Newsletter #9: Getting to know our member companies – interviews, latest achievements, and more
EIC Scaling Club
European deep tech scale-ups have the potential to make a massive positive impact on the world. United, we'll get there.
Dear friends,
Summer is here, and so is the EIC Scaling Club's latest newsletter.
In the months to come, we'll focus on all things member companies – who they are, what they're building, and who are the people behind these innovations. In other words, we will get to know and introduce the companies that have made the cut.
If you haven't yet, check out our first cohort of companies here.
Kind regards,
The EIC Scaling Club team
News and insights from the EIC Scaling Club
Last month, we introduced 48 top-notch mentors who will guide the Club companies to new heights. Each of the first cohort of companies has already had at least one mentoring session, and we can't wait to see the first results from this mentoring cycle, which will continue throughout June.
In the meantime, we're working heads down on onboarding stakeholders – investors, corporates, agencies, and more – for the six newly launched market groups:
What's next? The stakeholders will be asked to nominate companies in the respective market groups, and we'll invite the top 12 to apply and join the EIC Scaling Club. The second cohort of companies will be announced in September, so stay tuned!
Get to know EIC Scaling Club members!
Bridging the Blockchain Chasm with Innovative Solutions – Interview with Fabrizia Zanca, VP of People at SettleMint
SettleMint is a blockchain transformation platform that allows enterprise companies to seamlessly integrate blockchain applications into their systems while empowering teams with the skills, knowledge, methodologies, guidance, and ongoing support they need. The company's clients are enterprises that understand the intrinsic benefits of blockchain technology very well.
We met Fabrizia Zanca, VP of People at SettleMint, to discuss the company's efforts in the blockchain sector, how the perception of blockchain has evolved over the past years, and more.
EIC Scaling Club companies making headlines
VAY partners with Peugeot
German mobility startup and member in the ‘Smart Mobility’ market group, Vay, announced a partnership with Peugeot. They’re integrating Vay's remote-driving technology – teledriving – into Peugeot vehicles to explore new use cases for last-mile delivery, with a focus on B2B customers.
This partnership is the company's latest significant achievement this year. In January 2024, Vay became the first and only company to drive a car on public roads in the US and Europe without a human inside it.
Sweetch Energy featured on Le Monde
The French startup Sweetch Energy is part of the 'Renewable Energy' market group. The company is set to test a new technology that uses a porous membrane to generate energy from the difference in salt concentration between seawater and river water.
Sweetch Energy was recently covered by Le Monde, one of the biggest and most recognized media outlets in France.
Read more (Article in French)
On European competitiveness and entrepreneurial education: Interview with Maria Zubeldia of Oxford's Sa?d Business School
We sat down with Maria Zubeldia, Head of the Entrepreneurship Centre at the Sa?d Business School at Oxford University. We were particularly keen to talk to Maria, as she chairs the EIC Scaling Club Council, which oversees the project's operations and contributes to the achievement of its strategic objectives.
Meet the man building deep tech ventures and spin-offs for IMEC: An interview with Olivier Rousseaux, its Director of Venture Development
Olivier Rousseaux leads the deep tech venturing and spin-off activity for IMEC as its Director of Venture Development. We spoke to him to understand what the term 'deep tech' actually means in the world of IMEC and how he envisions the organisation to work with the EIC Scaling Club and the selected scale-up members in the future.
Finding investment as a deeptech scaleup – interview with Larissa Skarke of World Fund
Larissa Skarke is a climate tech investor at one of Europe's leading climate tech VCs – World Fund. In the interview, she revealed that the fund assesses startups' climate performance potential, seeking to back entrepreneurs who view decarbonisation as a value driver.
Turning nanotechnology into business – interview with Tom Vanhouette
In this interview, we delve into the world of cutting-edge technology with Tom Vanhoutte, Founding Partner at imec.xpand. This independent global VC fund fuels transformative innovations in semiconductors and nanotechnology. Tom highlighted initiatives like the imec.istart accelerator and cooperation with the imec innovation team.
EIB's role in Europe's deep tech ecosystem – Interview with Thomas Ferré
We spoke to Thomas Ferré, Venture and Growth Investor at the European Investment Bank (EIB), about the EIB's pivotal role in catalyzing Europe's deep tech ecosystem. Thomas outlined how the bank nurtures scale-ups through their growth journeys and shared his opinion on the companies he saw at the Ignition Forum. (Spoiler alert: he was very impressed!)
EIC ScalingUp program alumni, NIL Technologies, raises €29 million
NIL Technology (NILT) recently announced securing €29 million in fresh capital in a round led by a syndicate of investors, including the EIFO (Export and Investment Fund of Denmark), Jolt Capital, NGP Capital and Swisscanto Fund Management Company Ltd.
NILT is a Denmark-born optical solutions company designing, developing, and manufacturing optical elements and components using high-precision nanoscale features.
In 2022, the company was selected from more than 3,000 candidates to be part of the EIC ScalingUp – a program for the most promising deep-tech companies in Europe and the predecessor programme for the EIC Scaling Club.
?News from the EIC
EC announces first steps towards a network of VC investors in deep-tech innovation together with the EIC Fund
"By joining forces towards a shared vision for Europe’s competitiveness, we can unlock the full potential of venture capital investments in disruptive deep-tech European technologies," said Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Iliana Ivanova.?
"I look forward to continuing this journey of open communication and collaboration with like-minded partners to facilitate investment in disruptive research and breakthrough EIC innovations, providing a fertile ground for our innovative companies to grow in Europe."
Recently, a report by Jolt Capital highlighted the success of EIC-backed companies, which have raised more funds and generated more jobs compared to their peers. This success story reinforces the potential of EIC-supported innovations to drive Europe’s competitiveness on the global stage.
More news and open calls
EIC offers services to help your company grow
The EIC is best known as Europe’s biggest single funder of innovative companies – with a €10.1 billion budget now helping hundreds of companies across the EU. But in recent years, it has also been expanding its “smart money” services, offering more than just money – advice, mentorship, networking, and more. Learn more in this interview with Mali M. Baum, entrepreneur, investor, and EIC board member.
That’s it for this month!
Do let us know how we can improve this newsletter in future editions.
Make sure to follow us on social media to stay updated on all things European deep tech as we get busy building a vibrant EIC Scaling Club.
PS. Watch your inbox for the EIC Business Acceleration Services newsletter—it's coming soon and will contain more valuable information!
?? 25+ years of expertise in Incubation Design ? Entrepreneurship & Innovation Support | Multicultural & Impact oriented
7 个月atTRACTION: Connecting Deep-Tech Innovation Ecosystems "Commission announces first steps towards a network of VC investors in deep-tech innovation"