Balderton Capital, one of Europe’s leading technology venture capital firms, announced its €563 million Early Stage Fund IX and €627 million Growth Fund II, to back Europe’s most ambitious entrepreneurs from seed stage through IPO.
“At Balderton, we believe the best way to change the world is to build a business – and that many of these world-changing businesses will be built in Europe,” said Bernard Liautaud, Managing Partner at Balderton. “As a firm, our mission is simple: to be the partner of choice to the founders starting and growing those European technology companies. These new funds put us in a position to do just that.”
There was strong investor demand for Early Stage Fund IX and Growth Fund II, which marked the first time Balderton raised its early and growth funds simultaneously. According to the VC, the increasingly global mix of LPs in the firm’s funds have been attracted to Balderton’s European focus and track record of success during its 25 year history.
The growth of the European technology ecosystem has created strong returns for investors as well. European VC funds outperformed North American funds over both a 10 and 15 year period, according to data from Invest Europe and Cambridge Associates.
For Balderton, Europe now has a long and diverse history as a key hub for global tech, with proven winners across sectors and countries. The fund mentions that in just the last two years, Europe has established itself as a leader in AI, with London and Paris being the key innovation centres. The reasons for this are not surprising or new: world class institutions and engineers, a growing culture of entrepreneurialism, a developed funding ecosystem and, increasingly, third and fourth generation founders.
Since its founding in 2000, Balderton has invested in more than 275 technology companies from across Europe. The current portfolio includes global category leaders like Revolut, Dream Games, GoCardless, Contentful, Aircall, Wayve, Writer and PhotoRoom. Many previous portfolio companies have successfully exited, such as Darktrace, Depop, MySQL, Peakon, Recorded Future, Talend and THG. Balderton’s investment history spans technology sectors including AI, fintech, B2B SaaS, digital health, mobility, gaming and marketplaces.
Beyond the hands-on support from its investment team, who have invaluable operational and entrepreneurial experience, Balderton offers a range of services to its founders and portfolio companies, including a platform comprising experts in legal, finance, talent and people, marketing and sustainability; industry veterans with decades of experience as startup builders and operators, with expertise in areas including sales, engineering, product and legal; and a community of more than 700 leading European technology executives from across the portfolio, who come together for peer support, networking and events.
With Balderton’s 65 team members across Europe, almost €1.2 billion in new funds, and a strong portfolio of more than 125 companies, the firm is excited to continue its work of partnering with Europe’s top entrepreneurs as they build world-changing companies.