Capital-E
Capital-E is a Belgian venture capital fund providing early-stage capital exclusively to micro/nano-electronics and advanced materials companies, leveraging an entrenched IMEC partnership. The firm manages two funds and holds a portfolio across semiconductor, communications, and consumer electronics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Capital-E does
Capital-E is a Belgian venture capital fund established in January 2006 in Antwerp, Belgium (legal entity Capital-E II Partners NV) that provides early-stage capital exclusively to companies developing unique selling propositions based on enabling electronics or advanced materials. The firm manages two investment vehicles, Capital-E Fund I and Capital-E II Arkiv Comm. V.A. (which held a final closing of €56 million in capital commitments in March 2015), and has built a portfolio of approximately 16 active and exited companies spanning semiconductor processing and metrology, communications and networking, and consumer electronics and multimedia. Typical initial ticket sizes range from €0.250M to €1M, scaling to €7.5M per company across multiple rounds, and the firm takes an active board-level role with a hands-on model supporting technology, operational, financial, and strategic matters.
Capital-E firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Capital-E
- Legal name
- Capital-E II Partners NV
- Website
- https://capital-e.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Capital-E is a Belgian venture capital fund providing early-stage capital exclusively to micro/nano-electronics and advanced materials companies, leveraging an entrenched IMEC partnership. The firm manages two funds and holds a portfolio across semiconductor, communications, and consumer electronics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Capital-E industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Private Equity (Specialized Deep-Tech / Semiconductor & Advanced Materials)
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+) (FSANAAAC)
Keywords
Where Capital-E is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Capital-E business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Fund Management: Capital-E generates returns through management fees and carried interest from its venture capital funds. The fund manages two funds (Capital-E Fund I and Fund II) with total capital commitments of 56 million EUR. Returns are realized through exits of portfolio companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Early stage investment ticket |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Capital-E product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Capital-E provides early-stage venture capital to companies developing unique selling propositions based on enabling electronics or advanced materials, managing two funds (Fund I and Fund II, totaling €56M in capital commitments) with typical initial investments of €0.25M–€1M scaling to €7.5M per company over multiple financing rounds. Through its entrenched partnership with IMEC, the fund also provides portfolio companies direct access to over 2,000 scientists and engineers and 500+ industrial partners, alongside active board-level involvement from initial investment through to exit.
Product overview
Capital-E operates as a venture capital fund offering two investment vehicles (Fund I and Fund II) focused exclusively on early-stage companies developing enabling electronics or advanced materials. The fund provides capital ranging from €0.250M to €7.5M per company through multiple investment rounds, targeting companies with unique value propositions in micro/nano-electronics, nanotechnology, and advanced materials across application segments including Semiconductor Processing & Metrology, Communications & Networking, Consumer Electronics & Multimedia. Capital-E takes an active board-level role and leverages its entrenched relationship with IMEC for technology access and validation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Capital-E Early-Stage Venture Capital Fund Early-stage venture capital fund providing capital (typical initial tickets €0.25M–€1M, scaling to €7.5M per company over multiple rounds) to companies developing unique selling propositions based on enabling electronics or advanced materials; investing primarily in companies with prototype versions or sales over €1M, taking active board-level roles and leveraging IMEC partnership for technology access and validation.
- Capital-E Fund I First venture fund of Capital-E, focused on early-stage investments in micro/nano-electronics and advanced-materials companies in Europe, and the source of several successful exits including CMOSIS (sold to TA Associates/ams), Nanda Technologies (sold to Nanometrics), Excico (sold to DNS), Movidius (sold to Intel), Trinean (sold to Unchained Labs), and Merus Audio (sold to Infineon).
- Capital-E Fund II (Capital-E II Arkiv Comm. V.A.) Second venture fund of Capital-E totaling €56 million in capital commitments, focusing on underserved electronics and advanced-materials sectors in Europe with privileged IMEC relationship; targets European seasoned teams with strategic and patented technologies for large replacement markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- Portfolio companies achieving successful exits including Movidius (sold to Intel), Merus Audio (sold to Infineon), CMOSIS (sold to TA Associates/ams), Trinean (sold to Unchained Labs)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Capital-E
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Capital-E technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Capital-E partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- EBlinkcoreCapital-E completed €3M Series A investment in EBlink, a leading supplier of wireless front- and optical mid-haul solutions for mobile and wireless networks. EBlink folded in December 2019.
