healthcare company based in Switzerland, they are fostering innovative life science companies across North America, Europe, and Israel, especially in the biopharma and biotechnology areas. They are stage agnostic, engaging in investments from seed to later-stage companies, with a primary focus on the development of novel therapeutics and platforms. Their investment strategy emphasizes unmet needs and clinical impact, novel proprietary science, and capital efficiency. The fund also plays an active role on its portfolio companies’ boards and has a strong track record of generating superior returns while making a positive impact in the healthcare sector.
Seventure
Seventure is an active French VC fund, operating in the fields of digital technologies, life sciences, nutrition, and blue economy. Their offices are located across Switzerland, France, and the UK. The life science arm of the fund commenced its activities in 2001 and since then, it has pioneered biotechnological investments, supporting converging health and nutrition sectors by investing in agro-food companies bringing health benefits to people. Currently, they are mostly focusing on microbiome application in all fields, identifying it as one of the key areas for future development, as it offers abundant opportunities for developing new medicines. They support the development of companies in various stages of development – from seed ventures to late-stage companies, investing €1-10 million per financing round, and up to €20 million per company, across multiple rounds. They mostly support teams based in Europe, North America, and Asia.
Forbion
Forbion is a highly specialized VC fund operating in the field of life science, out of offices in the Netherlands, Germany, and Singapore. They work closely with entrepreneurs, scientists, and academic institutions to foster healthcare innovation and empower ground-breaking ideas. They have a broad interest in various therapeutic areas, including autoimmune and inflammation, cardiovascular/metabolic, central nervous system, digestive and renal, rare diseases, and much more. Following a comprehensive and collaborative approach to investing, they provide support throughout all stages of development, from company formation to expansion.
BioGeneration Ventures
Yet another Netherlands-based specialized fund, BGV, has a joint partnership with Forbion, which is specifically dedicated to building and seeding early-stage companies, up until the Series A round. BGV's investment activities are guided by a strategy that involves progressing projects from discovery to clinical proof-of-concept. They recognize that founding teams may not have the breadth of experience required to navigate this journey, and thus, BGV provides guidance and support to help founders build their companies and extend their capabilities. Their investments are aimed at addressing significant unmet medical needs and providing substantial healthcare impact.
Health Cap
Health Cap is a VC fund based in Switzerland and Sweden that invests globally in life sciences. Their investment strategy focuses on diseases with a high unmet medical need and breakthrough therapies that have the potential to be transformative, change clinical practice, and change the lives of patients suffering from these conditions. They have substantial experience in helping start-ups and emerging companies grow into businesses ready for initial public offerings or trade sales. Precision medicine, which involves developing the right medicine for the right patient, is a key aspect of their investment strategy. They are also actively involved in their portfolio companies. They have team partners who take board seats and utilize their extensive scientific and industrial networks to recruit experienced professionals in order to achieve long-term sustainability.
Abingworth
Abingworth is a life science investment firm that has been investing in biotechnology companies since the early days of the industry. They have a transatlantic reach with offices in key biotech hubs in the US and Europe, including London, Boston and San Francisco. They invest primarily in the field of biotechnology, focusing on companies that are developing novel treatments and therapies for patients in the following sectors: biotherapeutics, small molecules, nucleic acid therapeutics, vaccines, gene therapies, cell therapies, specialty pharma, and platform technologies. Typically, they invest between $15 million to $30 million per company located in the US and Europe, from the seed and early stages up until the development stages. Abingworth not only supports later-stage companies, both public and private, as their programs move through clinical trials to market but also they have pioneered a new approach to partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to accelerate the development and delivery of new drugs to patients.
Thuja Capital
Thuja Capital is a healthcare investment firm based in the Netherlands, that focuses on healthcare innovation, investing in companies from start-up to scale-up. They are particularly interested in supporting ventures with novel therapies in areas of high unmet medical need, especially seeking out innovative technologies in the following fields: therapeutics, medical technology, medical devices, digital health, medical foods and nutraceuticals. Thuja Capital aims to generate both financial and societal returns through their investments in healthcare ventures. They support daring entrepreneurs and paradigm-shifting ideas that have the potential to make a lasting impact on patients and society.
Inkef
Based in Amsterdam, Inkef is an early-stage, hands-on investor that focuses on building companies rather than just valuations, believing that true value and sustainable returns can only be created with a long-term strategic vision. Inkef invests in two sectors: Healthcare and Technology. Within the Healthcare sector, Inkef is mainly interested in Therapeutics, Digital Health, and Medical Devices. They primarily invest in Seed and Series A rounds but may consider earlier or later stages for exceptional companies. Inkef partners with ambitious mission-driven entrepreneurs and actively supports the companies they invest in. They believe that building a company is a team effort and place great emphasis on investing in people.
