Düsseldorf, January 31, 2025 – Companies with patents play an essential role in the European investment ecosystem. This was the finding of a recent study by the European Patent Office (EPO). The study shows that 88 percent of all European investors have companies with patents in their portfolio. The EPO used a new metric, the Technology Investor Score (TIS), for its report. This measures the percentage of companies in an investor’s portfolio that have filed patent applications.
The EPO’s study also identifies the financing problems of European startups: it found that most tech investments in Europe are made by comprehensive public programs and specialized private investors. According to the EPO, this is creating a significant funding gap compared to the USA, where private investors predominate. “This funding gap hinders the transformation of innovation into scalable startups, driving entrepreneurs to seek opportunities abroad. Bridging this gap is crucial to revitalizing sustainable growth across Europe,” says EPO President António Campinos.
In a comparison of European countries and in terms of financing volume and number of transactions, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are leading the way, with investors in the tech segment strongly represented. The study found that investments totaling around EUR 392 billion were made in some 75,800 transactions in these three leading countries between 2000 and 2023. In the same period, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Belgium contributed a total of approximately EUR 88.5 billion in more than 24,400 transactions. Other European countries contributed a good EUR 70 billion in over 22,000 transactions. These figures, according to the EPO, show how specialization in the tech sector offers promising growth potential.
Cohausz & Florack (C&F) also sees the results of the study as a positive sign overall: “The innovative spirit of European startups is impressive and is reflected in investors’ portfolios. To successfully monetize inventions and promote growth and progress, a dynamic and diverse investment ecosystem is and will remain essential in the future,” says Gottfried Schüll, patent attorney and partner at C&F.
To simplify access to investors, the EPO has updated its “Deep Tech Finder.” The free tool uses various criteria to help European startups find the investors that are best matched to their company profile.
