Creator Fund Launches First European Fund of $56 Million
Creator Fund, a venture capital firm based in the UK, has successfully closed its first European fund, raising $56 million (£42 million). This pre-seed fund is dedicated to supporting scientific founders in Europe even before they have a well-prepared pitch.
The firm runs a program called the Scientific Founder program, which helps discover talent at universities. Each year, 40 venture fellows are chosen to work across 30 universities in 10 countries. They are trained to spot researchers who have the potential to start their own companies, providing support during the crucial early stages of company development. The focus of this initiative in Europe is mainly on deep technology innovations.
So far, the new fund has made 11 investments, including notable companies such as Ovo Labs, Latent Worlds, Anzen Industries, and SPhotonix. Since its inception in 2019, Creator Fund has backed a total of 62 companies. Recently, two of these companies have achieved over $100 million (£75 million) in total funding.
Among the major investors in this fund are KfW Capital and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark. Additional support comes from Equation Capital, Basecamp (Phoenix Court), JIMCO, and Allocator One. Overall, the fund has garnered commitments from 71 limited partners across 21 countries.
Jamie Macfarlane, founder and CEO of Creator Fund, stated, “The biggest challenges facing our world are being addressed in European university labs. The scientists tackling these issues are remarkable but have often been overlooked by venture capital, steering them toward academia instead of entrepreneurship.”
He emphasized, “This fund allows us to support more scientists than ever across Europe, ensuring that the next wave of innovative companies is built by those who understand the science behind them.”