Biomed VC
Biomed VC is a leading Swiss early-stage venture capital firm focused on the biotech industry. They are located in Basel, Switzerland, at the center of European biotech, with a mission to invest in innovative companies that are working towards improving healthcare and bringing new medicines to market. Biomed VC places a strong emphasis on scientific excellence and aims to build strong companies that create both medical and commercial value. They believe in the power of collaboration and work as a team to achieve their goals. The firm is dedicated to finding great science and supporting founders who are passionate about making a positive impact on patient lives.
Ysios Capital
Marking the first Spanish entry on the list, Ysios Capital specializes in investing in biotech ventures. Their main objective is to transform capital into medical breakthroughs by funding the development of transformative treatments for indications with high unmet medical needs.
They focus exclusively on innovative therapeutic drugs and seek exceptional teams with pioneering science and the drive to change patients' lives. They operate out of three funds, the last one - BioFund III - was closed in 2020. The fund is agnostic to the therapeutic modality and invests in small molecules, antibodies, viruses, and living cells. They invest globally, supporting companies through each stage of development, with a core focus on late preclinical and early clinical projects, across Europe and the United States.
Panakes Partners
The Italian firm, Panakes Partners is a venture capital fund that supports entrepreneurs and scientific teams in the life sciences sector. They invest in early-stage start-ups and SMEs with innovative products, primarily in Europe and Israel. They bring financial and business support to their portfolio companies, leveraging a network of clinicians and industry experts. They aim to reshape the medical world, save lives, and improve patient care. The firm has a diverse portfolio of companies in various areas of life sciences.
Healthy.Capital
Healthy.Capital is a Dutch VC firm addressing some of the core issues in healthcare - from worker shortages to the aging population, rise in chronic diseases and inefficiencies within the healthcare system. They invest in scalable and profitable digital health startups that answer to these problems, founded by excellent teams with a data-driven DNA and a strong problem-solution fit. When considering investments, Healthy.Capital has specific criteria - the business entity should be registered in the Netherlands and be younger than 7 years old. A tech component is required, and the company should be in the pre- or seed stage. Healthy.Capital offers support in various areas such as strategy building, coaching, operational expertise, business development, health & care expertise, co-investments, financial roadmap planning, and network expansion.
ARCH Ventures
With offices in Europe, Asia and North America, ARCH Ventures is a global VC firm that has been backing disruptive science companies for over 30 years. They invest in companies based on revolutionary technologies that have the potential to impact people's lives. ARCH takes a contrarian and imaginative approach, following the science and data-based strategy. They are flexible in their approach and size their portfolio company investments as needed.
InHealth Ventures
InHealth Ventures is a London-based, transatlantic healthcare venture capital fund that focuses on early-stage investments in innovative life science companies. It is driven by a shared mission to make healthcare better for both patients and healthcare providers. The fund seeks to partner with outstanding founders who are pioneering the future of healthcare and are dedicated to addressing urgent, pervasive, and substantive healthcare challenges at scale.The fund looks for founding teams that have a unique insight into the problem they are solving and a distinctive approach to addressing it. In evaluating investment opportunities, InHealth Ventures considers factors such as founder-market fit, a clear articulation of the opportunity, and a compelling value proposition with a route to scale - especially next-generation infrastructure, tech-enabled services, and software-based diagnostic and therapeutic platforms. In terms of the investment stage, InHealth Ventures supports companies from pre-seed to series A, providing both leadership and co-investment. The fund typically writes checks ranging from $500K to $3M and reserves additional capital for follow-on investments in subsequent funding rounds.
Heal Capital
Berlin-based Heal Capital is a leading venture capital fund focused on investing in life science and healthcare technology startups. With a mission to redefine healthcare through the power of technology, Heal Capital provides both capital and health tech-specific expertise to accelerate market access to the healthcare system. The fund has a particular interest in startups that leverage technology to address the convergence of healthcare and technology across the full patient journey. Heal Capital's integrated HealthTech portfolio includes companies in various domains, such as collaborative data ecosystems, chronic condition management, digital primary care, computer-brain interfaces, family care technology, dermatology, radiology AI, hemato-oncology labs, AI-driven symptom checks, healthcare anywhere solutions, robotic platforms, and pharmaceutical insights. In addition to financial support, Heal Capital offers immediate access to the German healthcare ecosystem. The fund is backed by leading private health insurance providers and is deeply rooted in the healthcare industry.
