EIC & EuroQuity - Bpifrance Deep Tech Investor Day: Connecting innovators and investors for a transformative future in deep tech

On 11 March 2025 the European Innovation Council (EIC) and EuroQuity, Bpifrance’s investor matchmaking platform, brought an investor audience to Paris for a focused Deep Tech Investor Day. Organisers say the event attracted more than 150 attendees including venture capitalists, corporate partners and service providers. Twenty-five EIC Accelerator portfolio companies pitched technology-heavy solutions spanning AI, semiconductors, photonics, quantum technologies, connectivity, manufacturing and Industry 4.0. A jury of over 35 members drawn from high-profile European funds and corporate venture arms assessed the companies and selected winners across session tracks.

What the event aimed to do

Investor Days are match-making platforms. For the EIC the goal is twofold: improve investor readiness of EIC-backed innovators and introduce those innovators to relevant private investors and corporates. The format mixes curated pitching, one-to-one meetings and investor jury sessions to generate leads, give targeted feedback and expand each start-up’s investor network. The 11 March event sat inside the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme which extends the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services and channels introductions, e-pitchings and in-person Investor Days.

Who judged and who showed up

The jury was notable for its breadth. More than 35 representatives were named from established and specialised European funds and corporate venture arms. That mix is important: sector specialists can assess technical maturity while lead and co-investment funds bring deployment and growth capital knowledge. Event organisers published a long list of participating investors which included ACT Venture Partners, Air Liquide Ventures (ALIAD), Armilar, Bednarz Ventures, Cycle Group, EIT RawMaterials, Elevator Ventures, Fly Ventures, Grow Venture Partners, imec.xpand, KIMPA, Liftt, Manta Ray Ventures, Matterwave Ventures, MIG Capital, NGP Capital, Omnes, Orange Ventures, OTB Ventures, Quantonation, Red River West, Santander CIB, Sharpstone, Sprind, Supernova Ventures, Suricate Ventures, Tikehau ACE Capital, Vsquared Ventures and World Fund among others.

Start-ups on stage

A curated set of 25 EIC Accelerator companies were invited to showcase technologies across multiple deep-tech verticals. The full list of companies presented publicly for this Investor Day included:

Notable pitch winners and founder feedback

Several companies reported concrete early outcomes from the day and underlined the value of curated investor access. Organisers highlighted session winners by track and public comments from founders gave texture to what the event delivered in terms of connections and credibility.

Swave Photonics — a fabless semiconductor company developing holographic chips — was named the winner of the 'Quantum, photonics and semiconductors' session. Theodore Marescaux, Swave’s founder and chief product officer, said the Investor Day gathered high-quality, relevant investors for later-stage companies and that, as Swave eyes a Series B, the contacts and advice were valuable for growth and fundraising planning.

Releaf Paper — a French company producing paper from fallen leaves — participated for the first time and won the 'Industry' nomination in the 'Industry 4.0 and manufacturing' session. Founder and CEO Alexander Sobolenko said the event introduced prospective investors that are 'smoothing out the possibility of investing in Releaf Paper.'

Other founders emphasised visibility and long-term EIC backing as practical assets. Thomas Lettieri, head of strategy at Qarnot and winner in the 'AI, connectivity and IoT' track, said EIC long-term support provides credibility and networks necessary to scale platforms across Europe. Manolis Frantzeskakis, CEO and co-founder of Argo Semiconductors, noted that EIC support does more than provide funding: it increases company visibility and confidence when meeting customers and partners.

Investor perspective and what drew the jury

Jury members emphasised that EIC events are a practical source of curated deal flow and a way to build relationships with EIC-backed teams. Ines de Macedo Santos, Senior Associate at Armilar, told organisers that the events are 'rich in terms of matchmaking investment setup' and part of the recommendation process for startups in their portfolio. Annaïk Barbé, Managing Partner at Iron Hands Capital, highlighted the diversity and scale of the VC participation as a strength of the gathering, giving VCs a single place to meet many relevant companies.

Several investor comments pointed to an important nuance: attendance and first meetings matter but they are only the first step in follow-on diligence and co-investment. Jury members are looking for technical validation, credible go-to-market plans and the right timing for their cheque size and mandate.

Why these events matter to the European deep tech ecosystem — and what they do not solve

Investor Days like this provide three measurable things: curated introductions, sector signal visibility and fundraising coaching from experienced VCs. For European deep tech — where technical risk, long product cycles and capital intensity meet — these curated match-making steps are valuable. They reduce friction for busy VCs seeking validated pipeline and they help founders learn how to position complex technology for commercial investors.

In practice that means an Investor Day can accelerate momentum and support introductions, but founders should treat it as part of a longer investor engagement and validation cycle. Jurors at this Paris event explicitly looked for opportunities to co-lead or co-invest in rounds when technical and commercial timing aligned with their mandates.

Programmatic context: the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme

The Investor Day was organised under the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme, an initiative that expands the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services. The programme aims to improve investor readiness of EIC Accelerator innovators by offering pitching practice, benchmarking, pitch deck reviews, tailored investor lists and introductions through ePitchings and investor days. The EIC positions those activities as a bridge between public R&D backing and private capital.

Why organisers chose EuroQuity - Bpifrance

EuroQuity is the matchmaking unit of Bpifrance and has run numerous ePitchings and investor days. For the EIC the partnership provides a route to operational matchmaking, local market knowledge, and a platform that reaches French and international investors. EuroQuity’s membership, e-labels and community features help augment event visibility and streamline follow-up interactions.

Takeaways and a critical note

Positive takeaways are clear: curated investor access helps founders accelerate investor conversations, and EIC endorsement confers credibility in investor and corporate meetings. Founders who participated described practical benefits: targeted introductions, sector-specific investor interest, and coaching feedback that sharpened their fundraising narratives.

A realistic caution is also necessary. Matchmaking events produce leads and visibility but do not guarantee funding. European deep tech still needs patient follow-on capital, industrial partnerships able to take technologies to scale and practical commercialization milestones. Investors at the event were explicit that they look for timing and fit — the right stage, credible validation and syndication opportunities. For founders, the next steps after an investor day remain the hard work of converting interest into term sheets, due diligence, pilot agreements and scalable contracts.

Practical advice for founders preparing for investor days

1) Position stage and ask clearly. Investors evaluate stage fit first. 2) Quantify milestones. Technical validation, customer pilots and unit economics matter. 3) Prepare tailored materials. Use investor feedback from rehearsals and practice concise commercial narratives. 4) Plan follow-up: schedule one-to-one meetings and leave time for post-event diligence and pilots. 5) Know your ideal syndicate: who can co-lead and who brings strategic customers.

What this means for Europe’s deep tech ambitions

Events like the March Investor Day are tactical and necessary parts of a larger ecosystem: public R&D support (EIC grants and funds), specialised early-stage capital and targeted later-stage financing. They help close information asymmetries and improve access. But investors and founders alike must continue to push for more integrated financing pathways — from grants to seed to large industrial rounds — if Europe is to scale deep tech companies into globally competitive industrial leaders.

Acknowledgements and disclaimer

This article uses public material published by the European Innovation Council and EuroQuity/Bpifrance and quotes made available by participants. It aims to provide an analytical restructured representation of the event and associated ecosystem context. It is not an official statement from the EIC, Bpifrance or any investor named. Readers should treat introductions and jury selections as indicative of interest rather than guaranteed outcomes.

If you want a concise list of the companies, the investor jury membership or follow-up resources from the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme, say which you want and I will extract and format a downloadable list for you.