Brussels-based growth equity investor Smartfin has successfully closed its third growth fund, reaching its €250 million target, highlighting its role as a player in Europe’s B2B technology ecosystem.
This marks the firm’s fifth fund since its founding in 2014, bringing its total investment commitments to over €600 million.
For the first time, the European Investment Fund (EIF) participated in a Smartfin fund through its ESCALAR programme, designed to address financing gaps faced by high-growth European companies.
“This successful fundraise reflects the strength of our team and the confidence our investors place in us.” said Jürgen Ingels, Founding Partner of Smartfin. “The partnership with EIF, through the ESCALAR programme, is an international quality stamp that reaffirms our commitment to backing exceptional entrepreneurs and fostering innovation in Europe’s B2B technology ecosystem. We are excited to continue building on our strong track record and scaling the next generation of tech leaders.”
Smartfin was founded in 2014, with a portfolio that exemplifies its ability to identify and nurture high-growth companies across diverse sectors.
The new fund, Smartfin Capital III, focuses on growth-stage B2B technology companies across Europe. It builds on the firm’s track record of backing innovative startups, with a portfolio including companies such as Deliverect, Bright Analytics, Recharge, and Zivver.
Recent investments made with the new fund include CrazyGames, a global browser-based casual gaming platform, and Emma, a multi-cloud management platform optimising cloud infrastructure. Read the EU-Startup coverage here.
The inaugural participation of the EIF in Smartfin Capital III through its ESCALAR program represents a significant endorsement of Smartfin’s investment philosophy and performance.
ESCALAR, established by EIF to provide growth financing to high-potential funds and companies, will enable Smartfin to expand its impact and support more promising ventures across Europe, while at the same time providing a stepstone in further institutionalising its operations.
“Investing in scale-ups and technology is not just about fostering innovation; it’s about empowering the next generation of leaders who will drive Europe’s economic growth and global competitiveness. With Smartfin we want to support an innovation ecosystem where European technology companies and entrepreneurship can thrive,” commented Marjut Falkstedt, EIF Chief Executive.
Notable active and past investments across its funds include Deliverect, a provider of food delivery integration software; Bright Analytics, a consolidated management reporting platform; Recharge, a global one-stop-shop branded payments platform; Hex-Rays, a specialist in reverse engineering software; Zivver, a secure communications platform for email, video and file sharing; Silverfin, a cloud-based platform transforming accounting workflows acquired by Visma; Theo Technologies, a global leader in video streaming technology acquired by Dolby; Newtec, a pioneer in satellite communications acquired by ST Engineering; and UnifiedPost, a publicly listed fintech company furthering invoicing and payments for SMEs.
Access the Smartfin entry on the EU-Startup database.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/01/vc-smartfin-closes-e250-million-growth-fund-to-accelerate-europes-b2b-tech-innovations/
