EUROPEAN BUSINESS ANGELS NETWORK

Their core work

EBAN is the pan-European trade association representing angel investors, early-stage investors, and their networks. In H2020 projects, they bring investor expertise to help startups and SMEs become investment-ready through training, coaching, mentoring, and pitching support. They connect entrepreneurial ventures — from space startups to advanced manufacturing SMEs — with funding sources including business angels, crowdfunding, and impact investors. Their role is consistently that of the investment ecosystem bridge: translating technology potential into investor-ready propositions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EBAN's early H2020 work (2014–2017) was squarely focused on digital entrepreneurship infrastructure — e-mentoring, e-pitching platforms, crowdfunding, and building online tools to connect startups with capital. From 2018 onward, their focus shifted dramatically toward sector-specific industrial innovation: textiles, aerospace, automotive, packaging, and bio-based materials. This reflects a move from horizontal startup support toward embedding investor expertise within concrete industrial value chains and cross-border cluster initiatives.

EBAN is moving from generic startup investment support toward becoming the investor-side partner in sector-specific industrial innovation projects, particularly in manufacturing, textiles, and Africa-Europe digital bridges.

How they like to work

EBAN participates exclusively as a partner — never as coordinator — which is typical for a network association that provides specialized investor-community access rather than leading research. With 91 unique partners across 24 countries, they operate as a connector hub with wide reach but no repeated deep partnerships. This makes them easy to bring into a consortium when you need investor ecosystem access without competing for the coordinator role.

EBAN has collaborated with 91 unique partners across 24 countries, reflecting their position as a pan-European association. Their network spans from Western European innovation hubs to African digital ecosystems (via AEDIB|NET), giving them unusually broad geographic reach for a Brussels-based association.

What sets them apart

EBAN is the only pan-European angel investor association active in H2020, which means they bring something almost no other consortium partner can: direct access to the business angel and early-stage investor community across Europe. For any project that needs to demonstrate a path from research to market, EBAN provides the investment readiness training and investor network connections that turn prototypes into funded ventures. Their shift toward industrial sectors means they now understand both the investor world and the specific challenges of manufacturing, space, and materials innovation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• InvestHorizon
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 411,550) and most aligned with EBAN's core mission of boosting SME investment readiness through coaching, mentoring, and pitching.
• GALACTICA
  Marks EBAN's pivot into advanced manufacturing — combining textiles, aerospace, and industrial IoT in a cross-sectoral innovation project, far from their traditional startup coaching role.
• AEDIB|NET
  Extends EBAN's reach beyond Europe into Africa-Europe digital innovation bridging, signaling ambitions toward global investor ecosystem development.