Christian Sinding: If You’re Building Something Extraordinary in Europe, We Want to Hear From You

When EQT launched our Venture Capital strategy 11 years ago, we said that our main competitor wasn’t another fund; it was the belief that founders had to go to Silicon Valley to succeed. A lot has changed since then.

The challenge is no longer creating great early-stage companies. Europe has demonstrated it can do that, with its world-class founders, top-tier universities and deep technical talent.

The challenge is to scale those businesses into global leaders, while keeping their roots in Europe.

Too many of Europe’s most promising tech companies – which could potentially become Europe’s first trillion-euro businesses – have had no choice but to look elsewhere for the capital they need to grow. Our analysis shows that more than €700bn ($810bn) in tech valuations has departed Europe in the last 10 years alone. And when these companies leave, we’ve noticed they take with them the talent, the headquarters, the listings and ultimately the benefits of what Europe built.

SEF launches

On October 28th last year, Europe decided to act. The European Commission and its fellow Founding Investors launched a process unlike anything attempted before, bringing together public and private capital behind a single fund, with the scale and independence needed to back Europe’s next generation of global champions.

It took real courage and conviction, and today we see the result: the Scaleup Europe Fund is the largest fund of its kind ever mobilized in Europe.

The launch is just the beginning. The full EQT platform stands behind the fund: 30 years of experience in building companies, 14 offices across Europe and hundreds of advisors and industry leaders committed to helping these companies succeed.

The Scaleup Europe Fund will invest in Europe’s most promising technology companies, in sectors spanning artificial intelligence, physical AI, quantum computing, dual-use technologies, clean energy, space technology, biotech and medical innovation. The pipeline is exciting and even stronger than we expected. EQT enters this mandate having identified over a thousand potential investment targets, with more than 125 actively in our sights. The strategic technology companies being built across Europe right now are extraordinary.

SEF’s first investments

The fund will make its first investments in early autumn. We aim to execute with both speed and conviction.

Great companies are not built on capital alone. In fact, to be “more than capital” has been at the heart of EQT since we were founded in Stockholm in 1994. Our ambition is for SEF to be a catalyst for the European ecosystem – with the aim to drive corporate partnerships, foster public-private collaboration, mobilize more capital with new investors, and strengthen the talent networks that Europe’s scaleups need.

That includes dedicated programs to help founders and operators relocate to Europe.

We believe the fund can be transformational – strengthening sovereignty and supporting the growth of European technology companies – if we build it together.

That is why we’re working with corporates, policymakers, banks and institutions across Europe to support this effort. In the coming months, our team will be on the ground across every region of Europe – meeting founders, researchers, operators and related ecosystems to accelerate the next generation of European scaleups together. This is a long-term effort and a shared mission.

Opening the door

If you are building something extraordinary in Europe, we want to hear from you. EQT was founded in Stockholm, grew up in Europe and scaled into a global firm because of our European roots, not despite them.

When we talk to founders building the most exciting companies on this continent today, we hear the same ambition: they want to build here, scale here, list here, win from here.

We believe being European is a competitive advantage if the conditions are right. And creating those conditions is what the Scaleup Europe Fund is here to do.

So let’s get to work.

At EQT, the trust placed in us is something we take seriously and with passion. This is a significant milestone for Europe, and we believe there’s a huge amount at stake.

This article was adapted from Christian Sinding’s keynote speech at the launch of the Scaleup Europe Fund at the European Innovation Council Summit on June 3rd 2026.