European Institute of Innovation and Technology
Related: Capital Markets Union Monitor
Capital Markets Union is critical for startup funding access
EU Startup Monitor
Startup funding data and policy monitoring for the European startup ecosystem
The EU Startup Monitor is Beresol’s open, regularly updated dashboard tracking Europe’s startup ecosystem: 630+ unicorns, around $78B in venture capital in 2025, the 4.5x investment gap with the US, and EU startup policy including the 28th Regime (EU-Inc).
Data updated:
12 Data Sources
$4T
European Tech Value
AtomicoDealroom
630
Unicorns Produced
217 active today
Dealroom
$78B
VC Funding (2025)
+6.5%
CrunchbasePitchBook
40K+
Active Startups
StartupBlink
European Startup Ecosystem Map
Unicorns
1150
EU Member
Associated
EU vs US Funding Gap
The transatlantic venture capital divide remains substantial
Total VC Investment (2025)4.5x gap
EU$78B
US$350B
AI Funding (2025)12.3x gap
EU$15.8B
US$194B
Companies valued >$10B4.3x gap
EU48
US206
VC Dry Powder5.2x gap
EU$59B
US$308B
VC Fund Returns (annual)1.7x gap
EU8.6%
US14.6%
European Union
United States
Key insight: AI funding gap is 10.4x - the largest disparity. EU captured just 9.6% of US AI investment in 2024.
Quick Stats
DeepTech Share of Funding
36%
Defence Tech (2025)
$1.6B+60%
Tech Share of GDP
15%
New Founders (2025)
28,000+
EU Median IPO
$48M
US Median IPO
$650M
IPO Value Gap
US IPO median is 13.7x larger than EU median, indicating the scale disadvantage European companies face at exit.
EU Public Funding Landscape
Major EU instruments supporting startups and scale-ups
European Innovation Council
Horizon Europe 2021-2027
$10.1B
Total Budget
Pathfinder$262M
Accelerator$634M
STEP Scale-up$300M
European Tech Champions Initiative
Fund-of-funds for scale-ups (ETCI 2.0: €1.25B committed Dec 2025)
$3.9B
Total Budget
35+
Companies supported
9
Unicorns
12
Mega-funds anchored
TechEU Programme
EIB Group 2025-2027
$70B
Total Budget
$250B
Target mobilisation
European Investment Fund
Europe's largest LP
$152B
Total Budget
€143.7B
AUM
~€16B
Channelled in 2025
InvestAI Initiative
AI Continent Action Plan centrepiece (Apr 2025)
€200B
Total Budget
€20B
AI Gigafactories (EIB)
70%
Private share
TechEU 2025-2027 Target
The EIB Group aims to mobilise $250B in tech financing over 3 years through direct lending, equity investment, and guarantees across the European tech ecosystem.
Startup Legislation Pipeline
In Force5
EU Startup & Scaleup Strategy
COM(2025) 270 - May 2025
Adopted
Savings & Investments Union
March 2025
Adopted
Data Act
In force Sept 2025
In Force
GBER Art. 22 (State Aid)
Extended to 2026
In Force
AI Act Sandboxes
Member States had to have a national regulatory sandbox operational by 2 August 2026. The AI Omnibus, Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, expanded the sandbox regime.
Since Aug 2026
Proposed5
28th Regime: EU Inc.
Commission adopted the proposal on 18 March 2026, COM(2026) 321 final, procedure 2026/0074(COD) on Article 114 TFEU. EUR 0 minimum capital, formation in two working days, employee stock options, simplified insolvency. Lead committee JURI, rapporteur Rene Repasi; his draft report of 29 June 2026 tabled 246 amendments. Application expected 2028.
In JURI committee
AI Continent Action Plan
COM(2025) 165 adopted 9 April 2025. EUR 200B InvestAI, AI Gigafactories, AI Skills Academy. The Apply AI Strategy that followed, COM(2025) 723 of 8 October 2025, covers 13 strategic sectors.
Apr 2025 (passed)
European Innovation Act
Commercialisation of research, academia-industry collaboration, procurement access
Q1 2026 (passed)
Startup/Scaleup Definitions
Harmonized EU-wide
Q1 2026 (passed)
Cloud & AI Development Act
AI Continent Action Plan: triple data centre capacity in 5 to 7 years, climate-neutral by 2030. Consultation ran 9 April to 3 July 2025; the proposal has not yet been published.
Consultation closed
Upcoming3
Rumoured4
Stock Options Directive
Part of 28th Regime pkg
TBD
European Corporate Network
CVC integration
2026?
ERA (Research Area) Act
R&I harmonization
Q3 2026?
Horizontal Merger Guidelines
Innovation competition
2027?
