VIVES is a seed capital fund initiated by UCLouvain which invests in companies developing disruptive innovations with a positive societal impact.
For more than 15 years, VIVES has invested in companies active in all technological sectors.
VIVES is managed by VIVES Partners.
The four components of our DNA are:
CHALLENGE
Beyond the numbers, the team VIVES helps you to delve into the reality of the project and to confront it with the market to better understand it. From a blank page, we help you to formalize the governance structure and to surround yourself with the best professionals.
SUPPORT
VIVES invests in young high-tech companies, possibly in collaboration with other investors (Investment criteria). The added value of the team is also to be a local partner who advises you and support you throughout the development of your project.
STRENGTHEN
VIVES puts you at the heart of a network of professionals and investors that reinforce your development. Joining VIVES is a guarantee of credibility towards your partners, customers, suppliers, banks ...
PERPETUATE
VIVES brings together shareholders who share, in the long term, the vision on the development of your company. When leaving the capital, VIVES provides the answer that best suits all stakeholders, focusing on quality exits.
Our third fund, VIVES Inter University Fund (VIVES IUF), created in summer 2020, is an early stage and multisectoral fund that invests in projects with a positive societal impact. With € 75M, it has the capacity to invest at the various stages of a company's development: seed, start-up and growth. The fund is involved in spin-offs from UCLouvain or its partner universities - KULeuven (BE), University of Paris Diderot Descartes (FR), University of Wageningen (NL), University of Luxembourg (LU) - and in start-ups -up located in Europe. These partnerships will allow VIVES IUF to access a regular flow of high quality innovations while relying on a network of multisectoral experts.
The investors of VIVES IUF are: EIF, SFPI-FPIM, Belfin, BNPP Fortis Private Equity, IMBC Spinnova, ING Belgium, Investsud, Namur Invest, Invest.BW, finance & invest.brussels (SRIB), Sambrinvest, Securex, two family offices, Lalux, Axa, Sopartec, LFF2 and its team Management.
With the support of the LFF2 initiative, an initiative created by cooperation between the Société Nationale de Crédit et d’Investissement (SNCI) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) aimed at supporting the diversification of the Luxembourgish economy by enhancing financing provisions to innovative companies.
In September 2011, VIVES II - Louvain Technology Fund closed its first round of financing at € 43 million, making it the first European investment fund by its size ever initiated by a university.
VIVES II has been capitalized by leading national and European investors such as:
• AXA Belgium,
• Belfius,
• BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity Belgium
• BPI (France),
• the European Investment Fund (EIF),
• ING Belgium,
• IRD (France),
• Invest.BW,
• Brussels-Capital Region,
• SFPI-FPIM,
• Sofina,
• Sopartec
VIVES II is supported by the European Union through the Framework Program for Innovation and Competitiveness