1 minute read / February 18, 2025
The European Innovation Council (EIC) selected 71 cutting edge companies for funding, combining grants and equity, following the last 2024 EIC Accelerator cut-off in October. They have been selected among 1,211 submitted proposals, out of which 431 have been invited to the jury interviews. It has been the most competitive funding round so far since the launch of the Accelerator under Horizon Europe.
The selected companies will collectively receive up to €161 million in grants and approximately €226 million in equity*. Notably, 79% of the companies will benefit from the full blended finance option, which combines grants and equity investments. Additionally, 10 companies opted for grant only and 5 companies for equity-only funding. The equity investments will be made through the EIC Fund, the EIC’s dedicated investment arm and Europe’s largest deep-tech investor, which typically attracts additional investors and increases the overall investment to more than three times the EIC’s original amount.
* For investment component, estimated amounts based on the track record of the EIC Fund (average investment per company is €3.72m under Horizon Europe), not on amounts requested by company.
