The European Investment Fund and Finnish Industry Investment Ltd provide capital for Finnish companies’ international growth

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn

EIF offers risk capital for small and medium sized enterprises, especially for technology-based start-ups and other early stage companies. Instead of direct investments EIF operates through local banks and venture capital and private equity funds. In addition to its own assets EIF invests capital mandated by the European Investment Bank, the European Union and other third parties.

“With our recent capital increase, the European Commission’s new resources and the European Investment Bank’s new allocations, our capacity to support micro, small and medium-size enterprises and mid-caps has been greatly increased.  We currently invest approximately EUR 1,6 billion in European venture capital and private equity funds each year, which in turn finance the innovation and growth of European SMEs”, says Marjut Santoni, Deputy Chief Executive at EIF. Ms Santoni was one of the guest speakers at the “Supporting Innovation in Finland” seminar held in Helsinki today. This international seminar presents among other things EU’s new InnovFin funding scheme.

Finnish Industry Investment Ltd provides Finnish growth companies with capital, expertise and networks that help them to grow and internationalize. A major share of the funding is channeled through venture capital and private equity funds. Finnish Industry Investment, either directly or through its FoF Growth funds, and EIF have together enabled 20 new Finnish venture capital and private funds to enter the Finnish market place. These funds have raised EUR 1.2 billion of capital to be invested in growth companies.

“EIF’s investment in the Finnish venture capital market is significant. In close cooperation with EIF we have introduced new teams and new paradigms in the market and at the same time we have been able to gradually increase the size of existing teams’ new funds. These resources will boost the financing of Finnish growth companies”, says Finnish Industry Investment’s Director Anne Riekki.


For more information please contact:

Marjut Santoni, Deputy Chief Executive, European Investment Fund, m.santoni(at)eif.org,
tel. +352 24851

Anne Riekki, Director, Finnish Industry Investment Ltd, anne.riekki(at)industryinvestment.com,
tel. +358 50 337 4434

Supporting Innovation in Finland

 

The European Investment Fund (EIF) was established in 1994 to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe. A part of the EIB Group, the EIF’s largest shareholder is the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIF offers risk finance to SMEs, focusing particularly on startups and technology companies. The EIF also provides guarantees to financing institutions (such as banks), with which they can cover loans granted to SMEs. The EIF does not give companies grants or subsidies, nor does it invest directly in companies, but instead acts through banks and other finance providers. The EIF uses either its own resources or those provided by the European Investment Bank or the European Union. The EIF operates in EU Member States, in Turkey and in three EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

Finnish Industry Investment Ltd is a government-owned investment company that promotes Finnish business, employment and economic growth through venture capital and private equity investments. The company manages assets amounting to some MEUR 900. www.industryinvestment.com