EIC Investor Day on Sustainability and Deep Tech: who pitched, who attended and what founders said
- ›The European Innovation Council held an Investor Day on Sustainability and Deep Tech in Brussels on 19 March 2024 alongside the EIC Summit.
- ›26 EIC-backed companies pitched across five sector-focused sessions and a jury of 45 plus investors selected five session winners.
- ›Winners were Crocus Labs, FaradaIC Sensors, BIOWEG, Infinite Roots and Reblade.
- ›The event forms part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services and the Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support programme that aims to match awardees with investors and sector partners.
- ›Founders reported immediate investor follow ups and useful pitch coaching but outcomes remain anecdotal and follow through will determine real funding impact.
Investor Day on Sustainability and Deep Tech
The European Innovation Council organised an Investor Day on Sustainability and Deep Tech in Brussels on 19 March 2024. The event ran in parallel with the EIC Summit and concentrated investor attention on a curated set of EIC-backed deep tech companies working on climate relevant and sustainability-focused solutions. The day included five themed pitching sessions, jury deliberations and an awards moment led by Michiel Scheffer, President of the EIC board. Stéphane Ouaki, Head of the EIC at EISMEA, opened the day.
Format, participants and verticals
Organisers selected 26 companies from a larger pool of EIC awardees to pitch to a jury of more than 45 experts drawn from leading European venture funds and corporate investors. The programme arranged five pitching sessions each focused on a specific vertical. Presentations were preceded by dry runs and pitch coaching offered as part of the event. The setting combined public pitching and closed‑door one-on-one meetings with investors.
Winners and showcased companies
A jury panel selected one top pitch per session. The companies recognised as session winners were Crocus Labs, FaradaIC Sensors, BIOWEG, Infinite Roots and Reblade. The full line up of companies that pitched included 3Bee, AEInnova, Alcyon Photonics, Blinkin, Cascade Light Technologies, Circu Li-ion, CO2BioClean, Energy Robotics, Enersens, Equal1, Magneto Systems, N2 Applied, NewPhotonics, Orbisk, Qarnot, Seaborg Technologies, Sparrow Quantum, SUBRA A/S, SusPhos, SYNOVANCE, and WATTALPS. These were drawn from hundreds of EIC awardees that applied to pitch.
| Session / Vertical | Top pitch winner | Core focus |
| Quantum | Crocus Labs | Specialty lighting and light engines for horticulture and other applications |
| AI & Connectivity | FaradaIC Sensors | Miniaturised oxygen sensor on a chip using MECS-like miniaturised electrochemical technology |
| Industrial Biotech & New Materials | BIOWEG | 100 percent bio-based, rapidly biodegradable biopolymers to replace microplastics and non-degradable polymers |
| Agritech & Food | Infinite Roots | Mycelium-based food ingredients and sustainable protein alternatives |
| Energy Transition | Reblade | Drone based leading edge erosion repair for wind turbine blades |
What founders reported
Event participants described a mix of immediate engagements and longer term opportunities. Several founders reported direct investor interest following their pitches and described value from pitch coaching and concentrated access to sector specialists. Those impressions were uniformly positive but anecdotal. Meaningful capital commitments and follow through are what will ultimately demonstrate the event's impact on fundraising trajectories.
These founder statements are useful qualitative indicators. They do not amount to verified fundraising outcomes. The EIC has historically reported follow-on funding from its ecosystem activities but precise attribution is difficult. Independent verification of deals and the value of follow-on capital will be needed to judge the true return on this and similar investor engagement events.
Investor attendance and ecosystem partners
Organisers said more than 60 investors attended the event. The investor list included established European venture funds, corporate venture arms and thematic cleantech investors. Names mentioned among jury members and attendees included Amadeus Capital Partners, ArcTern Ventures, Astanor, BASF Venture Capital, Capricorn Partners, DN Capital, Eurazeo, First Venture Partners, Global Brain, High-Tech Gründerfonds, HV Capital, Iberdrola, imec.xpand, Octopus Ventures, Redalpine, Speedinvest and Statkraft Ventures among others. Cleantech for Europe, an investor-policy bridging organisation, took part and signed a partnership with the EIC in January 2023.
How the Investor Day fits into EIC services
The Investor Day was run under the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support programme which is part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The aim is to create sector-focused partner networks, to prepare beneficiaries for investor engagement, and to catalyse co-investment together with the EIC Fund. The EIC offers a catalogue of acceleration services that include matchmaking, coaching and procurement support.
An investor day that delivers or markets itself well?
Investor days form an established tool in European innovation policy. They can be effective to surface specific technologies to relevant investors and to accelerate deal flow when followed by structured matchmaking and due diligence support. The accounts from founders at this event describe genuine investor interest and useful connections. At the same time organisers and participants routinely use press visibility and awards to amplify outcomes. Without transparent follow up data there is a risk that early-stage interest becomes a narrative rather than capitalised reality.
Measured impact requires tracking investor follow ups, term sheets delivered and capital actually closed that can be attributed to the event. The EIC has mechanisms, such as the EIC Fund co-investment facility and the ACCESS+ co-financing, intended to take promising introductions through to term sheets. Monitoring and independent verification will be important to assess the longer term return on public investment in such matchmaking activities.
Practical information and next steps
The Investor Day was organised under the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support programme. Interested parties or applicants can contact the EIC Fund at investments@eicfund.eu for questions about the event and the co-investment offering. The EIC Community Platform lists upcoming BAS calls and the EIC Service Catalogue of partner offers. The EIC published an events and calls calendar for 2024 to 2026 that continues to provide opportunities for pitching, procurement matchmaking and corporate partnerships.