Fuelling Berlin’s innovative start-ups with ERDF VC funds

This case study explains how innovative Berlin’s start-ups grow and scale thanks to Venture Capital (VC) investments co-financed with 2014-2020 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) resources. The Federal State of Berlin was one of EU’s pioneers in implementing ERDF equity financial instruments. The VC Funds are implemented by IBB Ventures, a subsidiary of Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB), the promotional bank of the Federal State of Berlin. One of the notable achievements of the VC Funds is the substantial co-investment made by private investors: a leverage of 9 times over the contribution from ERDF (including funding via REACT-EU) was achieved in 2014-2020, reflecting the ERDF’s effectiveness in mobilising additional resources and maximising the impact of the public funds. For more insights, watch the fi-compass video case study about Berlin’s ERDF VC funds.