Are the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) funding programmes successful in helping companies obtain more private investors?
We are analysing the European Innovation Council’s “EIC Accelerator/ EIC Fund” programme to see if it is successful in bringing in more private investors for the companies involved in its funding scheme. This research investigates the publicly available funding history of 601 companies who received either grant, equity, or blended based investments from the EIC Accelerator programme between 2019-2024. Information sources include specialised platforms such as Pitchbook, Crunchbase, etc. We are reviewing the fundraising history of these companies (private investment, government funding/grants) pre- and post- being selected for funding by the EIC.
Our preliminary research indicates that the EIC Accelerator programme has been reasonably successful in crowding in additional private investors for these companies, as well as generating new private investors beyond the Fund.
Introduction
These days there are more grant and innovation funding programmes than ever before, with central and regional governments taking more action to spur scientific innovation. These funding programmes aim to bridge the financial gap for start-ups by providing founders with access to capital, expertise and business mentoring services. Yet, it appears that some programmes are 'bridging this gap' better than others.
Our research aims to uncover the EIC fund’s current status in generating more private investors for the companies the council selects to invest in. The EIC Accelerator programmes’ structure provides companies with 3 different forms of investment: grant only, equity only, or a combination of the two through a blended finance structure. Typically, their equity and blended finance investment structures require the companies to identify additional private investors to co-invest in the equity portion, alongside the EIC fund. Although most public funding programmes publish all information for each project, there were some exceptions. Where there was limited information, we have provided a disclaimer.
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