EIC ePitching: European transport and mobility startups meet investors, but funding gaps remain

Brussels, April 6th 2023

Summary

›On 31 March 2023 the EIC hosted an online ePitching on Transport and Mobility connecting seven EIC-funded startups with leading European investors.
›Participants ranged from EV charging and wireless charging materials to cargo drones and electric regional aircraft, with DazeTechnology voted best pitch.
›Investors said the EIC label helps de-risk opportunities but cautioned that selection by the EIC is not a guarantee of commercial readiness.
›The event is part of the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support programme which augments EIC Business Acceleration Services and signals a push to bridge Europe’s scale-up funding gap.

EIC ePitching on Transport and Mobility: what happened and why it matters

On 31 March 2023 the European Innovation Council ran an online ePitching session focused on Transport and Mobility. Seven EIC-funded companies presented technologies spanning electric vehicle charging, dynamic wireless transmission, energy storage for heavy vehicles, battery diagnostics, cargo drones and electric aircraft. The session paired short pitches with investor attendance and a public poll that selected DazeTechnology as the audience favourite. The event formed part of the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support programme and the broader EIC Business Acceleration Services offering intended to connect deep tech innovators with capital and corporate partners.

Event format and immediate outcomes

Format of the ePitching:The online session featured seven short pitches from EIC beneficiaries followed by Q and A and optional one to one matching. A poll during the event selected an audience favourite. The stated goals were investor matchmaking, visibility for EIC companies and to prepare firms for follow on funding and commercial partnerships.

The event is one of several matchmaking activities under the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support programme. These initiatives aim to expand the EIC’s market-facing services by engaging sector specialists and co-investors to help EIC awardees scale. The EIC has positioned these events as a cost efficient way for startups to reach many investors quickly and for investors to source opportunities pre‑screened by a public innovation programme.

Why investors pay attention to EIC-backed startups

The EIC label as a quality signal:Investors who attended said EIC funding acts as a signal that a technology and the team have passed an independent selection process. Beatrice Bohm from Munich Venture Partners described EIC support as a quality stamp that indicates there is likely both a viable technology and a credible business case. Sjoerd Coolen from BOM Brabant Ventures echoed this view noting that the EU review process sets a baseline of due diligence that makes some startups more interesting to follow up with.

Limits of the signal:Speakers also warned against overinterpreting the stamp. Public funding and early grants show promise but do not replace market traction, commercial due diligence or regulatory certification. Investors still require financials, customer references and evidence of scalable operations before committing capital.

The companies: technologies, market angles and funding asks

Seven EIC-funded companies pitched at the session. They represent a cross section of approaches to decarbonising transport and moving toward more efficient logistics. Below are concise profiles based on the information presented and the event call for investors.

DazeTechnology:Italian startup focused on EV charging ergonomics and automation. Its product range includes home wallboxes with Dynamic Power Management and an autonomous conductive charging system called DazePlug. DazeTechnology won the event poll and was described as an EIC success story. According to materials shared for the Transport call the company was targeting a Series A round of around €8 million.

VOOL:A one stop EV charging solution combining hardware, a load management controller and software for homes, offices and fleets. The company promotes market price based charging and load management to optimize grid interaction and consumer costs. In the Transport call materials VOOL was listed as raising a Series A round of approximately €5 million.

MAGMENT:Manufacturer of magnetisable concretes and materials to enable inductive components and dynamic wireless power transfer for electric vehicles. Their approach uses recycled magnetic aggregates to make embedded electromagnetic systems in roads or infrastructure. The Transport call listed MAGMENT as seeking a Series A round of about €10 million.

Dronamics:A cargo drone airline building the Black Swan long range cargo drone. The aircraft is designed to carry around 350 kilograms for distances up to 2,500 kilometres. Dronamics positions the product as an affordable, lower carbon middle mile alternative and said the event helped showcase European deep tech. In the Transport call Dronamics listed a Series A funding target close to €5 million.

Maeve Aerospace:Aiming to develop a 60 seat all electric regional aircraft they describe as a next generation platform to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in regional aviation. The firm is pursuing a large Series A sized round and was listed as seeking around €40 million.

AVILOO:Provider of battery diagnostics for electric vehicles. Their AVILOO Box collects current, voltage and temperature data which is processed in a data cloud to estimate battery state of health and produce an approved test certificate for used EV buyers. AVILOO was listed as seeking circa €5 million in Series A financing in the Transport call materials.

C2C-NewCap:Developer of high performance energy storage for heavy commercial vehicles. Their GO START product is a supercapacitor based starter solution designed to eliminate lead acid batteries in trucks and reduce fuel consumption and emissions from auxiliary power demands. The Transport materials indicated a Series A raise target of about €6 million.

