EIT InnoEnergy Highway®

EIT InnoEnergy Highway® — Equity

Helps research teams and institutions for EIT InnoEnergy Highway® Equity Intake in energy systems, climate technology, and materials science.

Eligibility · EU member states

EIT InnoEnergy Highway® is a year-round rolling equity investment and acceleration programme operated by EIT InnoEnergy, which describes itself as the number-one most active VC investor globally in clean energy. The programme accepts applications continuously — there are no cohort deadlines or fixed intake windows. EIT InnoEnergy also scouts startups directly through referrals from its 1,400-plus partner network. Since 2010, the programme has screened more than 5,000 applicants, supported more than 480, and invested equity in over 250. Portfolio companies have collectively raised more than €35 billion as of 2025, with a projected accumulated GHG emissions savings potential of 2.3 gigatonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2030.

This is an equity investment vehicle, not a grant. Selected startups receive a dilutive minority equity stake in exchange for a structured 2.5-year acceleration package. The package covers nine support categories: access to finance, access to market, access to talent, citizen engagement, governance, product and IP support, regulatory guidance, sales support, and supply chain and industrialisation support. Specific stake percentages and ticket sizes are not publicly disclosed; financial terms are negotiated post-selection and documented in the Highway contract signed between the startup and EIT InnoEnergy. Eligibility requires at minimum a proof-of-concept or prototype, a complementary and execution-driven team, and activity in sustainable energy or clean technology. The programme primarily targets European startups but explicitly includes the United States and Japan.

Selection criteria assessed by EIT InnoEnergy include technology quality and novelty, market potential, team competence, potential to scale, and projected impact on greenhouse gas emissions and consumer energy costs. Applicants should demonstrate a credible industrialisation pathway and quantify GHG impact, as these are weighted selection factors. Given the equity structure, founders should obtain independent legal advice before signing the Highway contract and model the long-term dilution implications of the minority stake alongside the acceleration and capital access benefits.