European early-stage venture deals are expected to continue to fall in number this year as the downturn slows dealmaking.
So far this year, €3 billion (about $3.2 billion) has been invested in 553 early-stage rounds in Europe, according to PitchBook data. With the quarter nearly over, deal count in Q1 could register its lowest value since 2014.
There have still been some large early-stage rounds in Europe this year. In February, life sciences startup Hemab Therapeutics raised a $135 million investment led by Access Biotechnology, while financial lending platform Carmoola secured a £103.5 Series A led by QED Investors.
Larger deal sizes have been helped by an influx of competition in the early stages as investors seek investments further away from exit and the volatility of the public markets.
Here are the 10 most active VC investors in European early-stage deals from the past five years.
Featured image by symbiot/Shutterstock
