In a world the place breakthrough improvements typically falter on account of a scarcity of funding or market readiness, the EU-funded INVEST challenge is stepping as much as rewrite the narrative. By addressing the vital hole between researchers and traders, INVEST is paving the best way for Europe’s most promising research-driven improvements to scale up and make a world impression.
Closing the hole between innovators and traders
The core problem lies in a mutual lack of know-how: researchers typically lack the data and networks to pitch their concepts successfully, whereas traders battle to search out and assess cutting-edge improvements popping out of analysis labs. With Innovation Radar already figuring out high-potential improvements, INVEST takes it a step additional by combining its knowledge with exterior insights and deploying due diligence practices. This enriched strategy ensures that each events—traders and innovators—have the instruments they should join successfully.
INVEST’s strategy isn’t nearly matchmaking; it’s about making ready researchers to be investor-ready. By means of venture-building programmes, tech due diligence actions, and curated pitching occasions, the challenge has already helped deliver many inventions to market.
The INVEST challenge’s success is mirrored in its exceptional impression on Europe’s innovation panorama. To this point, 312 corporations have acquired devoted help, enabling them to refine their enterprise fashions, join with traders, and scale successfully. By means of the Uncover.dealflow.eu platform, the challenge has facilitated 241 strategic introductions, bridging the hole between research-driven startups and potential traders. These efforts have culminated in a staggering €930 million raised since 2020, with a powerful €2.98 million common funding per transaction. These figures underscore INVEST’s pivotal position in turning high-potential analysis into market-ready improvements.
Success tales: the place innovation meets funding
- Brite Photo voltaic: revolutionising glass for the way forward for building
Greek startup Brite Photo voltaic is main the cost in nanomaterials, delivering a brand new class of glass supplies for constructing building. The corporate has pioneered Photo voltaic Glass expertise, with improvements like Dynamic Glass, a low-cost, thermally insulating electrochromic glass.Assist from INVEST: Enterprise-building help by Dealflow.eu.
Funding milestones: €8.6M raised in January 2024, constructing on prior EU funding of €700k.
At the moment, Brite Photo voltaic’s developments are reworking how we take into consideration energy-efficient building, making them a real instance of EU-funded innovation scaling globally. - NVISION Think about: quantum MRI for early medical interventions
Medical diagnostics are being revolutionised by NVISION Think about, a startup leveraging quantum expertise to create superior MRI brokers and polarisation units. These improvements allow the detection of early metabolic responses to therapy, providing hope for higher affected person outcomes.Assist from INVEST: Winner of the Innovation Radar Prize 2022, together with materials refinement and investor introductions.
Funding milestones: €30M Collection A spherical in June 2023, following €6.6M in EU funding.
NVISION Think about is setting the stage for a healthcare revolution, with its improvements now attracting important international curiosity and funding. - NextSense: accelerating renewable vitality adoption
Dutch startup NextSense is making waves in renewable vitality innovation. After collaborating in Dealflow.eu’s Renewable Vitality E-Pitching Occasion, NextSense secured a pivotal introduction to ETF Companions, who, together with Pensioenfonds ABP, co-led their €11.5M Collection A funding spherical.Assist from INVEST: Introductions facilitated throughout curated pitching occasions. Funding milestones: €11.5M Collection A spherical in 2024.
NextSense exemplifies how strategic matchmaking and skilled steerage can translate cutting-edge concepts into market-ready options.
Thijs Povel, CEO & Founder at Dealflow.eu, highlights the transformative position of the challenge, “INVEST has been instrumental in bridging the hole between groundbreaking analysis and real-world funding alternatives. By leveraging instruments just like the Innovation Radar to determine high-potential improvements and complementing this with venture-building help and rigorous due diligence, we’ve been capable of speed up the journey of research-driven startups towards market success. This holistic strategy ensures that European innovators not solely safe funding however are additionally geared up to scale globally and drive significant impression.”
A shiny future for EU-funded innovation
The success of the INVEST challenge highlights the vital position of public funding in empowering European analysis to resolve real-world issues. By connecting researchers with the monetary assets and experience they want, tasks like INVEST not solely foster progress but additionally contribute to Europe’s management in innovation on the worldwide stage.
Be a part of us on the EU Startups Summit 2025
Don’t miss the possibility to fulfill the challenge leaders and unimaginable EU innovators reworking industries on the EU Startups Summit 2025. It’s the right alternative to community, uncover groundbreaking research-driven improvements, and discover the way forward for European innovation. Mark your calendar and be a part of the subsequent wave of change!