European venture capital investment reached €6.4 billion in 2017 – its highest amount in a decade – with later-stage investments into larger companies at its highest level since 2008 when the financial crisis started.
Venture capital funds in Europe increased investments into companies of all stages and sizes last year, data from trade association Invest Europe shows.
Later-stage investments reached €2.3 billion while seed and early-stage investments grew almost 50% year-on-year, reaching €649 million and €3.5 billion, respectively, according to Invest Europe’s ‘2017 activity data report’.
The information and communications technology sector received 45% of the total investment amount, followed by biotech and healthcare (23%) and consumer goods and services (8%).
Nenad Marovac, the newly appointed chair of the organisation and a managing partner of DN Capital, said: “Venture capital is no longer just about Silicon Valley and Boston — European VC is now making waves.
“As well as creating leading global companies such as Spotify, Auto1 and Klarna — not to mention life sciences successes including Ablynx and GenMab — European venture firms are generating fantastic returns to investors and contributing to the health of European economies.”
©2018 funds europe
