Investment & Fund Management

The European Investment Fund (EIF) has made a significant investment of €30 million in Sistafund, a venture capital fund focused on supporting startups led by women entrepreneurs and gender-balanced teams. This investment, backed by the InvestEU programme, represents EIF's largest commitment to a gender-lens fund, addressing the notable financing gap that female startup founders face across Europe. Sistafund specifically targets early-stage tech companies where women hold at least 30% of the founder shares, thereby promoting diversity within the European startup ecosystem.

Sistafund operates independently through its management company, Sunshine, and aims to combat societal biases while fostering greater inclusion in the venture capital space. The fund focuses on four key sectors: health tech, sustainability, frontier tech (including artificial intelligence and deep tech), and inclusive fintech and insurtech. Since its inception, Sistafund has supported seven pioneering companies, including The Exploration Company in spacetech and Astran in cybersecurity, demonstrating its commitment to identifying and nurturing global category leaders from the earliest stages of development.

The backing from diverse limited partners, including major corporates like BNP Paribas and L’Oréal, provides Sistafund's portfolio companies with valuable expertise and mentorship, enhancing their chances of success. The initiative not only aims to increase the representation of women in tech but also seeks to prove that diverse teams can outperform their non-diverse counterparts, thereby redefining the venture capital landscape in Europe.