EIB Group, EU Governments and Institutional Investors Back Major Growth Capital Platform for European Technology Companies

EIB Group, EU Governments and Institutional Investors Back Major Growth Capital Platform for European Technology Companies

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Bank Group, EU27 governments and major private institutional investors have launched ETCI 2.0, the second phase of the European Tech Champions Initiative. The new phase aims to mobilise up to €80 billion for more than 1,500 European technology scaleups, helping innovative companies born in Europe grow into global leaders while remaining anchored in Europe. ETCI 2.0 has a target fundraising size of up to €15 billion, around four times larger than the original initiative launched in 2023. The EIB Group is expected to invest up to €1.25 billion, while private investors already backing the initiative include Danske Bank, AltamarCAM, Banco Santander, BBVA, Azimut Holding, Green Arrow Capital and Compagnia di San Paolo. The initiative will support European mega-funds and, for the first time, mid-sized growth funds of more than €300 million. It is expected to help create more than 100 funds, including up to 45 mega-funds, with large ticket sizes for late-stage scaleups. ETCI 2.0 also aims to strengthen Europe’s investment ecosystem, improve access to growth capital, support the EU’s Savings and Investment Union and reinforce European competitiveness, innovation and strategic autonomy.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 10-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Bank Group, together with EU27 governments and private institutional investors, has launched the second phase of the European Tech Champions Initiative, a major investment alliance designed to help Europe’s most promising technology companies scale into global leaders.

The new phase, known as ETCI 2.0, builds on the first European Tech Champions Initiative and aims to mobilise up to €80 billion in investment for highly innovative European companies. The initiative will provide equity financing to technology scaleups through a stronger pan-European investment platform.

The launch took place in Brussels on the margins of the ECOFIN meeting of EU finance ministers, with support from the governments of all 27 EU Member States, the EIB Group, major institutional investors and asset managers.

The first phase of ETCI has supported 15 mega-funds investing in European startups seeking to scale up. It has also contributed to the development of 12 EU-based unicorns, referring to scaleups valued at more than €1 billion.

ETCI 2.0 will significantly expand the initiative’s size and scope. The new phase has a target fundraising size of up to €15 billion, around four times larger than the original fund of funds launched in 2023. It is designed to mobilise total investments of up to €80 billion for more than 1,500 European scaleups.

The final size of ETCI 2.0 will be determined in the second half of 2026, when contributions from participating parties are finalised during the first closing. The EIB Group is expected to invest up to €1.25 billion into the fund.

EIB Group President Nadia Calviño said the new partnership is focused on scale and speed, giving European innovators access to the capital they need to grow.

“The partnership launched today is all about scale and speed, powering European pioneers with the capital they need to grow,” said Calviño. “This is a decisive step to address the funding gap for scaleups, making sure that ideas, technologies and innovative firms born in Europe can stay and thrive in Europe.”

Irish Finance Minister Simon Harris, speaking in the context of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, said ETCI 2.0 marks an important step in closing Europe’s scaleup financing gap.

He said the inclusion of mid-sized funds and the participation of institutional investors are crucial developments, helping mobilise private capital at scale and aligning the initiative with Europe’s competitiveness agenda.

Greek Finance Minister and Eurogroup President Kyriakos Pierrakakis said Europe cannot lead in future technologies if its most innovative companies need to seek growth capital outside Europe.

“ETCI 2.0 is a strategic response to the major challenge of strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and, ultimately, improving the standard of living for all our citizens,” said Pierrakakis.

Private investors joining the initiative include Danske Bank from Denmark, Spain-based AltamarCAM, Banco Santander and BBVA, and Italian investors Azimut Holding, Green Arrow Capital and Compagnia di San Paolo. Additional investors are expected to join at a later stage.

ETCI 2.0 will support both European mega-funds and, for the first time, mid-sized growth funds of more than €300 million. The initiative is expected to anchor the creation of more than 100 funds in total, including up to 45 mega-funds.

These mega-funds are expected to invest in European scaleups with average ticket sizes of around €200 million per individual company, helping address the late-stage financing gap that has often pushed high-growth European firms to seek capital outside the region.

The initiative will also establish a pan-European investment platform to provide a pipeline of European technology funds. The platform is intended to improve private investors’ visibility of opportunities, provide market intelligence and offer broader ecosystem insights.

A digital tool will support the investment platform by helping facilitate investor engagement.

Through this structure, ETCI 2.0 aims to expand access to late-stage capital across Europe, strengthen links between national and European investment initiatives, and provide long-term investors with a more structured route into Europe’s most promising growth-stage technology companies.

The initiative will work alongside and complement other national and European programmes supporting tech champions, including France’s Tibi initiative, Germany’s WIN initiative and the Scaleup Europe Fund.

By mobilising public and private capital across borders, ETCI 2.0 is expected to contribute to deeper, more integrated and more efficient European capital markets. It will also support the EU’s Savings and Investment Union, while reinforcing European strategic autonomy, innovation and productivity growth.

EIB Group    
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees, securitisation and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

Photos of the EIB Group’s representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here.

Media Contacts:

Serena Sertore
EIBG Press
s.sertore@eib.org
+352 4379 – 70859
www.eib.org/press

Nikos Chrysoloras
EIBG Press
n.chrysoloras@eib.org
+352 4379 – 83078
www.eib.org/press

Press Office

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SOURCE: European Investment Bank