European Investment Fund Commits €40 Million to Pioneering Defence Tech Fund, Supporting Europe’s Strategic Autonomy

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(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Fund (EIF) has made its first investment in a dedicated European defence fund, committing €40 million to Keen’s European Defence and Security Tech Fund. The fund will focus on early-stage companies pioneering technologies in areas like cyber defence, robotics, AI, and space technologies. This investment underscores EIF’s commitment to strengthening Europe’s security and technological resilience, with a focus on increasing Europe’s strategic autonomy and addressing geopolitical challenges.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG/AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS, 22-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Fund (EIF), backed by the InvestEU programme, is taking a bold step in enhancing Europe’s security and defence capabilities. In a move aimed at addressing the increasing security challenges across the continent, the EIF has made a pioneering €40 million investment in Keen’s European Defence and Security Tech Fund. This investment marks the EIF’s first-ever commitment to a dedicated European defence fund, focused on early-stage companies driving innovation in key areas such as information superiority, cyber defence, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and space technologies.

The European Defence and Security Tech Fund will support companies across the EU, as well as the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Norway. The fund will particularly focus on cutting-edge technologies that aim to enhance Europe’s strategic autonomy and safeguard vital sectors like satellite communications, satellite image analysis, and space asset protection. Through this investment, the EIF is reinforcing its commitment to bolstering Europe’s security and technological resilience, ensuring that European companies are at the forefront of defence innovation.

Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive of the EIF, emphasized the importance of this investment: “Our support for the Keen European Defence and Security Tech Fund reflects our broader commitment to strengthening Europe’s security landscape. By investing in pioneering defence technology companies, we are not only advancing technological progress but also enhancing the continent’s overall resilience and security.”

This €40 million investment is part of the Defence Equity Facility and the InvestEU Space mandate, marking a significant step in EIF’s strategy to diversify and strengthen Europe’s defence technology ecosystem. The EIF’s involvement in the fund complements its broader investment portfolio, which includes previous commitments to venture capital funds with a partial focus on defence.

Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, stressed the strategic importance of this initiative: “Strengthening Europe’s defence technological and industrial base is critical to securing our autonomy and protecting our citizens in all domains—land, sea, air, cyberspace, and space. With investments like these, we are transforming ambition into action and ensuring that Europe has the technologies needed for the future.”

Keen Venture Partners, led by Alexander Ribbink and Giuseppe Lacerenza, expressed their pride in the partnership with the EIF: “The opportunity to bring together the ingenuity of tech entrepreneurs with the full backing of venture capital is transformative for the European defence sector. A safer, stronger Europe requires the creativity and determination that entrepreneurs bring, and we are excited to be leading this critical initiative with the support of the EIF.”

Background information

The European Investment Fund(EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF fosters EU objectives in support of sustainability, innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth and employment.

Keen Venture Partners is a radically human venture capital firm based in Amsterdam and London. Keen backs exceptional teams and fast-growing European tech companies from seed to Series B. Keen has built strong expertise in defence and deep tech, supported by an advisory board of European military leaders, industry veterans, and policymakers. The firm invests through a thesis-driven approach, formulating investment ideas based on fundamental trends in specific areas of technology. When getting to know founders, Keen shares its network of operators, experience, and capabilities even before investing. The portfolio consists of 30+ startups and scaleups across Europe. You can find more information at: www.keenventurepartners.com.

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable economy. It helps generate additional investments in line with EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal, the digital transition and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient, and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub, and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners who invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. This guarantee increases their risk-bearing capacity, thus mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment.

Media Contacts:

Keen Venture Partners:    

Alexander Ribbink | alexander@keenventurepartners.com | +31612340000

Giuseppe Lacerenza | giuseppe@keenventurepartners.com | +31612048616

EIB Group:         

Serena Sertore | s.sertore@eib.org | tel.: +352 437 970 859

Website: www.eif.org/ | Press Office: +352 4379 21000 — press@eib.org

European Commission:

Quentin Cortes | +32 2 291 32 83 | quentin.cortes@ec.europa.eu

SOURCE: European Investment Fund