EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech at the EIC Summit 2025

On 2 April 2025 a satellite Investor Day focused on climate tech convened in Brussels as part of the EIC Summit. The event gave 24 EIC Accelerator beneficiaries a stage to present to a room of more than 70 investors drawn from leading European climate and deep tech venture funds. Presentations were chosen from a pool of over 100 applications and organised by the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach programme. The day highlighted the practical role public funding and investor matchmaking play in advancing capital intensive climate solutions, while exposing the persistent financing gaps that deep tech companies face when scaling manufacturing and industrial deployment.

How the event worked and who was there

The pitching session was a curated investor selection process. Investors screened more than 100 applications and invited 24 companies to pitch live. Attendance included representatives from well known climate-focused VCs such as Ananda Impact Ventures and World Fund. The event is part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services and specifically its Investor Readiness and Outreach programme which delivers investor training, matchmaking and targeted investor days for EIC Accelerator awardees.

The day’s standout pitches and what they claim to deliver

Investors' perspective: why the showcase matters and what it does not solve

Investors at the event highlighted two complementary roles the EIC Investor Days play. First, they provide signal and de-risking. Demonstrations that public backing and technical milestones have produced near-commercial results help change investor perceptions about the capital efficiency of deep tech. Zoe Peden of Ananda Impact Ventures said the EIC is 'unveiling and demonstrating how far these companies have been able to get with support from the EU, from the EIC and from other investors' and that such showcases can nudge investors to take more risk beyond software investments. Craig Douglas from World Fund told the organisers the quality of pitches was 'remarkably good' and said the fund planned six to eight follow-ups from the 24 companies, which he described as a high conversion rate.

Second, the event is a pragmatic networking instrument. Multiple founders said they met investors they were previously targeting and encountered new contacts. That immediate matchmaking is valuable. Nevertheless a demo day does not erase the deeper structural challenges of scaling capital intensive hardware and industrial biotech companies. High capital expenditure, regulatory paths, long validation cycles and supply chain integration remain barriers. Investors will still demand clear evidence on manufacturability, unit economics, total cost of ownership and route to market before committing large sums.

What the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach programme aims to do

The Investor Day was organised under the EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach programme which sits inside the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The programme provides investor readiness coaching, pitch review, benchmarking, tailored investor lists and introductions through ePitchings and Investor Days. Its stated goal is to enhance EIC Accelerator winners' ability to attract private capital and scale. The EIC’s role is to reduce early-stage risk, open doors and expand investor attention to hardware and industrial deep tech that would otherwise be overlooked in favour of software and digital bets.

Full list of pitching companies by thematic track

Context and caveats for readers tracking European climate tech

Investor Days and similar matchmaking events are necessary components of an innovation ecosystem. They increase deal flow visibility and can accelerate follow-ups. At the same time, they are an intermediate step not a guarantee of funding or scaling success. Claims of '70 percent less CO2' or 'doubling average speed' require independent validation under real world conditions. For industrial and mobility solutions that touch regulated sectors, pilots must be carefully designed to test safety, interoperability and lifetime costs. For bio-based foods and ingredients, regulatory acceptance and reproducible, low-cost production are essential. Public funding and EIC endorsement do not substitute for commercial evidence.

Takeaways and what to watch next

1) Investor Days are effective at generating follow-up interest. World Fund and other investors signalled plans for multiple follow-ups from this event. 2) Public backing matters for signalling but does not remove the hard work of proving manufacturing economics and regulatory compliance. 3) Founders used the forum strategically to time fundraising rounds around visibility. Solmeyea and Nevomo confirmed the event came at pivotal fundraising moments. 4) The long tail problem remains. Many capital intensive deep tech firms will need larger, patient capital and strategic corporate or public procurement commitments to scale.

Stakeholders to watch include the EIC Business Acceleration Services as they continue to run investor readiness activities, funds that co-invest with the EIC, and possible innovation procurement routes that can provide early commercial contracts for hardware and industrial solutions. For investors, the practical proof points will be repeatable unit economics, contract wins and demonstration of regulatory pathways.

How to follow up

The EIC Business Acceleration Services maintains a newsletter and an EIC Community platform that shares open calls, events and opportunities. Companies and investors interested in EIC-backed ventures can use those channels to find ePitchings and future Investor Days.

Disclaimer: The companies quoted provided claims and projections during public pitches and interviews. Those claims should be evaluated against independent technical and commercial due diligence before any investment or procurement decision.