Funding Opportunities
Whether you are an early stage or late stage startup, whether you have just an idea or an operational business, whether you specialize in cleantech, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, etc., there are a variety of funding opportunities available to you throughout Europe. When it comes to funding, there are a lot of opportunities to choose from, and choosing the right funding option can improve your chances for success.
Accelerators
Accelerators typically support early-stage, growth-driven startups by providing mentorship, training/education, and some financing (for a small amount of equity). Startups enter an accelerator for a fixed-period of time as part of a selected “class” of startups that enter the program together. The experience of an accelerator is fast, intense, and…
Angel Investment
Angel investments are made my angel investors who are wealthy individuals willing to invest their own money, usually in businesses where they have expertise. These private investors are typically wealthy individuals, ex-founders or prominent businesspeople, and sometimes for groups and invest together.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet through crowdfunding sites. It can also be raised through family and friends. This approach to funding involves leveraging social networks for reach and exposure.
EU Grants
The EU has several different funding programmes that you may be able to apply for, depending on the nature of your business or project. There are two different types: direct funding and indirect funding. Grants are given to specific projects that relate to EU policies, usually following a public announcement…
Government/Public
Most countries offer funding via specified government agencies. There are many public funding opportunities in innovation, research, and more. Countries that take startups and innovation seriously will more likely than not have a funding program to support new and growing companies.
Impact Investment
Impact investing refers to investments "made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return." Impact investments provide capital to address social and/or environmental issues.
Incubators
A startup or business incubator help new companies grow and develop by providing training, office space, and other resources. Some incubators are independent, while others can be sponsored or operated by angel investors, governments, private corporations, VCs, etc.
Startup Competitions
The competitions offer startups the opportunity to win funding or resources. They sometimes include pitch competitions or business plan competitions. They sometimes occur live, in-person or online through a digital application. Winning startup competitions can attract capital/investors, help grow your network, give you access to mentors, expand to new markets,…
Venture Capital
Venture capital is a type of private equity, a form of financing that is provided by firms or funds to small, early-stage, emerging firms that are deemed to have high growth potential, or which have demonstrated high growth. VCs typically invest in projects that come with a high element of…
Geographic Locations
Startup hubs are developing all over the world, particularly across the European continent where European cities are becoming host to various incubators, accelerators, venture capital firms, and more. Each country/city has it's own unique startup flavor!
Belgium
Belgium has so much more to offer than just strong beer, great chocolate, and funny comics. The rather small country also plays a quite important role in European politics, with Brussels being kind of the capital of the EU. But most importantly, at least for us, Belgium has a blooming…
Cyprus
Cyprus is an emerging startup ecosystem at the crossroads of three continents - Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Cyprus is home to innovative research, highly educated talent, and favorable startup business incentives (ex. business taxes).
Czech Republic
Prague — the capital of the Czech Republic — has been gaining a lot of attention as an up-and-coming tech hub with a lot more to offer than its world famous architecture and delicious beers. Recognized as a bohemian capital, the country’s progressive nature has opened the city up to…
France
Boosters of the French scene point to some impressive stats. There are now around 9,400 startups in the country, while venture capital investment increased to over €2.2bn in 2016, putting France behind only the UK in terms of the European startup scene. (https://www.techrepublic.com/article/startup-republic-how-france-reinvented-itself-for-the-21st-century-by-wooing-entrepreneurs-to-paris/)
Germany
Investment in German startups soared 88 percent last year to $4.3 billion, and the capital city accounted for a whopping 70 percent of the total. Just a few of the hundreds of Berlin startups in recent years include Soundcloud, N26, Auto1, ElektroCouture, GoEuro, Lesara, Blinkist, DOJO Madness and Movinga. (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/317953)
Greece
On the surface, Athens doesn’t seem like the best place to start a business. Since the country’s financial crisis almost a decade ago, about one in five small businesses have folded and unemployment levels still hover around 20%. However, the local startup scene is enjoying some surprising successes, fuelled by…
Italy
One of the factors that makes Italy's startup culture different from that of places like Silicon Valley is the fact that there's no one center of innovation. In 2016, the three most popular locations for startups - Milan, Rome, and Turin - were home to less than 30 percent of…
Multiple Locations
Many funding organizations are establishing offices in multiple cities across Europe and the world. Funding opportunities in this category offer more than one location by which to operate out of.
Netherlands
The Dutch are worldwide recognised for their entrepreneur and innovation spirit. Actually, the Netherlands has been home to some of the most relevant multinationals across industries, such ING Bank, Philips, Amstel Brewery, Heineken, Exor, KLM, KPMG, Rabobank, Randstad, TNT Express or Unilever, to name a few. And, obviously, the Dutch…
Portugal
The scaleup ecosystem in Portugal is growing and it’s growing fast. In the last year over $130 million dollars of new funding was secured (40% of the total financing raised in the 2010-2016 timeframe), this means Portugal is growing 2 times faster compared to the European average. (http://rethink.beta-i.pt/2017/10/12/portuguese-ecosystem-growing-twice-fast-european-average/)
Romania
According to the Financial Times, Romania — one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies, has became a popular tech destination. Quartz adds that it could very well be EU’s next tech-startup hub while TechCrunch called it the Silicon Valley of Transylvania. (https://thinkgrowth.org/romania-could-be-the-next-berlin-by-2020-24cdc032b936)
Spain
Despite a devastating economic crisis, governmental challenges, Spain has managed to develop an impressive and thriving startup ecosystem. There is no doubt that a number of challenges remain, but the country’s resilience instills confidence in the prospect of its future as a global startup hub. (https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/01/18/outrunning-bulls-look-spains-developing-startup-ecosystem/)
Switzerland
While many know the Swiss for our beautiful country or are lucky enough to have a business relationship with our banks, Switzerland also occupies a leading position on various global rankings for its innovative strength and competitiveness. Swiss corporations such as Roche, UBS, ABB, and Nestlé are world leaders in…
Turkey
The first wave of internet entrepreneurs in Turkey started at the end of the 1990s and turned into the nation’s first success stories like Yemeksepeti (online food ordering startup acquired for $589M), Gittigidiyor (e-shopping marketplace acquired by eBay for $217M) and Pozitron (mobile enterprise development company acquired for $100M). Meanwhile,…
United Kingdom
With London boasting over 660,000 startups, and an all-time high of £2.99 billion in investment last year, the city has earned its mark as one of most innovative places to set up a startup in Europe. It's estimated 75 new companies launch every hour in the U.K. and with so…