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Analysis

February 6, 2026

The VCs that could run the EU’s €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund

The European Innovation Council is looking for investors who’ve managed at least €500m and two funds


Klaus Hommels, Lakestar founder ©Hubert Burda Media / Flickr

Europe’s VCs have been steadily raising bigger funds — with the likes of Balderton, Index, Northzone and Atomico all having crossed the €1bn mark — but managers with serious capital under management remain few and far between.

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Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty is Sifted's associate editor. She covers UK tech and leads Sifted's investigations. Follow her on X , LinkedIn and Bluesky

Anne Sraders

Anne Sraders is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the VC industry and deeptech startups. She also writes Sifted's weekly VC newsletter Up Round. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

Amy Lewin

Amy Lewin is Sifted’s editor and host of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast . Follow her on X, LinkedIn and Bluesky

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