EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech in Stockholm: who pitched, who won and what it means for Europe's climate startups
- ›On 1 June 2023 the European Innovation Council and Swedish innovation agency Vinnova ran an EIC Investor Day in Stockholm focused on climate tech.
- ›23 EIC-backed companies pitched to roughly 55 European later stage investors across five climate-related tracks and held bilateral meetings.
- ›Four pitching winners were announced across the themes of renewable energy, agritech, green mobility and sustainable materials.
- ›The event was organised under the EIC Business Acceleration Services Investor Programme which offers pitching and matchmaking opportunities to EIC beneficiaries.
- ›Participation from EIC leadership and Vinnova gave the event institutional visibility but concrete follow-on financing outcomes were not disclosed.
EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech in Stockholm
On 1 June 2023 the European Innovation Council, together with Sweden's innovation agency Vinnova, convened an investor matchmaking event in Stockholm aimed at climate technology companies backed by the EIC. The day combined sector-specific pitching sessions and one-to-one investor meetings. The event brought institutional visibility to a small but targeted cohort of European climate innovators and offered them a structured forum to seek later stage capital and strategic partners.
Who attended and how the day worked
About 23 EIC beneficiaries presented their solutions across five themes. Approximately 55 European later-stage investors attended. Presenting sectors included Renewable energy, energy storage and green hydrogen, Agritech and Food, Green Mobility and Sustainable Cities, and Industrial Biotech and Advanced Materials. Each presenting company took part in dedicated pitching sessions and had the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with investors.
| Category | Winner | Company and role |
| Renewable energy, energy storage and green hydrogen | Bernhard Adler | ecop Technologies GmbH, CEO |
| Agritech and Food | Giuseppe Scionti | Novameat, Founder and CEO |
| Green Mobility and Sustainable Cities | Denery Fenouil | ENERSENS, CEO |
| Sustainable materials and Industrial Biotech | Prateek Mahalwar | Bioweg, CEO |
Profiles of the pitching winners and their technologies
What the EIC Investor Day offers and who organised it
The event was organised by the European Innovation Council together with Vinnova. Senior representatives participated including Jean-David Malo in his role connected with the Executive Agency for EIC and SMEs, and Darja Isaksson, General Director at Vinnova. The Investor Day was run under the EIC Business Acceleration Services Investor Programme which arranges pitching competitions, monthly ePitching events and larger in-person investor days to connect EIC-backed innovators with business angels, venture capital funds and corporate venture capital units across Europe.
Assessing the event and its likely impact
Investor Days of this format offer useful exposure and concentrated access to a set of later stage investors. For companies the immediate benefits include investor feedback, shorter paths to term sheets and introductions to potential industrial partners. For the European innovation ecosystem the event signals ongoing effort to channel public support into private follow on finance for climate technologies.
At the same time there are limitations to bear in mind. Attendance by roughly 55 investors is meaningful but not large relative to the capital needs of deep tech and industrial decarbonisation companies. Pitching winners and presence at an investor day do not equal successful fundraising. Event materials and the announcement do not disclose follow on commitments or funding amounts secured as a result of the day. The cohort was limited to EIC beneficiaries and therefore represents a curated, preselected slice of climate tech innovation rather than the full market.
Common challenges for climate tech scale up
Across the tracks represented at the Investor Day there are recurring hurdles. Industrial heat pumps and battery safety materials must clear rigorous standards and demonstrate lifecycle economics at scale. Agritech and alternative protein companies need validated supply chains and cost-competitive manufacturing. Biobased materials face regulatory, feedstock and end of life testing burdens. Later stage capital requires predictable paths to volume revenue and demonstrable unit economics. Investors at such events typically focus on de-risking milestones that show manufacturability, regulatory compliance and signed customer contracts.
Practical next steps for companies and investors after the event
For presenting companies the crucial next steps are disciplined follow up with investors, sharing due diligence materials, validating claims through independent testing where appropriate and aiming for pilot or early commercial contracts that can underpin term sheets. For investors the work is to move beyond pitch decks to technical due diligence and industrial validation, especially in hardware, chemicals and advanced materials sectors where scale up costs are high.
The EIC Business Acceleration Services can support those next steps by organising follow up ePitching, investor introductions and advisory services. Observers and ecosystem builders should track whether investor day participants go on to close rounds and commercial partnerships. That is the clearest signal of sustained impact.
Final note and disclaimer
This article reconstructs and expands on details published by the European Innovation Council about the Investor Day held on 1 June 2023. The event highlights the EIC's role in convening investors and innovators in European climate technology. Public reporting on such events tends to emphasise participation and winners. Concrete financing outcomes and the longer term commercial impact of such investor days typically require further verification and follow up.