The LP Lens

EU-Startups released the 2026 Top 100 Most Influential Women in European Startups and VC, highlighting the growing impact of female investors and founders across sectors like climate tech, AI, fintech, and health. Several European Women in VC (EWVC) members are featured, celebrating women shaping Europe’s startup ecosystem.

Finland may hold the mantle for being the “happiest country in the world” per the World Happiness Report, but this label hasn’t emerged in a vacuum. The country’s stellar social-support system, which distributes comprehensive welfare packages such as healthcare and education support, has allowed its citizens to flourish, both personally and professionally. 

Lisa Edgar, partner emeritus at Top Tier Ventures and advisor to funds such as Open Ocean, has some words of advice for fund managers. She highlighted how fund managers and GPs can clinch actual LP approval — and what to be mindful of when navigating the GP-LP dynamic.

The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), a €1 billion multi-sovereign fund supported by 24 Allied countries, was announced in June 2022 with the aim of investing over a period of 15 years into promising deeptech startups that can address capability gaps in defence, security and resilience across NATO nations. 

In June this year, the British Business Bank – the UK government’s economic development bank – announced its total financial capacity had been expanded to £25.6 billion. The institution has sprawled in size and ambition since it was established in 2014. Initially focusing on bolstering SMEs to drive economic development by providing access to capital, the bank has supported over 64,000 small businesses across the UK. Now, it’s also doubling down on its efforts to galvanise the country’s equity and venture space. This year, it earmarked a fresh £6.6 billion in new capital for promising investments – and Christine Hockley, managing director and the co-head of funds at the British Business Bank, told European Women in VC that the bank has lofty ambitions to tap into the growth market.

While global enthusiasm toward ESG investing is cooling off, EIFO remains committed to the green transition. The state-owned fund, which is both a national promotional bank and export credit agency, backs Danish companies by injecting long-term capital into the country’s ecosystem, both directly in startups, indirectly through funds and by financing energy and other projects around the world. 

Stockholm has long touted the mantle of being the ‘Silicon Valley of Europe’ – and a banner run of IPOs and fundraises from the country in 2025 have helped it to live up to its epithet.

Tesi’s 2025 study shows strong progress in sustainability among VC and PE investors, with ESG now central to strategies, reporting, and investment decisions. Impact assessment is growing but still less established.

European Women in VC has officially joined the Investing in Women Code, a UK government-backed initiative to improve access to finance for women entrepreneurs and investors. This milestone highlights a strong commitment to advancing gender equity, increasing capital allocation to female-led funds, and supporting a more inclusive and resilient venture capital ecosystem across Europe.

Mazanti-Andersen is a highly specialized, market-oriented law firm and a trusted partner to many Danish and international businesses. The firm is recognized as one of the leading law firms on venture capital and fund formation in the Nordics.

The numbers don’t lie. Women in tech are like rare gems – precious but, sadly, scarce. We’re talking about glaring disparities in tech roles, leadership positions, and the chilly climate in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math). But it’s not just a numbers game; it’s about the incredible value and perspectives that women bring to the table.

Between 2016 and 2021, female-founded companies only broke the €1 billion threshold once, in contrast to male-founded startups regularly exceeding €10 billion annually.

The report from Harvard Kennedy School's, Women and Public Policy Program, delves into gender disparities in the venture capital industry (in the U.S.) and highlights the benefits of increased gender diversity.

European Women in VC partners with CAIA Association, a global professional body, pioneers a new era in investment management.

Research from BCG and Cambridge Associates highlights the importance of diversity in private equity and venture capital.

European Women in VC has joined Pensions for Purpose, a leading organization dedicated to accelerating the flow of capital towards positive societal and environmental outcomes. 

European VC sees record growth, but gender diversity stalls with minimal change in funding for female founders and GP representation.

Discover post-pandemic strategies to promote female entrepreneurship and inclusivity in finance.

This report examines gender diversity in AI-focused venture capital over the past decade. It highlights the persistent challenge women face in accessing venture capital funding, despite the growth in women-led businesses.

This quarter's research highlights and news with Kinga Stanislawska, Founder at European Women in VC, as the main guest.

The growth and development of European VC hubs are on the rise, yet there's uncertainty about the level of cohesion and inclusivity within this expansion. These hubs are closely linked and have a substantial impact on each other. This growing interconnectivity may serve as the catalyst for achieving more unified and comprehensive growth.

A third of Europe’s female VC partners have MBAs. Far fewer have actually worked at startups.

Private equity firms and institutional investors have intensified their focus on gender and ethnic diversity, but the road ahead remains long.

Reports published by the European Commission provide insight into a wide assortment of relevant topics and are updated regularly.

The IFC/CDC report covers the topic of gender-smart investing and how it can affect the emerging markets.

Research shows that stereotypes and network play an important role in the decision making process of VC investors.

This report explores the nuances of female partners and women-led funds - the reality, the opportunities available to us, and the actions we need to take in order to move the conversation forward.

Project Sage 3.0: Tracking Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Private Debt with a Gender Lens

The untapped potential in the world's most gender equal region

Diversity in initiating and funding startups continues to increase, yet the influence of the ecosystem still weighs it down. The report is written in French.

Finding climate solutions and building resilience has never been more pressing. Amsterdam-headquartered Carbon Equity aims to do exactly this.

Sella Venture Partners, the investment arm of Italy's leading banking group, deploys a generalist approach to backing early-stage venture funds across Europe and North America.

Investinor, the Norwegian government's investment arm, is betting on first- and second-time fund managers to mature the country's young venture ecosystem. Investment Director Johan Bøe Bjørkevoll explains why power law returns are a feature, not a flaw, and how Norway's tech sector is shifting from serving domestic industries like energy and fisheries toward building for global markets.

Invest-NL Chief Business Officer Jellie Banga explains how the Dutch national promotional institution plugs Europe's growth-stage "missing middle" - backing scaling companies and 50+ VC funds while mobilising private capital alongside public funding, across climate tech, life sciences, agrifoods, and deeptech.

Alex Seddon, Head of Impact & Private Equity at M&G Investments, discusses how M&G Catalyst is backing European scale-ups with growth capital while driving measurable impact across climate, healthcare, inclusion, and technology.

Bpifrance has backed nearly 80% of French startups since 2013, channeling $10.5B into the ecosystem - and is doubling down on GP relationships and diversity.

Kría Venture fund is a newly established state fund, a result of the merger between two major Icelandic funds, the Icelandic New Business Venture Fund and Kria fund of funds, embodies the country’s appetite to grow its technology ecosystem. In a bid to marry together the strengths of these individual funds, Kría venture fund will double down on two main investment categories — both longer-term, patient capital into funds as well as direct investments in early-stage startups.