For ICT Companies and research projects

ACCESS ICT is a hub between SMEs and research projects funded by European Union R&D Programmes which are looking for access to investment and Early Stage and Late Stage Venture Capital Investors (including business angels, venture capital firms and corporate investors) interested in accessing deals with strong IP and high growth potential.

ACCESS ICT aims to support ready for investment companies to present to investors and to support R&D focused projects and companies through coaching and mentoring to become investment ready.

Would you be looking for external financing for your company or research project within the next 12 months and wish to put your project forward to be selected to be presented in front of venture capital investors, we recommend you to take part in this initiative.

ACCESS ICT, after a selection of coaching ready or investment ready propositions by a panel of experts, will introduce relevant projects to a selection of early stage investors' events across Europe and a selected number of professional events, whose current list you can see on: http://www.access-ict.com/site/events

We are currently receiving applications for the two main targets of ACCESS ICT:

- Small and medium sized companies (SME)
- Research teams which are about to or have recently created a company.

Apply now!


The objective of ACCESS-ICT is to build a sustainable pan-European network of ICT investors, which will be linked both to representatives of SMEs but also of research organizations and various stakeholders who operate across Europe in favour of the development of R&D and commercialization of R&D for ICT SMEs. At the end of the project, this platform will consist of a live network of various investors, supported by an online web-platform including tools and solutions for those to have sustainable access to information about SME companies from Framework Programme projects.

The main objectives of this project are:

• For ICT entrepreneurs: to raise their awareness about investor requirements in ICT, the importance of IP for commercialization, coaching and mentoring entrepreneurs to become investment ready and introducing them to investment events
• For angel and venture capital investors in ICT: to provide them with an unprecedented source of deal flow, and present them new investment ready propositions from across Europe; to create a sustainable network of ICT investors sharing opportunities in ICT

ACCESS-ICT will seek to select about 300 ICT companies from a pool of 1000 (EU SMEs) that are identified as having commercially interesting products/services and are investment ready, and use a panel of experts and mentors to identify and coach the best 75 to be “plugged-in” to several investment events across Europe ( EBAN member events and other relevant investment events).

Lead partner: EBAN, the European Trade Association of business angels, seed funds and other early stage investors.

Partner: ACI, offering 400 million€ Funds under management. ACI has 25 years experience of working with angel and early stage funds and 10 years of delivering Investment Readiness to SMEs across Europe. ACI incorporates London Business Angels, London Seed Capital and Seraphim Capital and manages the British Business Angel Association with over 5,000 BAs across the UK (see www.gle.co.uk).

Project process

1. Mapping of ICT SMEs and investors in ICT in Europe (click here for more information)
2. Selection of investment ready SMEs and Research Projects
3. Coaching/mentoring of best ICT SMEs and Research Projects
4. Introduction of best ICT SMEs and Research Projects in investment events across Europe
5. Ongoing dissemination of the project in ICT clusters and relevant event across Europe

For further information about the ACCESS ICT  project, please contact:

• Luís Galveias, Project manager, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• or Jenny Tooth, Angel Capital Inovation, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it