UK VC Balderton announces €1.1B in new funds to back Europe’s top entrepreneurs

London-based Balderton Capital, a technology venture capital firm, announced on Monday that it has secured $615M (approximately €563M) in an Early Stage Fund IX and $685M (approximately €627M) Growth Fund II, totalling $1.3B (approximately €1.1B) to back Europe’s most ambitious entrepreneurs from the seed stage through IPO. 

“At Balderton, we believe the best way to change the world is to build a business – and that many of these world-changing businesses will be built in Europe,” says Bernard Liautaud, Managing Partner at Balderton.

“As a firm, our mission is simple: to be the partner of choice to the founders starting and growing those European technology companies. These new funds put us in a position to do just that,” Liautaud.

For the first time, Balderton raised its early and growth funds simultaneously due to strong investor demand for Early Stage Fund IX and Growth Fund II.

The announcement comes as the growth of the European technology ecosystem has created strong returns for investors as well.

European VC funds outperformed North American funds over both a 10 and 15-year period, according to data from Invest Europe and Cambridge Associates.

Balderton Capital: Multistage venture firm

Founded in 2000, Balderton Capital is a multistage venture firm supporting Europe’s best founders from Seed to IPO.

The VC has both early and growth funds and invests across the technology sector, with a proven track record backing AI, fintech, B2B SaaS, digital health, mobility, gaming, and marketplace companies.

Since its inception, the UK VC has invested in more than 275 technology companies from across Europe.

The current portfolio includes global category leaders like Revolut, Dream Games, GoCardless, Contentful, Aircall, Wayve, Writer, and PhotoRoom.

Many previous portfolio companies have successfully exited, such as Darktrace, Depop, MySQL, Peakon, Recorded Future, Talend and THG.

Besides funding, the London-based VC offers hands-on support from its experienced investment team and a range of services to its founders and portfolio companies, including the Balderton Platform team, Executives in Residence, and a community of over 700 leading European technology executives.

Additionally, the VC provides support through its Balderton Founder Wellbeing and Performance platform, covering executive coaching, peer support in CEO Forums, a health and fitness program, and access to a digital platform for parent founders.