AFS initiative highlights two funding programs every EU startup should know about

“Innovation Gap”

The most echoing challenge from Mario Draghi’s report last year on European competitiveness highlights a scenario in which criticism arises over the future of innovation on the old continent.

Nevertheless, not everyone is aware of the multitude of initiatives that the European Union offers to support programs for startups, especially in the tech industry.

On April 24th, 2025, the Allied For Startups (AFS) initiative, to which we, at Startup Greece, also participate, hosted a webinar highlighting two among the most rewarding programs for startuppers: InvestEU and Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).

InvestEU

The EU flagship investing program is a key player if your European startup needs a penny or two to boost its growth. The goal of InvestEU is to mobilise private investment towards sustainable innovations through three main initiatives:

1. InvestEU Fund, which provides budgetary guarantees to implement partners and financial intermediaries (like investment groups, banks, venture capital funds) to offer loans under favourable conditions for projects in Sustainable Innovation, Research and Innovation, SME support, and Social Innovation. On access2finance.eu, everyone can check out the financial intermediaries sourced by InvestEU, categorised by investment focus and type of finance (loan or guarantee).
2. InvestEU Advisory Hub is a free consultancy service for companies, sharing technical advice on how to receive funding, scale, and achieve sustainability. Applications are made at their Central Entry Point.
3. InvestEU Portal is an innovative platform for matchmaking between investors and startups. Consider this a highly filterable one-stop shop for investors looking for European projects and a valuable resource for startups to find institutions offering financing support. The financing types of investors are mainly business angels, VC, business incubators, equity, loans, and grants. So far, the InvestEU Portal has published 1668 projects in the following sectors: Knowledge & Digital Economy, Energy Union, Transport, Social Infrastructure & Other, Resource & Environment, Financing for SMES & Mid-caps.

Discover whether you meet the eligibility criteria for a loan and accelerate your startup growth.

Learn more

Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)

Looking for the largest network for small-sized startups with global ambitions? Look no further than the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). A must-know for SMEs, including startups.

The EEN is a network of business support organisations. It offers guidance on market entry, financing opportunities, and regulatory compliance. Additionally, the network helps companies in finding commercial partners, technology transfer, and collaborators for their projects.

Since 2008, the EEN has supported approximately 4.5 million SMEs, with a staggering 90% satisfaction rate among clients!

The EEN offers startups specialised scale-up advisors to assist them in developing business plans, registering intellectual property, and connecting with funding sources. The latter is a peculiar topic for the EEN as it collaborates closely with the European Innovation Council (EIC), the biggest startup fund in the EU (and with a keen focus on Deep tech startups). The EEN helps the EIC identify startups in which the council could invest.

According to the EU Commission Team Leader, Alberto Valenzano — who presented the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) at the AFS webinar on April 24th — the network has a mandate to focus particularly on startups located in southern and eastern European regions, helping them bridge the innovation gap by supporting their preparation, application, and pitching of proposals to secure funding from the EIC.

Is your startup located in Greece or elsewhere in southern/eastern Europe and looking for funding? If so, consider submitting your proposal for the next call issued by the EEN.

Explore proposals