The European Tech Champions Initiative has supported 15 megafunds with more than EUR 1 billion in capital.

Omissions

• The exact publication date of the EIB Group press release (ref. 2026-244) could not be confirmed; it was very likely issued just before or around the 2026-07-06 session, so the MEP could plausibly have known it, but this is not certain.
• The characterisation of the 15 funds as 'with more than EUR 1 billion in capital' is inferred from ETCI's design and eligibility rule (target fund size of at least €1 billion), rather than from a per-fund breakdown of each fund's final size.
• A July 2025 EIF communication reported 12 large funds backed at that time, indicating the count of 15 mega-funds reflects the state of ETCI 1 by 2026.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Investment Bank (EIB Group) — press release 2026-244"The first phase of the ETCI has already supported 15 mega-funds actively investing in European startups seeking to scale up and nurtured the development of 12 EU-based 'unicorns' (scaleups valued at more than ...)"
• PrimaryEuropean Investment Fund — ETCI 1 progress"Thanks to participation from six EU Member States and €3.9 billion committed through a fund-of-funds structure, ETCI 1 is supporting 15 mega funds."
• PrimaryEuropean Investment Fund — ETCI overview"Supported the creation of 15 European mega funds managed by some of Europe's leading managers." and "If your target fund size is at least € 1 billion or above, you may be eligible for ETCI funding."