Fprime Capital
With offices in the UK and San Francisco, Fprime Capital is a leading VC firm, that backs healthcare and technology companies. In the healthcare vertical, they are mostly seeking out innovators in therapeutics, medtech, and health IT & services. F-Prime Capital's commitment to making a significant impact in the healthcare and technology industries, coupled with its extensive network and expertise, make it a trusted partner for entrepreneurs and a respected player in the life science venture capital space.
Kurma Partners
Kurma Partners is a French venture capital fund specializing in the funding of healthcare and biotechnology in Europe. With a track record spanning over a decade, Kurma Partners has established itself as a major player in the life sciences sector, having successfully supported numerous companies at various stages of maturity, from early-stage startups to established enterprises. Leveraging its strong network and strategic partnerships with leading European research institutions, Kurma Partners transforms disruptive scientific discoveries into cutting-edge medicines and medical devices to address unmet medical needs. The fund's unique approach involves close collaboration with research teams to validate discoveries and bring together top industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs to create high-tech companies.
Nina Capital
Nina Capital is a specialized venture capital firm based in Barcelona, that focuses on investing in health tech companies with international ambitions. They are driven by the goal of supporting need-driven founders who are building innovative solutions at the intersection of healthcare and technology. With a pan-European reach, they also invest in companies based in the United States, Canada, and Israel. Nina Capital primarily focuses on preseed and seed-stage investments, with some involvement in series A rounds as well, and a potential for a follow-on up until Series A. Their ticket sizes range from 150k € to 1000k €.
re.Mind Capital
re.Mind Capital is a UK-based venture capital fund that focuses on mental and neurological health. As part of Christian Angermayer's Apeiron Investment Group, they are committed to making a positive impact on humanity, supporting brilliant founders who are solving prevalent and damaging problems related to mental health. The fund's focus areas include brain-computer interfaces, personalization, new pharmacology, and new modalities for healing and enhancement. re.Mind's portfolio consists of innovative companies working on direct brain communication, modified psychedelic compounds, precision psychiatry, subcranial BCI, synbio applications, and more.
With health tech vertical:
Redalpine
Redalpine is a Swiss early-stage venture capital investor, that empowers disruptive founders, developing their solutions in the fields of ICT and healthcare tech. Since the founding in 2006, they have been bringing together financial investment, operational expertise, and a vast international network to help ambitious entrepreneurs transform their vision into a reality. They mostly invest in seed stages. With over €1bn in assets under management, the firm has backed some of Europe’s most disruptive companies, including N26, Taxfix, Inkitt, 9fin, Carvolution, Zenjob, vivenu, and Umiami.
APEX Ventures
Based in Austria, APEX Ventures emerges as an influential VC fund, steering the trajectory of deep tech and medical advancements in Europe. They are focused on early-stage companies, at pre-seed and seed stages with additional capital reserved for follow-on investments. Encompassing AI, quantum tech, and pioneering medical innovation, the firm's investment mission is to drive lasting industry change. They are looking at the life scene and medical advancement sector through a deep tech lens, looking for solutions that merge these areas for the benefit of patients. APEX Ventures commits initial funding ranging from EUR 500k to 1.5m, to companies located mostly in the DACH and CEE regions, occasionally venturing into the Nordics and the United States.
Ananda VC
Ananda VC is a pan-European impact venture fund that focuses on investing in companies with a strong vision for creating positive societal change. They prioritize founders who are dedicated to addressing significant global challenges, partnering with other leading investors across Europe and beyond. Their areas of interest include healthcare, sustainability transformation, educational empowerment, and equitable humanity. Their investment process starts at an early stage, typically with an initial investment size of €0.5M – €3M, and can grow to a total of €10 million+ over multiple rounds, and even €50M, when investing in syndicates. Ananda VC looks for promising founders mostly in Europe, with a specific focus on DACH, UK, Benelux, and the Nordics
Index Ventures
Founded in 1996, Index Ventures is a venture capital firm with a long history, based in London, England. The firm seeks to invest in cutting-edge companies operating in many, diverse sectors which include healthcare as well as artificial intelligence, machine learning, business application, data, entertainment, fintech, the future of work, media, mobility, open source, retail, security, and talent sectors. They work with entrepreneurs and their companies at every stage, across every sector. Their global network and long-term orientation make them a trusted partner for startups.
