Daphni Blue Closes €260M To Back European Science Startups

The fund’s success reflects strong investor confidence in daphni’s strategy of turning European scientific research into entrepreneurial ventures that tackle significant societal and environmental challenges.

Despite a wider slowdown in the venture capital market, daphni reached its final close within nine months. During this time, the fund has already invested in nine deeptech startups originating from leading French research institutions, including INRIA, Institut Curie, INSERM, and Institut Langevin.

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The rapid deployment underscores daphni’s maturity and the strength of its model, which combines a large entrepreneurial community with a dedicated digital platform. It also reflects growing investor interest in science-driven ventures capable of delivering long-term, impactful innovation based on Europe’s research ecosystem.

The Blue Fund is founded on the belief that the next major technological breakthroughs will emerge at the intersection of science, digital technologies, AI, and the physical world, requiring long-term capital and specialised support to bring these innovations to market.

Pierre-Eric Leibovici, Founder and Managing Partner of daphni, highlighted that France and Europe produce a significant volume of intellectual property through public and private research across fields like biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. He noted, however, that the transition from lab research to commercial applications remains underdeveloped and underfunded.

This is precisely where the opportunity lies: transforming this exceptional scientific capital into technology-driven entrepreneurial ventures that create both economic and societal value, Leibovici said.

daphni Blue aims to support approximately 40 European companies. Startups like Epyr, Moonwatt, Pasqal, and Pruna AI, previously backed by daphni, demonstrate the firm’s expertise in nurturing science-driven ventures and highlight the strong value-creation potential of this investment approach.

About Daphni

Daphni is a European venture capital firm, founded in 2015 and based in Paris, investing in user-focused startups with strong European roots and global ambitions. Supported by a community of 300+ entrepreneurs and advisors, and a dedicated digital platform, Daphni combines expertise, transparency, and efficiency to back the next generation of impactful innovators.