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"description": "Europe's venture capital market raised €8 billion across 41 new funds from February to May 2026. This funding wave signals where smart money is flowing, giving founders clear direction on which investors are actively deploying fresh capital. The new VC funds Europe Q1 2026 landscape shows strong appetite for AI and deeptech investments.\n\nAI leads sector focus with 24 funds targeting artificial intelligence startups, while France and the UK dominate geography with 9 funds each. Seed-stage investi",
"path": "/new-vc-funds-europe-q1-2026-eu8b-raised-across-41-funds/",
"publishedAt": "2026-05-23T10:39:56.000Z",
"site": "https://blog.privateequitylist.com",
"tags": [
"Lightrock",
"UVC Partners",
"Mouro Capital",
"Earlybird",
"Partech",
"Join Capital",
"Quantonation",
"Entrepreneurs First",
"KOMPAS VC",
"Illuminate Financial",
"Elaia",
"Samaipata",
"Eka Ventures",
"Gamma Waves Partners",
"Ground State Ventures",
"Credo Ventures",
"Unconventional",
"DFF Ventures",
"Newfund",
"Passion Capital",
"Montis VC",
"Skybound",
"Expeditions",
"FIRSTPICK",
"Breega",
"https://privateequitylist.com/aisearch",
"Lauxera Capital Partners",
"Kurma Partners",
"Mundi Ventures"
],
"textContent": "Europe's venture capital market raised €8 billion across 41 new funds from February to May 2026. This funding wave signals where smart money is flowing, giving founders clear direction on which investors are actively deploying fresh capital. The new VC funds Europe Q1 2026 landscape shows strong appetite for AI and deeptech investments.\n\nAI leads sector focus with 24 funds targeting artificial intelligence startups, while France and the UK dominate geography with 9 funds each. Seed-stage investing remains the primary focus across 28 funds.\n\nFund Name | Country | Size | Stage | Focus\n---|---|---|---|---\nJeito Capital II| 🇫🇷 France| €1B| Late Stage| Life Sciences\nUK Sovereign AI Fund| 🇬🇧 UK| £500M| Seed, Series A| AI, Defence\nLauxera Growth II| 🇫🇷 France| €520M| Late Stage| HealthTech, Medical Devices\nLightrock Accelerate7| 🇬🇧 UK| $500M| Series B, Late Stage| Energy, CleanTech\nUVC Partners Fund| Germany| €400M| Seed, Series A| Deeptech, Climate\nMouro Capital Fund III| 🇬🇧 UK| $400M| Multi-stage| Fintech, AI\nEarlybird Fund VIII| 🇩🇪 Germany| €360M| Pre-seed, Seed| AI, Deeptech\nPartech Impact Fund| 🇫🇷 France| €300M| Late Stage| Impact\nfuturepresent| 🇩🇪 Germany| $300M| Pre-seed, Seed| AI, Infrastructure\nAllianz APIC Fund| 🇩🇪 Germany| $270M| Late Stage| Infrastructure, Energy\nJoin Capital Fund III| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg| €235M| Pre-seed, Seed| Deeptech, Defence\nAir Street Capital III| 🇬🇧 UK| $232M| Pre-seed, Seed| AI, SaaS\nQuantonation II| 🇫🇷 France| €220M| Seed, Series A| Deeptech, AI\nKurma Biofund IV| 🇫🇷 France| €215M| Seed, Series A| Life Sciences\nEntrepreneurs First| UK| $200M| Pre-seed, Seed| AI, Robotics\nKOMPAS VC Fund II| 🇩🇰 Denmark| €160M| Seed, Series A| AI, Robotics\nIlluminate Financial IV| 🇬🇧 UK| $135M| Series B, Late Stage| AI, Fintech\nElaia DTS3| 🇫🇷 France| €134M| Seed| Deeptech, Life Sciences\nSamaipata III| 🇪🇸 Spain| €110M| Seed, Series A| AI, SaaS\nEka Ventures Fund II| 🇬🇧 UK| $107M| Pre-seed, Seed| Life Sciences, HealthTech\nMundi LatAm Fund I| 🇪🇸 Spain| $100M| Series A, Series B| Fintech, HealthTech\nGamma Waves Partners| Netherlands| €100M| Late Stage| AI, Sports Tech\nGround State Ventures I| 🇳🇱 Netherlands| $88M| Pre-seed, Seed| Deeptech, Quantum\nCredo Ventures Fund V| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic| $88M| Pre-seed| AI, SaaS\n360 Capital Poli360 2| 🇮🇹 Italy| €85M| Pre-seed, Seed| Deeptech\nUnconventional Fund II| 🇩🇰 Denmark| €80M| Pre-seed, Seed| CleanTech, HealthTech\nDFF Ventures Fund III| 🇳🇱 Netherlands| €70M| Pre-seed| AI, E-commerce\nNewfund HEKA| 🇫🇷 France| €60M| Pre-seed, Seed| AI, HealthTech\nPassion Capital IV| 🇬🇧 UK| €46M| Seed| AI, Fintech\nMontis VC| Poland| €50M| Pre-seed, Seed| CleanTech, Infrastructure\nBondstone Maxwell I| 🇵🇹 Portugal| €50M| Seed, Series A| AI, Life Sciences\nAqua-Spark African Fund| 🇳🇱 Netherlands| $48M| Pre-seed, Seed| CleanTech, Agrifood\nSkybound Fund I| 🇬🇷 Greece| $38M| Pre-seed, Seed| Deeptech, Infrastructure\nHerbert Zurich DeepTech| 🇨🇭 Switzerland| €32.5M| Pre-seed, Seed| Deeptech\nExpeditions| Poland| €31M| Seed, Series A| AI, Fintech\nCleo Ventures| 🇫🇷 France| €30M| Pre-seed, Seed| AI\nFIRSTPICK| Lithuania| €25M| Pre-seed| AI\nJIC Ventures| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic| €16.3M| Pre-seed, Seed| Deeptech, Cybersecurity\nBreega| France| $8.5M| Seed, Series A| Fintech, SaaS\nArāya Sie Fund| 🇬🇧 UK| £7.5M| Pre-seed, Seed| AI, Deeptech\n\nSearch and filter all funds by stage, sector, and geography at https://privateequitylist.com/aisearch\n\n## 🇫🇷 New VC Funds in France Q1 2026\n\n🇫🇷 Jeito Capital II\nSize: €1 billion\nStage: Late Stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Life Sciences focused on breakthrough therapeutics and medtech\nEurope's largest life sciences fund targeting late-stage biotech companies.