London’s Ascension Ventures secures up to €11.5 million commitment to support regional early-stage founders

The European early-stage venture capital landscape is witnessing a significant surge in capital formation, particularly for pre-seed and seed-stage technology and digital ventures. This trend is crucial for fostering innovation and supporting nascent companies across the continent, aiming to democratize access to funding beyond established tech hubs. Recent commitments signal a robust pipeline of investment dedicated to emerging technologies and foundational businesses. Notable activities include Ascension Ventures securing up to €11.5 million from the British Business Bank's Regional Angels Programme, specifically targeting early-stage founders outside of London. This initiative aims to address geographical imbalances in early-stage equity finance. Concurrently, other European regions are demonstrating strong investment momentum, with Vanagon Ventures in Germany raising €20 million for DeepTech and AI, and The Footprint Firm in the Nordics closing a €76 million fund for climate and DeepTech startups. These developments highlight a broader European effort to cultivate digital sovereignty and bolster local innovation ecosystems. By providing critical capital to pre-seed and seed-stage companies, these funds are enabling the growth of essential digital infrastructure, AI applications, and cybersecurity solutions. The aggregate commitments from these various funds surpass €480 million, underscoring a strategic pan-European push to empower a new generation of tech founders.
Curated and translated by Europe Digital for our multilingual European audience.
Source Information
European Alternatives You Might Like
Mangopay
Mangopay is a payment infrastructure provider specializing in payments for marketplaces and platforms. It offers virtual wallet technology for managing funds, enabling features such as split payments, multi-currency support, and KYC/AML compliance. Key functionalities include automated payouts, transaction monitoring, and customizable payment flows. This service is primarily aimed at businesses that manage marketplaces, crowdfunding platforms, and sharing economy models and require complex payment solutions. Mangopay distinguishes itself by offering a flexible and scalable payment solution specifically designed for platform-based business models, allowing them to control cash flows and streamline payment processes.
Scaleway
Scaleway is a European cloud computing provider offering a range of services, including servers, storage, and networking solutions. Key features include bare metal servers, virtual machines, object storage, and managed Kubernetes. It's suitable for developers, startups, and businesses seeking cloud infrastructure for web applications, data storage, and various other workloads. Scaleway distinguishes itself through competitive pricing and a focus on European data sovereignty, with data centers in France and the Netherlands.