Balderton Capital
Balderton Capital is a venture capital firm based in the UK that specializes in early-stage and growth-stage investments in technology companies. With a history spanning over 22 years, Balderton has raised $4.5 billion to invest in European technology startups, providing them with access to the combined insight, knowledge, and experience of their well-experienced team. They operate out of two funds - for early-stage startups and for growth startups, across sectors, ranging from reproductive health to deep tech. Balderton has a strong belief in the potential of European technology and aims to support the next European giant in the technology industry. They seek out pioneers with outsized ambitions, individuals who think big and are determined to build formidable enterprises on a global scale.
Octopus Ventures
Octopus Ventures is a pan-European investor with a strong presence in the UK and US and a global approach to investing. Their thematic areas encompass B2B Software, Bio, Climate, Consumer, Deep Tech, Fintech, Health, and People + Talent. In the healthcare field, they back founders at the frontiers of medical science, taking on challenges from decentralised gene and decentralised cell therapy, to AI-based cancer diagnosis, to the day-to-day management of menopause. Octopus Ventures engages across pre-seed, seed, Series A, and beyond stages. Their pre-seed investments can begin even before product development, with an average investment of £100k. They also provide seed funding, Series A, and beyond, typically starting at £1 million.
Speedinvest
Speedinvest is a pan-European venture capital firm with many sector-focused teams - one of them is health tech and biotech. Their objective is to support visionary European startups with global aspirations, working on core healthcare or life sciences infrastructure in fields such as home health, back office automation, clinical trials tech, AI-enabled R&D, pharma and provider software tools. They offer extensive industry-specific network support to startups, connecting them with founders at every stage of the journey to exchange experiences, ideas, and best practices. With an initial ticket size ranging from €300K to 2M, SpeedInvest invests in pre-seed and seed stage startups, helping them establish their presence in the market and become competitive players.
b2Ventures
Founded in 2000, b2venture is one of the most experienced venture investors in Europe. The firm has a presence in multiple locations, including St. Gallen, Munich, Luxembourg, Zurich, and Berlin. Through its dedicated funds and direct investment track, b2venture invests in startups in the DACH region and across Europe, creating a virtuous cycle of success that supports the next generation of founders. With a focus on investing in innovative startups at the earliest stages and beyond, they are supported by a strong and diverse community of angel investors, bringing unique expertise, entrepreneurial experience, and hands-on service to its portfolio companies. Across their portfolio, there are companies developing micro-tech surgery solutions, health monitoring systems, quantum-based platforms and much more.
Hoxton Ventures
London-based Hoxton Ventures is a sector-agnostic fund dedicated to a wide variety of tech solutions. They deserve a spot on this list because of the robust representation of healthcare tech and bio-tech enterprises within their portfolio. Their company ethos is simple - identifying the best European founders in their early stages and nurturing their evolution into industry-defining giants. With a keen eye on transatlantic growth, Hoxton Ventures is dedicated to helping European entrepreneurs in expanding their ventures to the US market. Typically they lead seed rounds (or co-lead at pre-seed) leaving strategic reserves for follow-on investments. Hoxton Ventures typically commits capital between $1 to 3 million, aiming for an ownership stake ranging from 10% to 15%.
High-Tech Gründerfonds
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is a German seed investor for tech start-ups with growth potential. Having backed 700+ start-ups since 2005, HTGF now manages around 1.4 billion euros through its fourth fund. With a team of seasoned experts, HTGF provides knowledge and support to nurture young companies in various high-tech sectors - including digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, and chemistry. The fund’s investment isn't just financial – they offer invaluable guidance, assist in scaling businesses by connecting them with customers, enhancing sales efforts, and providing industry-specific insights. Moreover, they share expertise in leadership, management, and operational excellence to drive long-term success for their portfolio companies.
Albion VC
Headquartered in the UK, Albion VC is an investment firm with a long history of supporting ambitious founders. They are providing long-term capital and scale-up expertise to early-stage B2B software, healthcare, and deep tech companies in the UK and beyond. The firm aims to build strong and lasting relationships with founders, offering not only financial support but also guidance and mentorship. As a fund, they have a track record of successful investments, with a portfolio that includes companies revolutionizing industries such as API management and healthtech. The firm also actively contributes to the European health tech ecosystem through initiatives like the HealthTech Breakfast Club.
