European VC and private equity fund closings, October 2026

As of October 2026, 'Close Index' comprised 27 funds that had either a European headquarters or a stated European investment focus, and had publicly announced a fund close or capital commitment.

• 20 venture capital funds.
• 7 private equity funds.
• 23 of these funds are managed by firms based in Europe.
• 18 of these are venture capital funds.
• 3 entries represent interim stages (commitments or first closes).

Of the 23 European funds, 3/4 of the total volume is accounted for by private equity. Bridgepoint Europe VIII is 3.1 times larger than the 18 European venture capital funds combined. Notably, this is happening at a time when fundraising in the private equity sector is under pressure. In its Q2 report, PitchBook stated that fundraising in the European private equity market is "on track for its worst year in a decade".

Public-sector investors are a defining feature of the European market. Of the 23 European funds, 10 involve public-sector participants, all of which are venture capital funds. Most of these invest at the pre-seed or seed stage, often with a geographic focus more specific than 'Europe' as a whole. Thematic areas of focus include healthcare, the environment, water, deep tech and dual-use technologies.

In total, the funds reported a combined volume of €38.1 billion. However, the median is a more meaningful metric this month: it stands at €75.7 million across all funds, whereas the average is €1.4 billion.

Four of the funds are managed by firms based outside Europe:

• 2 by Advent (Boston).
• 1 by Headline (San Francisco).
• 1 by BY Venture Partners (Dubai).

Together, these funds account for a total volume of 27.3 billion euros, which is equivalent to 72% of the overall volume and 2.5 times the combined volume of the 23 European funds. The majority of this volume is attributable to Advent: its flagship global fund, GPE XI, has a volume of 24.2 billion euros (27 billion US dollars) alone.

'Close Index' tracks publicly announced fund closures with a volume of 10 million euros or more. Therefore, complete coverage is not guaranteed. Funds managed by firms based outside Europe are included if Europe forms part of their investment mandate. Amounts in other currencies are converted into euros based on the exchange rate at the time of announcement.