\n\n🇫🇷 Lauxera Capital Partners (Lauxera Growth II)\nSize: €520 million\nStage: Late Stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: HealthTech and medical devices across Europe\nSpecialized growth investor in European healthcare technology companies.\n\n🇫🇷 Partech (Partech Impact Fund)\nSize: €300 million\nStage: Late Stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Impact investments across multiple sectors\nFirst dedicated impact fund from the established French VC firm.\n\n🇫🇷 Quantonation Ventures (Quantonation II)\nSize: €220 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech and quantum computing technologies\nLeading European quantum and deep physics technology investor.\n\n🇫🇷 Kurma Partners (Biofund IV)\nSize: €215 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Life Sciences and biotechnology\nEstablished biotech investor with strong track record in European life sciences.\n\n🇫🇷 Elaia (DTS3)\nSize: €134 million\nStage: Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech and life sciences\nFrench deeptech specialist with focus on B2B technology companies.\n\n🇫🇷 Newfund (HEKA)\nSize: €60 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and HealthTech\nEarly-stage fund targeting AI applications in healthcare.\n\n🇫🇷 Cleo Ventures\nSize: €30 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI technologies\nNew AI-focused fund targeting European early-stage startups.\n\n🇫🇷 Breega\nSize: $8.5 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Fintech and SaaS\nContinuation fund from established European early-stage investor.\n\n[NEWSLETTER CTA: insert PEL newsletter signup here]\n\n## 🇬🇧 New VC Funds in UK Q1 2026\n\n🇬🇧 UK Government (Sovereign AI Fund)\nSize: £500 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: UK Government backing\nFocus: AI and defence technologies\nGovernment-backed fund prioritizing AI sovereignty and national security applications.\n\n🇬🇧 Lightrock (Accelerate7)\nSize: $500 million\nStage: Series B, Late Stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Energy and CleanTech\nGrowth investor targeting energy transition and climate solutions.\n\n🇬🇧 Mouro Capital (Fund III)\nSize: $400 million\nStage: Multi-stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Santander backing\nFocus: Fintech and AI\nBank-backed fund with strong fintech connections and global reach.\n\n🇬🇧 Air Street Capital (Fund III)\nSize: $232 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and SaaS\nAI-native fund with deep technical expertise and strong founder network.\n\n🇬🇧 Entrepreneurs First\nSize: $200 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and robotics\nCompany builder program with global reach and technical talent focus.\n\n🇬🇧 Illuminate Financial (Early Growth Fund IV)\nSize: $135 million\nStage: Series B, Late Stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and Fintech\nGrowth-stage fund targeting profitable fintech and AI companies.\n\n🇬🇧 Eka Ventures (Fund II)\nSize: $107 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Life Sciences and HealthTech\nHealthcare-focused fund with scientific advisory network.\n\n🇬🇧 Passion Capital (Passion IV)\nSize: €46 million\nStage: Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and Fintech\nEstablished UK seed investor with strong founder community.\n\n🇬🇧 Arāya Ventures and Sie Ventures (Arāya Sie Fund)\nSize: £7.5 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and Deeptech\nJoint fund targeting early-stage technical founders.\n\n## 🇩🇪 New VC Funds in Germany Q1 2026\n\n🇩🇪 UVC Partners\nSize: €400 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech and climate technologies\nLeading German deeptech investor with strong corporate connections.\n\n🇩🇪 Earlybird Venture Capital (Fund VIII)\nSize: €360 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and deeptech\nEstablished European VC with strong track record in B2B technology.\n\n🇩🇪 futurepresent\nSize: $300 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and infrastructure\nNew fund targeting foundational AI and infrastructure technologies.\n\n🇩🇪 Allianz Global Investors (Asia Pacific Infrastructure Credit Fund)\nSize: $270 million\nStage: Late Stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Allianz backing\nFocus: Infrastructure and energy\nInsurance-backed fund targeting infrastructure debt and equity.