Creator Fund, a pre-seed VC that helps scientific founders turn university research into deeptech startups, has closed an initial $41 million for its first European institutional fund. The fund is anchored by Equation Capital and Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (EIFO), alongside 60+ limited partners. Building on strong demand, the vehicle is already twice the size of Creator Fund’s 2022 UK fund and targets a final close in early 2026.
Creator Fund operates a university-centric model across 24 campuses in eight countries. It recruits student investors, who receive carried interest, to source standout founders and surface lab breakthroughs early, enabling support for PhD teams from day one. The fund focuses on AI, life sciences, robotics, and quantum computing to turn academic research into scalable companies. Early investments include Ovo Labs and Sphotonix.
Jamie Macfarlane, founder and CEO, believes that universities should be seen not as museums but as foundries, places that actively produce new ventures, because Europe attracts global talent across robotics, computer science, and genetics at the forefront of research. He said:
When we ask: how does Europe remain competitive on the world stage? The answer lies in our universities. Creator Fund helps turn scientific discovery into world-defining businesses.
Over the past five years, Creator Fund has backed 55 companies whose founders have raised more than $250 million in follow-on financing from leading venture firms and has recorded two exits.
Creator Fund also invests beyond the traditional Golden Triangle. In the UK, it has backed three companies from the University of Glasgow, including robotic laboratory company Chemify, which has raised over $45 million, and one of the new fund’s first investments is in Southampton.
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