Venture capital investor Atomico, together with the Slush conference, is studying the tech scene in Europe. The result: With $19 billion, Europe's tech companies have raised more capital than ever before.
Last year, the “State of European Tech Report" investments totaling USD 14.4 billion. One in five euros invested this year comes from corporate venture capital, i.e., from established companies. USD 3.5 billion is flowing into deep tech alone. This represents an increase of 40 percent over the previous year. The study also reports a record number of financing rounds above USD 50 million: this mark is expected to be exceeded in more than 50 cases in 2017. The previous record was set in 2015 with 43 investment rounds.
European companies have been able to position themselves at the forefront, particularly in the rapidly growing cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications. Europe has more blockchain development projects and more teams raising capital through blockchain—in a so-called ICO—than any other region worldwide.
Europe is a “driving force in the international tech sector”
“This year’s edition of the State of European Tech Report shows that Europe has become a driving force in the international tech sector,”
said Chris Grew from the law firm Orrick, which is supporting the study.
"From a legal perspective, we particularly highlight three things: (a) the continued appetite for investment, (b) the increasing understanding of Silicon Valley and the USA not only as an exit destination but as an opportunity for growth and investment, and (c) the potential for competitive advantages from compliance strategies in the complex EU markets. We hope that European regulators will heed this study's call for proactive innovation rules in areas such as drones, self-driving cars, and cryptocurrencies."
