Top 15 VCs for Deeptech Startups in Europe in 2025

The deep tech landscape in Europe is burgeoning, and the year 2025 is set to be a significant time for investment and growth in this sector. Below is a thorough list of the Top 15 Venture Capital Firms investing in deep tech startups in Europe, detailing their focus areas, investment stages, typical investment sizes, activities, and key portfolio companies.

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1. European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund

Focus: Deep tech investments spanning various sectors such as quantum, semiconductors, advanced materials, and space technology.
Investment Stage: Primarily early-stage (seed to Series A), with increasing focus on scale-up funding.
Typical Investment Size: Grants up to €2.5 million; equity investments typically range from €0.5 million to €15 million, with larger investments available via the new EIC STEP scheme.
Activity: The most active deep tech investor in Europe with 28 deals as of August 2024 and a planned €1.4 billion investment in 2025.
Key Portfolio Companies: Axelera AI, Multiverse Computing
Learn more about the EIC Fund

2. Bpifrance

Focus: French state-owned investment bank specializing in deep tech and innovation across various sectors.
Investment Stage: Seed to growth stages.
Typical Investment Size: Varies; focused on a €2.5 billion dedicated DeepTech plan.
Activity: Involved in 19 deep tech deals in 2024, particularly active in space tech and advanced materials.
Key Portfolio Companies: Mistral AI
Discover Bpifrance

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3. High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF)

Focus: Early-stage deep tech startups in Germany across industrial tech, life sciences, AI, robotics, cybersecurity, biotech, and nanotechnology.
Investment Stage: Seed.
Typical Investment Size: €500,000 to €3 million, with follow-on investments possible.
Activity: Invested in 15 deep tech startups in 2024.
Key Portfolio Companies: Konax, CureVac, IQM
Explore High-Tech Gründerfonds

4. Octopus Ventures

Focus: Multi-stage investments across deep tech, fintech, healthtech, and consumer sectors.
Investment Stage: Multi-stage.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: A highly active investor in the deep tech sector.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Learn more about Octopus Ventures

5. Verve Ventures

Focus: Early-stage deep tech investments across robotics, AI, biotech, and advanced materials.
Investment Stage: Early stage.
Typical Investment Size: €500,000 to €3 million.
Activity: Launched the "Verve Venture Fund I" to invest in its top-performing startups with over 160 investments.
Key Portfolio Companies: ANYbotics, Heartflow, Versarien
Discover Verve Ventures

6. IQ Capital

Focus: Deep tech investments targeting AI, robotics, and synthetic biology.
Investment Stage: Early-stage.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Noted as one of Europe's most active deep tech investors.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Explore IQ Capital

7. Vsquared Ventures

Focus: Early-stage deep tech startups in quantum computing, green energy, robotics, AI/ML, new space, and synthetic biology.
Investment Stage: Early-stage.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Actively supports visionary founders in the European deep tech ecosystem.
Key Portfolio Companies: IQM, Zama, Custom Cells
Learn more about Vsquared Ventures

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8. UVC Partners

Focus: Early-stage deep tech with interests in space tech, robotics, quantum computing, AI models, and climate tech.
Investment Stage: Early stage to Series A.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Partners with groundbreaking founders from the earliest stages.
Key Portfolio Companies: Isar Aerospace, Aleph Alpha, Reverion
Discover UVC Partners

9. Speedinvest

Focus: Early-stage tech startups with an interest in deep tech, fintech, healthtech, climate tech, marketplaces, and SaaS.
Investment Stage: Seed.
Typical Investment Size: €200K - €2M in initial ticket size.
Activity: A prominent early-stage investor in Europe, having raised a €350m fund recently.
Key Portfolio Companies: Bitmovin
Learn more about Speedinvest

10. APEX Ventures

Focus: Deep tech and medical fields.
Investment Stage: Not specified.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Actively invests in deep tech and medical sectors.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Explore APEX Ventures

11. Elaia Partners

Focus: Deep tech investments across various sectors.
Investment Stage: Early-stage.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: An active investor in the European deep tech space.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Discover Elaia Partners

12. Innovation Industries

Focus: Deep tech.
Investment Stage: Not specified.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Recently raised a €600m fund to invest in deep tech.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Learn more about Innovation Industries

13. Quantonation

Focus: Quantum technologies.
Investment Stage: Early-stage.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Supports the development of quantum technologies through investment.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Explore Quantonation

14. Lunar Ventures

Focus: Deep tech.
Investment Stage: Early-stage.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Actively involved in the European deep tech scene.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Discover Lunar Ventures

15. Deeptech Seed Fund

Focus: Deep tech seed investments.
Investment Stage: Seed.
Typical Investment Size: Not specified.
Activity: Concentrates on seed-stage opportunities in deep tech.
Key Portfolio Companies: Not specified.
Explore Deeptech Seed Fund

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FAQ

Q: What is the focus of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund?

A: The EIC Fund focuses on deep tech investments, particularly in areas like quantum, semiconductors, advanced materials, and space tech. Learn more here.

Q: How much does Bpifrance typically invest in deep tech startups?

A: Bpifrance has a dedicated DeepTech plan with a total investment capacity of €2.5 billion, varying by deal size and stage. Discover more about Bpifrance.

Q: What types of startups does High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) focus on?

A: HTGF primarily invests in early-stage deep tech startups across industrial tech, life sciences, AI, robotics, cybersecurity, biotech, and nanotechnology. Explore High-Tech Gründerfonds.

Q: What are the investment stages targeted by Octopus Ventures?

A: Octopus Ventures operates as a multi-stage investor, meaning it invests across different stages of startup development within deep tech, fintech, healthtech, and consumer sectors. Learn about Octopus Ventures.

Q: What unique fund did Verve Ventures launch?

A: Verve Ventures launched the "Verve Venture Fund I," aiming to invest in its top-performing startups in deep tech sectors such as robotics, AI, and advanced materials. Learn more about Verve Ventures.

Q: Who does IQ Capital typically invest in?

A: IQ Capital targets early-stage deep tech companies, with a specific focus on areas like AI, robotics, and synthetic biology. Discover IQ Capital.

Q: What is the mission of Vsquared Ventures?

A: Vsquared Ventures backs visionary founders of early-stage deep tech startups in fields including quantum computing, green energy, and synthetic biology. Explore Vsquared Ventures.

Q: Which sectors does UVC Partners focus on?

A: UVC Partners emphasizes early-stage investments in deep tech sectors including space tech, robotics, quantum computing, and climate tech. Learn about UVC Partners.

Q: What is Speedinvest's average investment size?

A: Speedinvest typically invests between €200K and €2M in early-stage tech startups, including those in the deep tech sector. Discover Speedinvest here.

Q: What is the investment approach of Deeptech Seed Fund?

A: Deeptech Seed Fund focuses on seed stage investments in deep tech opportunities, supporting companies at their initial phases of development. Learn more about the Deeptech Seed Fund.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.

Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).

She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.