EQT selected to manage €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund
Swedish private markets manager EQT has been selected to lead the €5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund, a European Union-backed initiative aimed at increasing institutional investment in the continent’s high-growth technology companies.
Swedish private markets manager EQT has been selected to lead the €5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund, a European Union-backed initiative aimed at increasing institutional investment in the continent’s high-growth technology companies.
EQT has been selected to manage the Scaleup Europe Fund, a new €5 billion investment vehicle backed by the European Commission and a consortium of institutional investors to support Europe’s next generation of technology companies.
The Stockholm-headquartered private markets manager was chosen following a competitive selection process and will oversee investments in later-stage businesses operating in sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.
The fund has been established to address Europe’s shortage of growth capital for scaling businesses, with the aim of encouraging more companies to remain headquartered in Europe as they expand internationally.
Founding investors include Novo Holdings, Allianz, APG and Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (EIFO), alongside backing from the European Union. The European Commission said the fund is intended to mobilise long-term institutional capital while strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in strategically important industries.
In announcing the appointment, EQT said it would draw on its experience investing in growth companies across Europe to help build globally competitive businesses.
The Scaleup Europe Fund forms part of a broader EU strategy to increase private investment in sectors regarded as critical to Europe’s economic resilience and technological sovereignty.
The appointment underlines a broader shift in European capital markets, with public institutions increasingly partnering with private capital managers to finance strategic industries. Rather than relying solely on grants or direct state investment, policymakers are seeking to crowd in pension funds, insurers and other long-term investors through professionally managed investment vehicles.
For institutional investors, the fund also highlights the growing convergence between public policy objectives and private markets. As governments look to accelerate investment in AI, digital infrastructure and advanced technologies, private capital managers are becoming an increasingly important conduit for deploying long-term institutional assets into sectors traditionally supported by public funding.