ECSO on lookout for LPs for EUR 1bn cybersecurity platform

Laura Larghi
29 October 2021

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The European Cyber Security Organization (ECSO) is interested in partnering with European and international investors for its EUR 1bn European cybersecurity investment platform (ECIP), senior policy manager Danilo D’Elia told Unquote.

Institutional investors, national banks and pension funds are, among others, attractive investors, D'Elia said. The objective is to raise the EUR 1bn by the third quarter of 2022, he added.

ECSO is currently relying on its own network to engage with investors. Ace Capital Partners, Adara Ventures, eCapital Entrepreneurial Partners, KPN Ventures, P101, Primomiglio, TIIN Capital and Vendep Capital have all shown interest and joined ECSO in promoting the initiative last year, as reported.

The structure of the investment platform and the size of investment from the European Union are expected to be defined by a feasibility study, to be completed by the end of Q1 2022, D'Elia said. ECSO's proposal is for a platform designed to be a pan-European fund-of-funds, he added.

The feasibility study will be carried out by the European Investment Advisory Hub, a joint advisory initiative of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission, together with experts from the EIB and PwC as a consultant.

The feasibility study will look at possibilities to attract large international investors to Europe. It will also analyse various options for supporting small and medium-sized cybersecurity companies to enable them to scale up, stay in Europe and compete in the global market. Additionally, the study will look at ways to encourage private investments by providing access to and simplifying information about the European Union's cybersecurity market and the possibilities of creating dedicated technical assistance support programmes for investors and clients, as per an official press release.