How to Pitch at the EIC Summit Investor Day on Sustainability and Deep Tech
- ›The EIC Investor Day will run on 19 March 2024 in Brussels as part of the EIC Summit beneficiaries day.
- ›Applications were open to EIC Accelerator beneficiaries and related blended finance awardees until 15 January 2024.
- ›Selected companies will pitch in one of five sector sessions to a jury of leading VCs, corporates and impact investors.
- ›Applicants should expect investor screening of submitted profiles and potential public sharing of some materials.
- ›The event is part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services and aims to improve co-investment and matchmaking, not to guarantee funding.
Investor Day at the EIC Summit 2024: what founders need to know
The European Innovation Council ran an Investor Day on 19 March 2024 in Brussels as part of its EIC Summit beneficiaries day. The event was aimed at EIC Accelerator and related blended finance beneficiaries working in sustainability and deep tech. It combined pitching sessions, investor matchmaking and broader Summit activities such as keynotes, workshops and networking.
Core facts and logistics
| Item | Details | Notes |
| When | 19 March 2024, 08:30 to 19:00 CET | |
| Where | Maison de la Poste, Brussels | |
| Application deadline | 15 January 2024 | |
| Who could apply | EIC Accelerator/H2020 blended finance beneficiaries and EIC Accelerator Horizon Europe awardees (grant first, blended finance or investment only) | Applicants had to be selected EIC beneficiaries |
| Sectors / pitching sessions | Five verticals: Quantum, Photonics & Semiconductors; AI, Connectivity & IoT; Industrial Biotech & New Materials; Agritech & Food; Energy Transition | Applicants should pick the session that best matches their technology |
| Selection process | Investor jury review based on submitted application details and investor preferences | Selected companies were invited to a dry run a week before the event |
| Confidentiality / data use | Profile information shared with jury and may be used in an investor call or event brochure | Organisers provided a contact for objections regarding data use: investments@eicfund.eu |
| Coaching and ecosystem links | Event organised under EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Business Acceleration Services | Part of wider EIC support to prepare awardees for investor interactions |
Who was in the room on the investor side
Organisers advertised an elite, broad investor jury drawn from European and international venture capital and corporate VC players. The list published in the invitation included many well known names across climate tech, deep tech and generalist venture firms. Presence on the list was presented as an opportunity to pitch directly to relevant investors but did not guarantee investment outcomes.
Representative investor names included Amadeus Capital Partners, ArcTern Ventures, Astanor, BASF Venture Capital, Bullnet Capital, Capricorn Partners, DN Capital, eCAPITAL, Eurazeo, HV Capital, Industrifonden, Indaco Venture Partners, Iris Capital, Kiko Ventures, Leanox Capital, Matterwave Ventures, Munich Venture Partners, Net Zero Tech Ventures, Omnes Capital, Planet A, Project A, Redalpine, Speedinvest and World Fund among others. The organisers noted more names to be announced.
Eligibility and application practicalities
Only companies that matched specific EIC Accelerator award categories were eligible. Applicants were required to submit the contact details of the person who would do the pitching and to select the single session most relevant to their product even if the technology could fit several verticals. Selection was handled by the investor jury using the application information plus their own investment preferences.
Why the EIC runs this Investor Day
The Investor Day was presented as part of the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support Programme which expands the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The rationale is to prepare EIC beneficiaries to interact with investors, provide matchmaking opportunities, and build a sector-focused partner network that awardees can access for growth and commercialisation support.
What founders should expect and prepare
This kind of event mixes promotion, screening and matchmaking. It is a useful visibility moment but not a substitute for disciplined investor outreach and proper due diligence. Investors in the room will make fast judgements from submitted materials and short pitches. If you apply, assume investor access does not equal funding and prepare to support any claims with technical data and commercial evidence.
A critical but constructive view
Matchmaking events organised by public innovation programmes are valuable because they concentrate attention from multiple investors and can speed discovery. They are also performative by design. Investors choose which companies to see based on short forms and sometimes crowd-driven signals. Publicly run pitch days tend to favour companies that are already investment-ready. If your company is early, consider whether a matchmaking event is the stage to seek partners or whether targeted introductions and deeper follow-up meetings would yield better outcomes.
Finally, participation is limited to beneficiaries of specific EIC schemes. That keeps the audience focused but excludes many promising teams outside the EIC pipeline. For founders who are not EIC beneficiaries, other EIC BAS services and national innovation programmes can still be useful routes into the investor ecosystem.
Useful contacts and next steps
Organisers asked applicants to contact investments@eicfund.eu about objections to the use of submitted information. The event application form included additional contacts for logistical questions: mariana.domingues@eura-ag.de and ana.moura@eura-ag.de. If you are an EIC beneficiary and want to access BAS offerings more broadly, sign up on the EIC Community Platform and explore EIC Ecosystem Partners and ACCESS+ co-funding.