Company	Core technology and market	Funding round and size (as listed in event materials)
DazeTechnology	Autonomous conductive EV charging and home wallboxes with dynamic power management	Series A, ~EUR 8 million
VOOL	Integrated charger, load management and software for homes, offices and fleets	Series A, ~EUR 5 million
MAGMENT	Magnetisable concrete for inductive and dynamic wireless charging infrastructure	Series A, ~EUR 10 million
Dronamics	Long range cargo drone Black Swan, middle mile logistics	Series A, ~EUR 5 million
Maeve Aerospace	60 seat all electric regional aircraft	Series A, ~EUR 40 million
AVILOO	Battery state of health diagnostics and certification for used EV market	Series A, ~EUR 5 million
C2C-NewCap	Supercapacitor starter systems for heavy commercial vehicles	Series A, ~EUR 6 million

Investor participation and ecosystem partners

The Transport event attracted a roster of venture investors, corporate VCs and regional development funds. The EIC uses a curated jury model combining institutional and corporate investors to both evaluate pitches and discover co investment opportunities for the EIC Fund. Attending investors included representatives from Munich Venture Partners, BOM Brabant Development Agency, Statkraft Ventures and a broader panel named in the call for investors such as Robert Bosch Venture Capital, High Tech Grunderfonds, Maniv Mobility and others.

Type	Sample organisations represented at the event
Venture capital and corporate VCs	Munich Venture Partners, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, High Tech Grunderfonds, Maniv Mobility, Iris Capital
Regional and development investors	BOM Brabant Development Agency
Strategic corporate and industry funds	Shell Ventures, Volvo Car Group, Goodyear Ventures

Voices from participants

Investor attendees stressed two linked points. First, EIC selection gives a rapid screening signal that a project is worth looking at. Second, early grant support does not eliminate the need for commercial validation. Beatrice Bohm of Munich Venture Partners highlighted the EIC grant as evidence there is likely a business case and a capable team. Sjoerd Coolen of BOM said even if a company does not fit his fund, attending keeps regional funds aware of continental developments and enables useful introductions. On the company side Mauricio Esguerra, CEO of MAGMENT, underscored how the cohort shared a common purpose of transport decarbonisation and how investor contacts often translate into network and partnership help even when direct investment is not immediate. Dronamics CEO Svilen Rangelov pointed to Europe’s regulatory harmonisation and talent pool as strengths for building cargo mobility solutions but emphasized that pitching events are a first step toward accelerating business opportunities.

Context and critical perspective

The EU has been increasing market facing support for innovators through the EIC Fund and Business Acceleration Services. The EIC Fund began active co investments and equity commitments in recent years and the EIC public materials note equity support up to €15 million per investee in 2022. The Ecosystem Partnerships and Co Investment Support programme aims to enlarge the EIC’s matchmaking and co investing reach by partnering with sector specialists and catalysing private capital.

Why events like these are necessary:European deep tech companies routinely cite a funding gap between early public grants and later stage private capital. Pitching events that aggregate vetted deals and provide investor introductions help reduce search costs and surface investment ready projects to multiple funds simultaneously.

Why events alone are not sufficient:An online pitch gives visibility but rarely substitutes for the long sales cycles, regulatory approvals and capital intensity typical of transport and aerospace hardware. Companies such as those pitching here will still need pilots, industrialisation partners and follow on capital to move from prototype to mass deployment. Investors need commercial traction, repeatable unit economics and de risked regulatory pathways before committing large sums.

There is also a strategic question for European innovation policy. Several participants flagged that while Europe has strengths in engineering and regulatory frameworks, it can lag the US in market openness and scale. The EIC’s co investment activity and networks are one tool to try to keep European innovations developing and scaling within Europe rather than being commercialised first abroad.

Practical takeaways for startups and investors

For startups: treat events like these as an efficient way to generate warm leads, but plan for the mid and long term. Prepare data rooms and customer pilots and use EIC coaching services to sharpen investor communications. For investors: EIC events provide a curated deal flow, but maintain standard diligence. Look beyond the technical promise to the regulatory and industrialisation roadmap.

Where to follow up and next EIC investor opportunities

The ePitching on Transport was one of several sector events under the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships programme. Upcoming investor focused events announced around the same time included an ePitching on SaaS scheduled for 27 April 2023 and an EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech planned for 1 June 2023 in Stockholm. The EIC also promotes Business Acceleration Services, the EIC ACCESS plus co funding initiative and the EIC Fund co investment facility.

Where to get more information:Interested investors and companies should consult the EIC Community Platform and the EIC Business Acceleration Services pages for details on events, open calls, partner services and co funding instruments such as EIC ACCESS+.

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