Faber announces the launch of its new fund, Faber Tech III, with an initial closing of €31 million. The fund is anchored by the European Investment Fund (EIF) and includes major contributions from the NATO Innovation Fund and Caixa Capital, as well as repeat participation by prominent family offices from Portugal. Following this initial closing, Faber will continue its discussions with investors, aiming to achieve a target fund size of €60 million in the coming month
Faber’s unique specialist approach to seed deep tech in Southern Europe has allowed the firm to be selected as an early partner of choice by several science- and mission-driven entrepreneurs, such as the founders of high-potential companies like Sword Health, Smartex, Mitiga, Luminate Medical, Unbabel or Microharvest, among others.
Faber is now launching its new fund Faber Tech III to target innovative pre-seed and seed-stage startups in applied Science & digital transformation, including in vertical AI & AI governance, robotics, computational bio & chemistry, data infrastructure and novel computation.
The fund is committed to driving breakthrough innovation across industries and has a core regional focus on Iberia/Southern Europe, selectively investing in the rest of Europe with occasional satellite investments outside Europe. Faber’s initial investments through the new fund include companies in Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands developing cutting-edge technologies in areas such as photonic chips, analog chip design and synthetic biology (to be announced in the upcoming weeks).
Alexandre Barbosa, Managing Partner at Faber, remarked, “The launch of Faber Tech III represents an ongoing commitment to seeding the future by supporting the next generation of science-driven and resilient founders in Europe. Faber’s unique specialist and entrepreneurial approach together with our thesis-driven group of LPs positions us as the “partner of choice for seed deep tech” in Southern Europe.”
Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive of the EIF, commented, “As our economies and societies navigate the digital transition, it’s important that bright entrepreneurs working on the next generation of digital tools have the backing they need. This is why we are very glad to be partnering with Faber again, confident in their ability to seek out and support tomorrow’s deep tech champions at the earliest stages, driving the digital transformation and European competitiveness alike.”
Chris O’Connor, Managing Partner of the NATO Innovation Fund, noted: “Maintaining Europe’s technological edge is critical to ensuring the region’s security and resilience. We are proud to be supporting Faber, which has a legacy of connecting entrepreneurs in Iberia with the opportunities they need to unlock the scaling potential of their technologies. We look forward to collaborating with Faber to further accelerate investments in breakthrough technologies across Southern Europe.”
Pedro Rangel, CEO at Caixa Capital, added, “Caixa Capital investment in Faber Tech III reinforces our commitment to support the Portuguese venture capital ecosystem. We believe that Faber is, not only deeply involved with the founders and investors community, but also has built up a profound network of international partners, throughout the years, that will allow for solid returns.”
Faber’s unique positioning in the Southern European venture capital landscape is underscored by its specialist and disciplined approach to seed deep tech, supported by a team with deep entrepreneurial and scientific expertise. The firm’s Chief Scientist and strong network of Venture Partners and expert advisors allow Faber to support founders across several science and industry domains throughout the earliest stages of starting up a deep tech company.
In addition, the firm’s long-term commitment to building capacity within the ecosystem is demonstrated through the Faber Entrepreneurship Program, a recurring 12-week initiative designed specifically for STEM MSc, PhD, and post-doc students. The firm also actively engages in community collaborations with Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and universities, fostering a vibrant inn1ovation ecosystem across Iberia.
Over the recent years, Faber has been an early investor in a differentiated portfolio of hard tech companies (close to 50% are developing novel combinations of hardware and software), with companies originating from several European countries and where Faber has taken on a lead investor role in 70% of initial ticket rounds.
The launch of the new Faber Tech III fund eyes powerful combinations of science, purpose and capital to help unlock Southern Europe’s scientific potential and contribute to seeding the future in Europe.