Ascension VC
Ascension VC is an early-stage venture capital firm that aims to back the next generation of tech and impact founders in the UK. It is one of the most active investors in London, participating in rounds from seed to Series A, as a lead or co-investor alike. The firm takes a hands-on approach in supporting its founders, providing not only capital but also strategic guidance and introductions to its network of angels and advisors. In its principles, the firm is focused on tech, impact, and diverse founders, and is committed to helping early-stage businesses scale and succeed. The firm offers a range of funds, including (S)EIS and Institutional Funds, as well as Social Impact Funds such as the Fair By Design, Good Food, Conduit, and Life Sciences Funds. The Life Science Fund is actively supporting companies developing a variety of health tech solutions.
Venture Kick
Venture Kick is a Swiss funding initiative that aims to support and accelerate the growth of high-potential startups originating from Swiss universities. Launched in 2007, Venture Kick has a vision to increase the number of spin-offs from Swiss universities, enhance their speed-to-market, and attract professional investors and industry partners. The funding process of Venture Kick consists of three stages, with each stage offering financial support and additional resources to the selected startups. In the first stage, startups have the opportunity to receive a kick of CHF 10,000 to kick-start their entrepreneurial journey. This initial funding helps them refine their business ideas and prepare for further development.
In the second stage, selected startups can present their business cases and receive a kick of CHF 40,000. During this stage, the focus is on building a solid foundation for successful execution, targeting initial customers, and establishing strategic partnerships. The third and final stage of Venture Kick provides startups with a kick of CHF 100,000. By this stage, the teams are expected to have demonstrated their entrepreneurial capacity, received market feedback, and laid the groundwork for market entry. Through the three stages, Venture Kick not only offers financial support but also provides guidance for business development and fundraising. The company targets startups from all sectors and verticals, notably - companies developing innovative life science and healthcare solutions.
SFC Capital
SFC Capital is a leading UK early-stage investment firm that provides seed capital and support to promising British startups. Their unique model combines an angel syndicate with their own seed investment funds, allowing business angels to invest directly or through a curated portfolio. SFC Capital offers comprehensive support throughout the investment process. They have a successful track record, having invested in over 200 companies across diverse sectors, including B2B Software, B2C Tech, Consumer Products, FinTech, Green, Hardware & Robotics, Health and more. SFC Capital focuses on startups with a clear USP, initial traction, and ambitious leaders.
Seedcamp
Seedcamp is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs startups attacking large, global markets and solving real problems using technology. They are based in London but invest globally, across a variety of sectors and solutions, including but not limited to software, hardware, marketplaces, fintech, healthtech, and AI/ML. They have a strong network of investors, mentors, and experts who provide support and guidance to their portfolio companies. They believe in speed to closing and aim to deliver quick funding to founders looking to partner with Seedcamp. As a first-cheque investor, they are typically investing between $350K to $1M in founders, at any stage of product development.
Almi Invest
Almi Invest is one of Sweden's most active startup investors, specializing in early-stage investments. As a venture capital management company, Almi Invest operates through eight regional venture capital firms and one national GreenTech fund. Almi Invest's role as a sector-independent public venture capital company is to bridge the gap between private equity and contribute to a functioning venture capital market throughout Sweden. Over the years, Almi Invest has co-invested with approximately 1000 business angels and institutional investors. Their investment criteria include innovative Swedish startups (not older than 7 years) with the potential to establish a global presence. Almi Invest seeks teams with a diverse mix of skills, behavioral styles, and experiences, and focuses on scalable business models with unique technologies or niches.
Eight Roads
Eight Roads is a renowned global investment firm that partners with game-changing technology and healthcare companies. With over 50 years of investing experience, Eight Roads has established itself as a leading player in the industry, having invested in more than 300 portfolio companies globally. The company has a robust global presence, including funds dedicated to China, Europe and Israel, India, Japan, and the US. In Europe, Eight Roads operates through its Europe & Israel Ventures team. This team focuses on investing in European and Israeli scale-up technology companies, helping them expand globally and achieve their full potential, in a variety of sectors including technology, fintech, healthcare, and more. In addition to investments, Eight Roads offers a global platform that provides entrepreneurs with access to a vast ecosystem of resources and expertise. This platform allows portfolio companies to leverage the knowledge and networks of the Eight Roads team, facilitating collaboration and learning across different geographies.