- IMECcoreCapital-E has an entrenched relationship with IMEC, the largest independent research center in micro- and nano-electronics in Europe. Through this partnership, Capital-E and its ventures can directly rely on the support of over 2000 scientists and engineers, as well as leverage on IMEC's 500+ worldwide partners including NXP, Infineon, ST, Intel, SK Hynix, Micron, Toshiba, Panasonic, Texas Instruments, Samsung, TSMC, and Global Foundries. The fund facilitates collaboration with European R&D centers and leverages their top-notch knowledge base for portfolio companies.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Capital-E competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cipio Partners: European early-to-growth stage tech VC focused on semiconductors, communications, and deep tech. Co-invested alongside Capital-E in Silicon Mobility's $10M Series B (2018), making it a directly comparable European deep-tech peer with overlapping portfolio themes.
- Atlantic Bridge Capital: European deep-tech growth fund with a semiconductor and electronics thesis similar to Capital-E's. Previously co-invested in Movidius alongside Capital-E, making it a directly comparable peer in European micro/nano-electronics investing.
- ARCH Venture Partners: US deep-tech VC investing in semiconductors, advanced materials, and hard-tech at seed through growth stages. Co-invested with Capital-E in Movidius's $40M round (2015), making it a directly comparable peer by stage and sector focus.
- Qbic: Belgian inter-university seed and early-stage fund focused on tech and sustainability spin-offs. Co-invested alongside Capital-E in Accelleran's €6.8M Series B (2021), making it a directly comparable regional peer for Benelux deep-tech deals.
- Cogito Capital Partners: European VC focused on industrial tech, deep tech, and semiconductors. Led Accelleran's Series B with Capital-E as an existing investor, making it a directly comparable peer by stage and European tech mandate.
- Earlybird Venture Capital: One of Europe's largest early-stage tech VCs with a deep-tech and semiconductor-adjacent portfolio. Comparable to Capital-E by stage (Series A/B) and European tech focus, though broader in vertical coverage.
- Anzu Partners: US venture firm exclusively focused on industrial materials, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing. Most direct peer by thesis alignment with Capital-E's micro/nano-electronics and advanced materials mandate.
- Munich Venture Partners: Munich-based cleantech and industrial-tech early-stage VC. Co-invested alongside Capital-E in Silicon Line's €6.3M (2015) and €8.2M (2018) rounds, making it a directly comparable European deep-tech peer.
Broad incumbents
- Robert Bosch Venture Capital: Strategic corporate venture arm of Bosch investing broadly in semiconductors, deep tech, and industrial automation across Europe and globally. Comparable as a sector-aligned CVC with similar deep-tech deal flow, though with much larger capital and a corporate parent.
- Applied Ventures (Applied Materials): CVC of Applied Materials investing in semiconductor equipment, materials, and adjacent tech. Comparable to Capital-E by deep-tech semiconductor focus, but with materially larger capital and a corporate strategic mandate.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Capital-E social profiles
Digital presenceCapital-E financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Capital-E leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Capital-E funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Capital-E M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments26 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Capital-E
What does Capital-E do?
Capital-E provides early-stage venture capital to companies developing unique selling propositions based on enabling electronics or advanced materials, managing two funds (Fund I and Fund II, totaling €56M in capital commitments) with typical initial investments of €0.25M–€1M scaling to €7.5M per company over multiple financing rounds. Through its entrenched partnership with IMEC, the fund also provides portfolio companies direct access to over 2,000 scientists and engineers and 500+ industrial partners, alongside active board-level involvement from initial investment through to exit.
Is Capital-E a public or private company?
Capital-E is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Capital-E founded?
Capital-E was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Capital-E based?
Capital-E is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Capital-E make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Fund Management.
Who are Capital-E's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cipio Partners, Atlantic Bridge Capital, ARCH Venture Partners, Qbic, Cogito Capital Partners, Earlybird Venture Capital, Anzu Partners and Munich Venture Partners. Broad incumbents are Robert Bosch Venture Capital and Applied Ventures (Applied Materials).
Does Capital-E have an API?
No public API is recorded for Capital-E.
What industry is Capital-E in?
Capital-E's product category is Venture Capital / Private Equity (Specialized Deep-Tech / Semiconductor & Advanced Materials). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAAAC, Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.