What Ekarpen does

Ekarpen, legally EKARPEN, S.A., is a private Basque investment company (Sociedad de Inversión) incorporated on July 28, 2008, and headquartered at Rodríguez Arias Kalea 23 in Bilbao. Its shareholders are public and quasi-public institutions: the Basque Government, the three provincial councils (Álava, Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia), Mondragón, and Kutxabank. The company's stated mission is to support the consolidation and dynamization of the Basque industrial fabric by providing capital to relatively large, innovative, strategically attractive non-listed companies whose assets, decision-making centers, or material operations are based in the Basque Country. As a Sociedad Anónima with this institutional shareholder base, Ekarpen operates as a public-private strategic investment vehicle rather than as a third-party fund manager raising capital from external LPs.

Ekarpen's "product" is capital allocation alongside strategic and co-investment partners. Standard ticket sizes range from €10M to €40M per investment, used to take meaningful equity stakes in industrial and deep-tech portfolio companies. The active portfolio spans biotech (Oncomatryx, developing quantum antibody-drug conjugates for metastatic solid tumors), quantum and AI software (Multiverse Computing, Sherpa.ai), solid-state batteries (Basquevolt), offshore wind (Haizea Wind Group, where Ekarpen holds approximately 20%), ecological transport engines (BeGas, 12% stake), and historically automotive components (Gestamp, CIE Automotive) and logistics (Arasur). Ekarpen co-invests consistently with the Basque Government, CDTI/Innvierte, Kutxa Fundazioa, BBK, and Stellum, and exits selective mature positions (e.g., the 2019 sale of its 7.31% stake in Kaiku to the Government of the Basque Country via IVF for €6.6M).

The firm's operating model does not generate technology revenue; it is funded by its institutional shareholders, holds ISO 9001:2008 quality certification (AENOR, March 31, 2010), and runs qualitative and quantitative decision processes documented on its website. Because Ekarpen is an investment vehicle rather than a product business, it has no apps, no APIs, and no disclosed revenue; financial profile is best assessed via portfolio gains, exits, and the cadence of new deployments rather than top-line growth.

Name

Ekarpen

Legal name

EKARPEN, S.A.

Website

https://ekarpen.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ekarpen is a Basque private investment company incorporated in 2008 and headquartered in Bilbao, which deploys €10M-€40M equity tickets into non-listed innovative Basque companies. Its shareholders include the Basque Government, the three provincial councils, Mondragón, and Kutxabank.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Core Infrastructure Funds (Transport, Social, Digital, Utilities) (FSANAEAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Private equity
• Growth capital
• Industrial investment
• Strategic investments

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilbao

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Core offering

Ekarpen is a private investment vehicle (Sociedad de Inversión / Sociedad Anónima) that provides equity capital to non-listed, strategically important innovative companies in the Basque Country. It manages investment volumes typically ranging from €10M to €40M per transaction, supporting the consolidation and dynamization of the Basque industrial fabric across sectors such as biotech, AI/quantum computing, renewable energy, and automotive components.

Product overview

Ekarpen is a Basque private investment company (Sociedad de Inversión / Private Equity) established on July 28, 2008, that supports consolidation and dynamization of the Basque industrial fabric. It does not offer technology products or services itself; instead, it is an investment vehicle that provides capital to innovative companies across strategic sectors in the Basque Country. Ekarpen manages investment volumes ranging from €10M to €40M in non-listed companies with assets, decision centers, or significant operations in the Basque region. The company's portfolio includes investments in companies such as Multiverse Computing (quantum computing software), Sherpa.ai (artificial intelligence), Oncomatryx (biopharmaceuticals), Basquevolt (solid-state batteries), Haizea Wind Group (wind energy), and others across sectors including AI, quantum computing, biotech, renewable energy, automotive, logistics, and industrial manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equity Capital Investments
• Multi-Phase Investment Process

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ProA Capital: Spanish mid-market private equity firm investing in established companies with industrial and consumer focus. Comparable ticket size and Spanish regional concentration to Ekarpen's approach.
• Corpfin Capital: Spanish PE firm managing buyout funds targeting mid-cap Spanish companies. Similar in deal size, holding period philosophy, and orientation toward Spanish industrial assets.
• Inveready: Spanish alternative asset manager with PE/VC strategies across technology and industrial sectors. Comparable to Ekarpen's diversification across biotech, deep tech, and industrial assets.
• Artá Capital: Spanish family-office-backed PE firm investing in unlisted mid-market Spanish companies. Overlaps with Ekarpen on industrial focus and consortium-style co-investment behavior.
• Talde: Basque-headquartered private equity firm investing in unlisted SMEs across industrial and technology sectors. Highly comparable to Ekarpen given shared regional focus, public-private shareholder base, and similar ticket sizes.
• MCH Private Equity: Spanish mid-market PE firm investing in unlisted Spanish companies across industrial and consumer sectors. Comparable to Ekarpen in deal size, holding period, and focus on established Spanish SMEs.
• Clave Mayor: Spanish private equity firm focused on buyouts and growth capital in unlisted SMEs, primarily in northern Spain. Overlaps with Ekarpen in geographic base and mid-market industrial exposure.
• Suma Capital: Spanish PE firm focused on sustainability-driven investments and infrastructure. Comparable to Ekarpen's renewable energy and industrial-portfolio emphasis, particularly through Haizea Wind and Basquevolt.
• Bullnet Capital: Spanish PE firm focused on technology-enabled and industrial SMEs. Comparable to Ekarpen's minority-growth orientation in sectors like AI, biotech, and advanced industrial technologies.
• Nazca Capital: Spanish mid-market PE firm executing buyouts in unlisted Spanish companies, often with regional industrial angles. Comparable to Ekarpen's Spanish industrial consolidation mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments10 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ekarpen