As 2025 comes to a close, we look back on a year that has been inspiring, dynamic, and full of new initiatives for the EBAN community.

Here are some of the standout moments that made 2025 truly special.

Launching EBAN Sports

April marked the birth of EBAN Sports, our new initiative dedicated to strengthening innovation and investment in the fast-growing global sports technology sector. Officially introduced at the Galicia Sportech Congress 2025, EBAN Sports is designed as a hub connecting angel investors, founders, and industry experts shaping the future of sports performance, fan engagement, fitness, venue management, and more. Built on EBAN’s mission to support entrepreneurship and drive economic growth, this new platform opens new doors for early-stage investment in one of the world’s most exciting tech ecosystems. Discover more here

EBAN Annual Congress 2025 – Copenhagen

In early June, Copenhagen opened its doors to over 400 angel investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and thought leaders for the EBAN Annual Congress 2025, co-organised with DanBAN and InvestEU. Across three days, participants engaged in workshops, startup pitches, and deep-dive sessions exploring cross-border investment strategies. Key themes included: Scale-up funding and EU policy, Defence & dual-use technologies, Women’s entrepreneurship, Space tech innovation, MedTech & Women’s Health, SportsTech and Strengthening Business Angel Networks. See the full press release and relive the highlights here, and we’ll see you next June in Vilnius for EBAN Congress 2026!

Introducing the BAN Manager Programme

2025 also saw the launch of the BAN Manager Programme, a brand-new track dedicated to the professionals who lead, manage, and sustain Business Angel Networks across Europe. During the EBAN Congress 2025, network managers and ecosystem builders came together for honest conversations about shared challenges: member engagement, public funding, international scaling, and the day-to-day realities behind thriving angel networks. With its strong start, the BAN Manager Programme is set to become a recurring and essential EBAN initiative for years to come. Discover more about this initiative here.

Gateway to Europe – Armenia

Our travels in 2025 took us far, and one of the most exciting stops was Yerevan, where the Gateway to EU Congress brought together over 40 European angel investors with Armenian founders, policymakers, and investors. Co-organised by BANA Angels, STAN, AICA, and EBAN, the congress blended learning with cultural exploration. Armenia is rapidly emerging as a vibrant innovation hub, and we were thrilled to be part of this journey. See the full press release here.

European Angel Investment Summit 2025 – Brussels

On October 28–29, Brussels hosted EAIS25, welcoming more than 250 investors, policymakers, and ecosystem players to discuss Europe’s future in innovation and investment. This year’s venue made the experience even more unique: the European Commission’s Charlemagne building, a prestigious setting rarely open to the public. The space set the tone for high-level conversations on: Boosting private investment in European VC, The 28th Regime, Strengthening angel communities and Facilitating cross-border investing. This was a remarkable summit in an equally remarkable location. Have a look at the official press release here.

Knowledge Production and Policy Initiatives

2025 was also a year of knowledge production and policy action. We published EBAN’s Statistics Compendium 2024, Europe’s largest annual report on early-stage investment, and introduced our European Angel Co-Investment Schemes Proposal, offering two agile models to accelerate cross-border investment and foster a more integrated EU angel ecosystem. We also produced several major research and policy papers, including an EC study on scaling up funds in the EU and recommendations presented at EAIS25.

CLARIFAI and TAU20 

October was also a milestone month for our CLARIFAI project, which is transforming the future of impact investing using AI. The team presented the project at two major events: The Gap in Between in Valencia and the Kick-Off Meeting in Brussels organised by the European Commission. A key focus was TAU20, an AI-powered platform making impact assessment more transparent, efficient, and actionable for startups and investors alike. Learn more about it here.

Empowering Deep-Tech and Women-Led Innovation

In 2025, startups and investors felt the real impact of EBAN’s initiatives. Over €7M in grant funding was provided to European deep-tech startups through our Ready2Scale and Women TechEU projects. We trained 500+ angels and deep-tech investors, including 200 novel business angels and 180 experienced angels, helping them confidently back deep-tech ventures through our Ready2Scale and Connect2Scale projects. Meanwhile, 190+ deep-tech and women-led startups received acceleration support, including founders from lower-innovation regions.

Exploring Next Stops for Cross-Border Investing

2025 was also a year of exploration. We ran 5 market discovery missions and 4 international study trips to Europe’s and Latin America’s key innovation hubs. And through a 6-month EU-LAC programme, we also supported 46 corporate–startup partnerships with grant funding, helping startups scale, access new markets, and connect with the right strategic partners.

Thank You for an Incredible 2025

To our members, partners, collaborators, and the entire EBAN community: thank you for making this year extraordinary. Your passion and commitment keep pushing Europe’s innovation ecosystem forward.

And since 2025 has been this inspiring… we can only imagine what 2026 has in store. Let’s make it even better!