Vives Fund

About Vives Fund

VIVES is a seed-stage venture capital fund initiated by UCLouvain and managed by VIVES Partners. It invests in high-tech companies developing breakthrough innovations with a positive societal impact, with a particular focus on life sciences, AgTech, and hard engineering.

The fund backs spin-offs from UCLouvain and other European start-ups, mainly in Belgium and neighboring countries, and can invest across the early development spectrum from seed to start-up and growth. Its approach combines capital with close support, helping founders structure their governance, test their market fit, and build credibility with customers, suppliers, banks, and other investors.

Core Values

• Positive societal impact: VIVES explicitly seeks companies whose innovations create a positive societal effect, and its ESG policy emphasizes environmental, social, and governance considerations throughout the investment process.
• Innovation and disruption: The fund focuses on breakthrough technologies and companies built on strong intellectual property, favoring solutions that address real market needs with differentiated technology.
• Partnership and proximity: VIVES presents itself as a close partner to founders, offering practical support and access to a broader ecosystem of experts and investors.
• Long-term responsibility: The fund stresses durable growth, sound business practices, and responsible exit decisions that preserve value for the company and its stakeholders.

Unique Aspects

• University-originated platform: VIVES was initiated by UCLouvain and has been investing in university-linked innovation for more than 15 years.
• Multisector early-stage focus: Unlike a single-vertical specialist, VIVES is a multisector technology fund, while still concentrating on life sciences, AgTech, and hard engineering.
• European reach with regional preference: The fund invests in European companies, with a preference for Belgium and neighboring countries, giving it a defined regional footprint.
• Structured fund history: The website identifies three funds: VIVES I (€15 million, launched in 2004), VIVES II (€43 million, closed in 2011), and VIVES IUF (€75 million, created in 2020), showing a long-running investment platform with successive vehicles.