Venture debt

Four key benefits

Limited dilution

Our financing has less of an impact on ownership than equity funding. This helps keep motivation high, while complementing equity capital.

Bespoke financing

Loans can be secured or unsecured, and provide different levels of subordination (including contingent/participating loans).

Hands-off approach

We have no direct involvement in daily management.

Signalling effect

Our financing is often seen as a mark of quality, helping attract additional investors.

Eligibility criteria

Who is eligible

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps developing highly innovative technologies, solutions or platforms.

The company must have already raised equity from professional investors, have a sustainable business model and business plan and have a solid corporate governance in place.

Pricing, geographical availability and other terms

Eligibility criteria

What is eligible

The investee must have investment plans for research and development that are geographically located in the European Union (EU). The projects should be in commercial stage. Exceptionally, projects in pre-commercial stage may be accepted if the company develops technologies in areas of strategic importance to the EU.

We typically offer financing between €5 million and €50 million. Scale-up companies with a valuation exceeding €500 million are eligible for financing superior to €50 million.

Projects that apply for financing under InvestEU are eligible for venture debt financing.

The projects should fall under one of the following innovative areas:

Life science and biotech Deep tech and digital Cleantech

Typically companies active in biotech, unmet medical needs, vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, med-tech, digital health solutions.

Companies we work with

Typically companies active in robotics, automation, high performance computing, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, advanced hardware components, advanced engineering, photonics, semiconductors, IoT, 5G and beyond, edge computing, industry 4.0, automation and data flows, advanced materials, sustainable/advanced manufacturing, space tech, and strategic sustainable ICT technologies.

Companies we work with

Typically companies active in sustainable transport, future mobility, transition to clean energy, decarbonisation technologies and digital solutions, bioeconomy, and circular economy.

Companies we work with

Contact us

How to get financing

Find more information about applying for EIB venture debt financing and the next steps of the process. Sign up for a contact account to send all inquiries directly to our Venture Debt team. Once signed up, your company can get in touch with us, make a general enquiry or apply for venture debt financing.

Create an account

Sign in

Our partnerships

EU battery manufacturing EU-Catalyst Hera Invest

The European Commission and the EIB have joined forces to boost the EU’s battery manufacturing sector. The initiative includes a €200 million loan guarantee from the Innovation Fund to the InvestEU programme. This adds to €1 billion in grants for EV battery projects, and an additional €1.8 billion from the EIB for the battery value chain. Together, these efforts will provide up to €3 billion in public support for creating a competitive and sustainable European battery industry.

Learn more

Together with the European Commission and Breakthrough Energy we are accelerating the deployment of emerging climate technologies in Europe through Catalyst. Through this partnership we identify and support projects with high potential for impact and cost-down trajectory in sectors such as clean hydrogen, energy storage, sustainable aviation fuel, direct CO₂ capture and decarbonisation of heavily polluting industries.

Learn more

The Commission and the European Investment Bank have created HERA Invest, a €100 million top-up to the InvestEU programme, to support research and development (R&D) in the most pressing cross-border health threats, financed by the EU4Health programme. This initiative focuses on small and medium-sized companies that develop medical countermeasures against health threats.

Learn more