ECFG has raised €40 million for its third growth capital fund, Ventures III, to invest in innovative Dutch tech companies. With this fund, ECFG is also taking a step towards further broadening its original focus on Brainport to the whole of the Netherlands. Fund II already looked outside the Brainport Eindhoven region; this strategy is now strengthened. Sophie Manigart will become the new chairman of the Supervisory and Advisory Boards. With this, ECFG wants to professionalize further.
With the closing of Ventures III, capital will again become available for promising companies. “We help these promising companies realize their growth objectives,” says Hans Bloemen, managing partner of ECFG. “By deploying knowledge, capital, and our network, we create value for both the companies we invest in and the investors.”
Co-founder and partner of ECFG Ruben Baijens adds the importance of personal involvement and guidance. “With every investment, we deploy two team members to support the company’s growth. The fund allows us to participate in 10 to 15 companies we help grow in the coming years.” Meanwhile, the first and second investments have already been made. The funding has been awarded to Medeye (formerly known as HighTechXL alumnus Mint Solutions) and IBdata.
Financial and strategic
ECFG has its roots in the Brainport region and now invests nationally. As a minority shareholder, Ventures III offers investments from €0.5 to €4 million to support companies in their commercial, organizational, and operational growth. The focus is on B2B sectors such as high-tech manufacturing, agrotech, and ICT, with a preference for companies that combine software and hardware. “Typical of our commitment is that we support companies with potential both financially and strategically in their growth ambitions,” said Leo van Schijndel, investment director at ECFG.
Sophie Manigart
In addition to the closing of Ventures III, ECFG also announces the appointment of Sophie Manigart as chairman of both the Supervisory and Advisory Boards. Manigart is a professor of entrepreneurial finance, a partner at Vlerick Business School, and an independent director at Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV). She has extensive experience in supervisory positions with Gimv and AXA, among others, and was for many years director of the Business Angels Network Vlaanderen (BAN) and a member of the admission committee of the Flemish Women on Board. Manigart will collaborate in her new role with Miriam Dragstra, Godfried de Jongh, and Ronald Slaats.
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