Metaplanet
Metaplanet is an investment firm that focuses on investing in founders who are defining the future. They employ an angel process and structure in their portfolio companies, which operate within a diverse range of sectors, including Artificial Intelligence, Biotech, Cryptocurrency, Healthcare, Transportation, and others. They have a hands-off investment philosophy empowering founders to execute their vision autonomously while providing continuous financial support throughout the venture's lifecycle. In their selection process, they prioritize founders with an academic mindset, emphasizing research and evidence-based approaches, mission-driven pioneers challenging the status quo, experienced teams with a proven execution track record, ventures with inherent competitive advantages, and a commitment to fostering a multi-generational positive impact on humanity. Although based in Estonia, they invest globally.
Black Pearls VC
Black Pearls VC is a Polish seed fund that specializes in investing in leading tech startups. With a strong focus on the Baltic Sea Region and Northern & Central Europe, Black Pearls VC has established itself as a prominent player in the venture capital landscape. They are sector agnostic but with a particular interest in deep tech startups working across various sectors, also in the healthcare sectors - fund’s investment portfolio spans areas such as Digital Health, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Future of Work, and more. Black Pearls VC typically invests at the seed or post-seed level with an initial investment ticket size ranging between €100k - €1m, and they also make follow-on investments in later rounds. The fund acts as both a lead investor and a part of larger investment syndicates.
Simpact VC
Yet another Polish entry on the list, Simpact Ventures is one of the first impact VC investment funds in Poland. The fund primarily focuses on early-stage startups, investing from pre-seed to Series A stages, with a ticket size ranging from EUR 500k to EUR 2M, with a preferred sweet spot at around EUR 1M. Simpact Ventures is committed to impact investing and considers social impact as a fundamental criterion for investment. They work closely with their portfolio companies to define and measure social impact through specific KPIs. Simpact Ventures supports startups that are dedicated to solving real-world problems and have the potential to make a positive impact on society, in sectors such as edtech, medtech, cleantech and biotech.
Industrifonden
Industrifonden is a venture capital fund based in Sweden that focuses on investing in early-stage companies in the deep tech, life science, and transformative tech industries. The fund primarily invests in Swedish innovations and has a reach across the Nordics. Industrifonden seeks unique and scalable innovations that have a meaningful impact on society. They have expertise in biotech, medtech and healthtech, investing in the commercialization of products and services, grounded in solid science, which address an unmet medical need. They look for passionate founders who can turn their ideas into reality and have the potential to change or create an entire industry. The fund has an evergreen structure, allowing them to focus on long-term value creation. They invest in early-stage companies and their first ticket is often around 10-50 million SEK.
General Catalyst
General Catalyst is a renowned VC firm with offices in the US and in London, that acts as a catalyst for change, aiming to transform companies, industries, and the world. They back ambitious founders who actively seek to change the status quo. The firm has a diverse global team of world-class investors, operators, and advisors who bring their expertise and support to portfolio companies. General Catalyst's investment strategy covers various stages and sectors, from creation to IPO. They have specialty strategies in areas such as consumer, enterprise, fintech & crypto, and health assurance. The Health Assurance strategy allows them to create, invest in, and partner with companies aligned with the vision of a more affordable and equitable system of care.
Giant Ventures
Giant Ventures is a purpose-driven VC firm with offices in London, New York, California, and Copenhagen. They support founders tackling the world's most significant challenges, focusing on three key themes: climate, health, and inclusive capitalism. With a multi-stage investment approach, Giant Ventures provides funding at the seed and Series B stages in both Europe and the US, committed to making a positive impact by supporting innovative companies that are driving systemic change. They are a hands-on investor leveraging deep industry expertise to make their portfolio companies succeed.
Inovo VC
Inovo is a seed-stage VC focused on growing startups in Central and Eastern Europe. They invest in founders who aren't afraid to dream big and aim to build companies with significant revenue and wide success. The fund usually offers ticket size of €0.5m - €4m for investments, with follow-ons up to €10m for individual portfolio companies. They have a geographical focus on the CEE region but also invest in founders from this region building startups anywhere in the world. In terms of industry focus, they are multi-vertical and are strong in areas like developer tools, AI/machine learning, data science, healthcare, SaaS-enabled marketplaces, and B2B enterprise. They provide support to their portfolio companies in scaling their businesses, finding investors, recruiting talent, and connecting with advisors.
Red Alpine VC
Red Alpine is a VC fund with a wide presence in Europe, operating out of offices in Switzerland, Germany, and Luxembourg. They manage 6 funds, directing their capital towards seed and early-stage startups, developing their innovative and disruptive technologies in the fields of ICT and healthcare They enable game-changing, technology-driven companies to fulfill their global ambitions.
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