\n\n## 🇳🇱 New VC Funds in Netherlands Q1 2026\n\n🇳🇱 Gamma Waves Partners\nSize: €100 million target\nStage: Late Stage\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and sports technology\nPermanent capital vehicle targeting AI applications in sports and entertainment.\n\n🇳🇱 Ground State Ventures (Fund I)\nSize: $88 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech and quantum computing\nNew fund specializing in quantum technologies and deep physics.\n\n🇳🇱 DFF Ventures (Fund III)\nSize: €70 million\nStage: Pre-seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and e-commerce/marketplace\nEarly-stage fund targeting AI applications in commerce and marketplaces.\n\n🇳🇱 Aqua-Spark (African Blue Economy Fund)\nSize: $48 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: CleanTech and agrifood\nImpact fund targeting sustainable food systems and aquaculture.\n\n## 🇪🇺 New VC Funds in Other European Countries Q1 2026\n\n🇱🇺 Join Capital (Fund III)\nSize: €235 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech and defence\nEuropean fund targeting dual-use technologies and defence applications.\n\n🇩🇰 KOMPAS VC (Fund II)\nSize: €160 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and robotics\nNordic fund with strong technical expertise in AI and robotics.\n\n🇪🇸 Samaipata (Samaipata III)\nSize: €110 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and SaaS\nSpanish fund targeting B2B software and AI applications.\n\n🇪🇸 Mundi Ventures (LatAm Fund I)\nSize: $100 million\nStage: Series A, Series B\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Fintech and HealthTech\nCross-border fund targeting Latin American fintech and health companies.\n\n🇨🇿 Credo Ventures (Fund V)\nSize: $88 million\nStage: Pre-seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and SaaS\nCentral European fund with strong regional network and AI focus.\n\n🇮🇹 360 Capital (Poli360 2)\nSize: €85 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech\nItalian deeptech investor with university partnerships and technical expertise.\n\n🇩🇰 Unconventional Ventures (Fund II)\nSize: €80 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: CleanTech and HealthTech\nNordic impact fund targeting climate and health solutions.\n\n🇵🇱 Montis VC\nSize: €50 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: CleanTech and infrastructure\nPolish fund targeting climate technology and sustainable infrastructure.\n\n🇵🇹 Bondstone (Maxwell Technologies I)\nSize: €50 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and life sciences\nPortuguese fund targeting AI applications and biotech companies.\n\n🇬🇷 Skybound (Fund I)\nSize: $38 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech and infrastructure\nGreek fund targeting technical founders in deeptech and infrastructure.\n\n🇨🇭 Herbert Ventures (Zurich DeepTech Fund)\nSize: €32.5 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech\nSwiss fund leveraging university partnerships for deeptech investments.\n\n🇵🇱 Expeditions\nSize: €31 million\nStage: Seed, Series A\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI and Fintech\nPolish fund targeting early-stage AI and financial technology companies.\n\n🇱🇹 FIRSTPICK\nSize: €25 million\nStage: Pre-seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: AI technologies\nBaltic fund focusing on AI startups across the region.\n\n🇨🇿 JIC Ventures\nSize: €16.3 million\nStage: Pre-seed, Seed\nTicket size: Not disclosed\nLPs: Not disclosed\nFocus: Deeptech and cybersecurity\nCzech fund targeting technical startups with security applications.\n\n## What This Means For Founders\n\n * AI startups have unprecedented access to capital with 24 funds actively investing, but competition for deals will be fierce across all stages from pre-seed to growth.\n * Life sciences and healthtech founders should target France, which hosts three major funds including Europe's largest life sciences fund at €1 billion.\n * Pre-seed and seed companies have the most options with 28 funds actively investing at these stages, particularly strong in Germany and the Netherlands.\n * CleanTech and climate companies should focus on Nordic and German funds, which show strong sectoral focus and government backing.\n * Late-stage companies face a more concentrated market with only 10 funds investing at Series C+, making preparation and positioning crucial for successful raises.\n\n\n\nSearch and filter all funds by your stage, sector, and location at https://privateequitylist.com/aisearch\n\nThe new VC funds Europe Q1 2026 landscape shows strong capital deployment across AI and deeptech sectors. These 41 funds represent active investors with fresh capital ready to deploy. Find the right investors for your raise at https://privateequitylist.com/aisearch",
"title": "New VC Funds Europe Q1 2026: €8B Raised Across 41 Funds",
"updatedAt": "2026-05-23T10:47:59.008Z"
}