The European Commission will invest around €178 million in 42 highly innovative start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs)  through the new European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund in order to help them to develop and scale up breakthrough innovations in health, circular economy, advanced manufacturing and other areas. Among them, the French company CorWave is the first EU company in which the EIC Fund is investing.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth said: “Europe has many innovative, talented start-ups, but too often these companies remain small or relocate elsewhere. This new form of financing – combining grants and equity – is unique to the European Innovation Council. It will bridge the funding gap for highly innovative companies, unlock additional private investments and enable them scale up in Europe.”

The equity investments, ranging from €500.000 to €15 million per beneficiary, complement the grant financing, which has already been provided through the EIC Accelerator Pilot to enable companies to scale up faster. This is the first time the Commission has made direct equity or quasi-equity investments, namely equity investment blended with a grant, in start-up companies, with ownership stakes expected to range from 10% to 25%.

Under the EIC Accelerator a total of 293 companies have already been selected for funding worth over €563 million in grants since December 2019. Among those, 159 companies have been selected to additionally receive the new equity investments from the EIC Fund. The 42 companies announced today are the first of this group to successfully pass the evaluation and due diligence process. The other 117 companies are in the pipeline to receive investments pending the outcome of the relevant process.

CorWave, the highly innovative French company, was the very first to receive a direct equity investment. CorWave's mission is to bring a new standard of care to patients with life-threatening heart failure. The €15 million EIC Fund investment has played a critical role by mobilising additional investors to unite behind the French SME, which led to a €35 million of investments in the fourth stage of start-up financing for CorWave.

This sizeable venture will enable CorWave to successfully bring to the market and scale up its innovative medical solution “Left Ventricular Assist Device” (LVAD), which will significantly improve the lives of those with advanced heart failure, reducing by half severe complications and the need for rehospitalisation, while at the same time improving significantly their quality of life. CorWave's high-growth potential will also translate into high-quality jobs in the EU.

Resources:

https://www.ictbusiness.info/poslovanje/ek-ulaze-178-milijuna-eura-vlasnickih-ulaganja-putem-
novog-fonda-europskog-vijeca-za-inovacije-eic
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2530
https://ec.europa.eu/croatia/News/european_innovation_council_fund_first_equity_investments_
of_178_million_in_breakthrough_innovations_hr
https://ec.europa.eu/research/eic/index.cfm