Eureka! Fund I

technology transfer

EUREKA! Venture SGR manages Eureka! Fund I – Technology Transfer”: investments are focused on proof of concept, seed and early stage deals in spinoffs and startups steaming out from Italian Universities and Research Centers. Ideas and companies backed by Eureka! Fund has a competitive advantage stems from cutting-edge proprietary technologies and innovations in materials science & engineering with a clear and unique vision on intellectual property rights.

Technology Transfer is all about people, from the inventor of an idea through to the end-customer once the idea has reached the market. It’s all about closing the gap between research and market. It’s all about Eureka! people.

Corner & Strategic Investors

Anchor & Institutional investor in Eureka! Fund I – Technology Transfer include European Investment Fund and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, through ITAtech mandate.

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is the National Promotional Institution that has supported the Italian economy since 1850. It finances public investments and the development of the Country’s infrastructure system; it backs Italian enterprises, helping them innovate and grow, while fostering their exports and international expansion. It supports international cooperation and acts as a catalyst for IPE’s funds in Italy. As the primary operator in social and affordable housing, CDP contributes to the growth of the Italian real estate sector and promotes urban transformation.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment.

“Eureka! Fund I - Technology Transfer” is supported by InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing.

Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo is one of the most important Italian grant-making foundation. It was established for philanthropic purposes, to promote cultural, civil and economic development, on the strength of its solid assets and stable grant-making capacity. Every year, we help nurture projects that benefit culture, people and the planet, and this experience has taught us that the well-being of every individual is inextricably linked with the well-being of their community. The year 2020 marks a major milestone in our development because it has prompted us to act as a facilitator within society and to apply the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to our work, as a rigorous, internationally shared methodological framework.

A2A is the Italian Life Company that deals with the environment, water and energy and, the circular use of natural resources. Listed on Borsa Italiana (the Italian Stock Exchange), with over 12,000 employees, A2A is a leader in Italy in the environmental sector, from separate waste collection to integrated waste management and the recovery of materials and energy, according to a circular economy model that transforms waste into resources. A2A envisages 16 billion euro in capex by 2030 dedicated to the achievement of 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda.

The Nestlé Group , present in 187 countries with more than 2000 brands between global and local, is the global leading food company, active since 1866 for the production and distribution of products for Nutrition, Health and Well-being of people. “Good food, Good life” is its signature and its world. Present in Italy for more than 100 years, Nestlé has been committed every day with concrete actions to express all the good in food with its products and brands. The company operates in Italy in 9 categories with a portfolio of numerous brands that are constantly striving to offer good, nutritionally balanced products with transparent labels.

SAES Group is an advanced functional materials group. Internally, it conceives and produces new families and new compounds of "functional" materials, that is, materials bearing special characteristics which find their application in a variety of areas such as consumer electronics, domotics, automotive, particle accelerators, gas purification and other new frontiers yet to be discovered.
The unique expertise of SAES Group in the field of materials science translates into the radically innovative activity carried out by the R&D department: the beating heart of the company’s core strategy.

UMBRAGROUP is a cutting-edge manufacturing company in the aeronautics and industrial sectors. It is the world leader in the production of recirculating ballscrews in the aeronautics sector. UMBRAGROUP, moreover, has recently strengthened its position in the supply of products aimed at the energy market.

  • European Comission
    European Comission “Eureka! Fund I - Technology Transfer” is supported by InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing.

  • The European Investment Fund
    European investment logo The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe's micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, EIF fosters EU objectives in support of innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth, and employment.
  • Cassa depositi e prestiti
    Casa Depositi e Prestiti logo Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is the National Promotional Institution that has supported the Italian economy since 1850. It finances public investments and the development of the Country’s infrastructure system; it backs Italian enterprises, helping them innovate and grow, while fostering their exports and international expansion. It supports international cooperation and acts as a catalyst for IPE’s funds in Italy. As the primary operator in social and affordable housing, CDP contributes to the growth of the Italian real estate sector and promotes urban transformation.
  • Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo
    Fondazione Compagnia San Paolo logo Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo is one of the most important Italian grant-making foundation. It was established for philanthropic purposes, to promote cultural, civil and economic development, on the strength of its solid assets and stable grant-making capacity. Every year, we help nurture projects that benefit culture, people and the planet, and this experience has taught us that the well-being of every individual is inextricably linked with the well-being of their community. The year 2020 marks a major milestone in our development because it has prompted us to act as a facilitator within society and to apply the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to our work, as a rigorous, internationally shared methodological framework.
  • SAES Group
    Saes Group logo SAES Group is an advanced functional materials group. Internally, it conceives and produces new families and new compounds of "functional" materials, that is, materials bearing special characteristics which find their application in a variety of areas such as consumer electronics, domotics, automotive, particle accelerators, gas purification and other new frontiers yet to be discovered.
    The unique expertise of SAES Group in the field of materials science translates into the radically innovative activity carried out by the R&D department: the beating heart of the company’s core strategy.
  • UMBRAGROUP
    UMBRAGROUP logo UMBRAGROUP is a cutting-edge manufacturing company in the aeronautics and industrial sectors. It is the world leader in the production of recirculating ballscrews in the aeronautics sector. UMBRAGROUP, moreover, has recently strengthened its position in the supply of products aimed at the energy market.

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

META Group is an international company that drive knowledge to market by advising authorities on innovation-boosting strategies;
coaching entrepreneurs and investing in promising ideas and opportunities. META Group through the "Impact Booster" consortium has won in 2020 a 4-year European Commission contract worth €12 million to boost impact arising from EU research projects, called the "Common Support Service for Dissemination, Exploitation and Valorisation of Research Results".

Kilometro Rosso is the Innovation District located in the heart of Lombardy Region. Where Business and Research meet; it brings together companies, universities and research centers, in order to foster innovation processes in the manufacturing industry. Kilometro Rosso works with an open mindset, following the Open Innovation paradigm: developing synergies between different skills allows to accelerate development and introduce innovative solutions on the market.

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) is a Foundation governed by Articles 14 et seq of the Italian Civil Code, financed by the State to conduct scientific research in the public interest, for the purpose of technological development. IIT aims to promote excellence in basic and applied research and to promote the development of the national economy.
IIT's total staff is comprised of 1758 people from more than 60 countries. IIT’s production includes more than 14000 publications, over 200 European projects and more than 40 ERC (European Research Council) projects, more than 900 active patent applications, 23 established start-ups and more than 40 under due diligence.

The Politecnico di Torino, which in 2009 celebrated its 150th academic year from its foundation, has become over the years an international school, where traditions and future, past and modernity are all interlinked.
The Politecnico provides its own scientific skills to companies interested in innovation, research and consultancy services with a multidisciplinary, multiservice and customer-oriented approach in order to meet the needs of companies to solve even their complex issues. In 11 multidisciplinary Departments, 2,500 people carry out R&D activities in all fields of Engineering, Architecture and Design.

Materias is an Early Stage Combined Accelerator for Innovative Materials-based start up. We manage technology transfer and consulting activities providing innovation management service to researchers around the world. Materias invests in material based new ventures supporting researchers to enhace research activities, through the protection of intellectual property, providing funds for the industrialization and market entry of innovative products and services.
The team is made up of members of the academic and managerial world with significant experience in the fields of research, innovation and intellectual property. This allows Materias to be able to count on a mix of previous experiences, both in the academic and entrepreneurial fields.