ABP to invest €1 billion in European growth companies
The pension fund will initially invest €250 million in a European technology fund and aims to increase that amount over three years.
Pension fund ABP plans to invest €1 billion over three years in European start-ups and fast-growing technology companies. The first step is a €250 million investment in the Scaleup Europe Fund, which is intended to provide growth capital to companies developing strategic technologies.
ABP is investing in the Scaleup Europe Fund for the first time, a European fund focused on companies that have moved beyond the start-up phase and want to scale internationally. According to NOS, the investment amounts to €250 million. In total, the pension fund aims to invest €1 billion in the technology sector within three years.
The fund will focus, among other areas, on artificial intelligence, quantum technology, energy, spaceflight and medical technology. The European Commission also lists semiconductors, robotics, biotechnology, advanced materials and agricultural technology as possible areas. The aim is to help companies grow without having to seek their next round of funding outside Europe immediately.
The Scaleup Europe Fund has a target size of approximately €5 billion. The European Commission has pledged €1 billion; institutional investors will provide the remainder. According to the Commission, APG, ABP’s asset manager, is listed as one of the founding members on behalf of the Dutch pension fund. Swedish investment company EQT has been appointed fund manager.
According to ABP, the investment fits into a broader debate about Europe’s funding gap. European technology companies can often draw on research and talent and attract investors at an early stage, but according to the initiative’s founders they find it more difficult to secure the large sums needed to expand production, sales and international operations.
For ABP, returns on the pension portfolio remain paramount. Chair of the board Harmen van Wijnen says the investment is appropriate only if it contributes to a good pension for participants. Participation in the fund is therefore not a subsidy to individual companies: according to the European Commission, investment decisions will be made by EQT on commercial and market-oriented grounds.
The announced amount consists of two parts. The €250 million is the initial investment; the €1 billion is a three-year plan and not an amount that will be spent in full immediately. The fund is also still working on completing its legal and governance arrangements. According to the European Commission, the first investments in companies are expected in autumn 2026.
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The financial amounts and ABP’s role in the European fund can be found in multiple public sources. The article clearly distinguishes between an announced plan, the initial amount and actual investments.
- confirmed ABP will initially invest €250 million in the Scaleup Europe Fund. — NOS explicitly reports this amount. source
- confirmed ABP plans to invest €1 billion in technology over three years. — This is stated in NOS’s report on the investment plan. source
- confirmed The Scaleup Europe Fund is targeting approximately €5 billion. — The European Commission gives the fund’s target size. source
- confirmed EQT will be the market-oriented fund manager. — The European Commission describes EQT as the selected fund manager. source