Updated
Updated · EU-Startups · Jul 14
Aspire11 Deploys First €100 Million of €515 Million Fund into Revolut, Databricks, ElevenLabs
Updated
Updated · EU-Startups · Jul 14

Aspire11 Deploys First €100 Million of €515 Million Fund into Revolut, Databricks, ElevenLabs

2 articles · Updated · EU-Startups · Jul 14

Summary

  • €100 million from Aspire11’s €515 million pension-backed fund has been deployed into companies including Revolut, Databricks, VAST Data, Vinted, ElevenLabs and Baseten.
  • The Prague-based firm said the tranche is meant to channel more European pension capital into venture and growth investing, where it argues the region remains underexposed.
  • Zaya Kadyrova, formerly of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, joined as co-founder alongside the announcement, with Aspire11 using two strategies spanning early-stage managers and later-stage growth companies.
  • Europe’s pension funds allocate about 4% of assets to private markets versus roughly 21% at leading Canadian peers, while median time to IPO has stretched to 11 years and private unicorns are valued at about €6.4 trillion.
  • Including Aspire11’s deployed tranche, related 2026 capital announcements tracked by EU-Startups total at least €392 million, underscoring broader momentum in private-markets infrastructure and investment technology.

Insights

Can Europe's pension funds fuel a tech boom without risking the futures of retirees?
As giants like Vinted stay private, is the European IPO market failing its best tech companies?