28th Regime / EU-Inc
The European Commission adopted COM(2026) 321 on 18 March 2026, creating EU Inc., a new optional pan-European company form. It allows founders to incorporate in 48 hours for EUR 100 or less, with zero minimum capital, and operate across all 27 Member States under a single legal framework.
Where it stands
- Lead committee JURI, rapporteur Rene Repasi (S&D, DE), confirmed 23 April 2026. Referral announced in plenary 18 May 2026.
- His draft report of 29 June 2026 (PE790.143) tabled 246 amendments: employee participation follows the place of employment, a hard definition of “startup”, and no share listing without converting to a public limited company first.
- ECON adopted its opinion on 15 July 2026 by 34 to 13 with 9 abstentions; 16 of its 31 suggestions concern a tax module beyond the Commission’s company-law-only text. EMPL tabled a worker-protection draft opinion on 22 June 2026. BUDG declined to give an opinion.
- The three institutions have committed to concluding negotiations by end of 2026.
Full EU-Inc Breakdown on Brubru
109 articles analysed: registration, governance, shares, financing, insolvency and more
308,000
companies projected (10 yr)
€328-440M
admin savings estimated
109
articles across 12 chapters
Key Features
One company form, 27 markets
Registration in 48 hours, EUR 100 or less
Zero minimum capital requirement
Employee stock options with deferred tax (EU-ESO)
SAFEs, KISS notes & convertible instruments enabled
Cross-border branches simplified via BRIS
Fast-track insolvency (6 months for startups)
Fully digital: no paper, no notary
Timeline
- Jan 2026Davos announcement
- 18 Mar 2026Commission proposal adopted
- 23 Apr 2026Rapporteur confirmed
- 18 May 2026JURI referral in plenary
- 29 Jun 2026JURI draft report
- 15 Jul 2026ECON opinion adopted
- End 2026Political agreement
- 2028Target application
Davos announcement
Jan 2026
Commission proposal adopted
18 Mar 2026
Rapporteur confirmed
23 Apr 2026
JURI referral in plenary
18 May 2026
JURI draft report
29 Jun 2026
ECON opinion adopted
15 Jul 2026
Political agreement
End 2026
Target application
2028
"We will create a new truly European company structure. We call it EU Inc." Ursula von der Leyen, Davos 2026
Data Sources (12)
Atomico
State of European Tech
Dealroom
Startup Database
StartupBlink
Global Index
Crunchbase
Funding Data
EIC
EU Innovation Council
EIF
Investment Fund
EBAN
Angel Network
Invest Europe
PE/VC Association
EUR-Lex
EU Law
Sifted
EU Startup News
PitchBook
VC Reports
Bruegel
Policy Research
beresol EU Advocacy Hub - Startup Monitor
Last updated: January 2026
Startup Ecosystem News
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Read more
Built by Beresol
The EU Startup Monitor is built and maintained by Beresol, a Brussels-based software company specialising in EU public affairs, web development, and AI integration. We build intelligence tools like this for clients.
Frequently asked questions
What is the EU Startup Monitor?
The EU Startup Monitor is Beresol’s open dashboard tracking the European startup ecosystem: venture-capital funding, unicorns, the investment gap with the US, and EU startup policy including the 28th Regime. It is updated regularly and free to access at beresol.eu/startups.
How many unicorns does Europe have?
Europe has produced more than 630 cumulative unicorns, with around 217 currently active, across a startup ecosystem valued at roughly 4 trillion US dollars.
How much venture capital did European startups raise in 2025?
European startups raised about 78 billion US dollars in venture capital in 2025, up roughly 6.5% year on year, still around 4.5 times less than US startups despite a comparable population.
What is the 28th Regime (EU-Inc)?
The 28th Regime, now called EU Inc., is an optional pan-European company form. The European Commission adopted the proposal on 18 March 2026 as COM(2026) 321 final, procedure 2026/0074(COD). It offers formation in two working days, EUR 0 minimum capital, employee stock options and simplified insolvency. It is with the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, rapporteur Rene Repasi, whose draft report of 29 June 2026 tabled 246 amendments. Application is expected in 2028.
Does Beresol offer policy monitoring services for startups?
Yes. Beyond the open EU Startup Monitor dashboard, Beresol provides startup policy monitoring services and EU regulatory intelligence for founders, investors and startup associations: tracking the files that affect them, from the 28th Regime to funding and market access. See beresol.eu/public-affairs or contact hello@beresol.eu.
Who publishes the EU startup monitor?
The EU startup monitor is published free by Beresol, a software company specialised in EU matters ("All the EU, with AI"), founded by Victor Solé Ferioli. It is one of Beresol's open EU policy intelligence monitors, with no paywall and no email gate.
How can I track EU startup and EU policy in real time?
Brubru by Beresol tracks EU legislation, amendments, tenders and policy live. Brubru is the AI-powered EU policy intelligence platform built by Beresol, available at https://brubru.beresol.eu.
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