Shining a Light on Cross-Border Investment: The Investment Lighthouse, a Flagship Legacy of the Connect2Scale Project
The Investment Lighthouse initiative has emerged as one of the key legacy actions of the Connect2Scale project and is now established as a flagship initiative of the European Business Angels Network (EBAN) to strengthen early-stage investment ecosystems across Europe.
Developed within the framework of Connect2Scale, the initiative responds directly to the project’s objective of reinforcing the capacity of European regions to scale up innovative companies by improving access to finance, fostering cross-border investment, and strengthening cooperation between business angel networks and ecosystem actors.
By connecting investors, startups, and support organisations through curated deal-flow, shared intelligence, and structured collaboration, the Investment Lighthouse provides a concrete, operational tool to translate Connect2Scale’s strategic vision into long-term, sustainable impact.
What Is the Investment Lighthouse Initiative?
The Investment Lighthouse initiative is an investor-centric ecosystem platform coordinated by EBAN and implemented in close cooperation with national Business Angel Networks across Europe. Conceived and piloted within the Connect2Scale project, it is designed to spotlight early-stage investment ecosystems by offering:
- Curated deal-flow and investment opportunities for business angels and early-stage investors
- Structured access to educational opportunities market insights in different European countries
- Regulatory and best-practice guidance supporting cross-border investment activity
Events, matchmaking activities, and networking spaces fostering investor–founder interaction and co-investment
By integrating these elements into a single, coherent framework, the Investment Lighthouse addresses key barriers identified by Connect2Scale, including market fragmentation, limited visibility of opportunities across borders, and the lack of structured pathways for investor cooperation.
Why It Matters for Europe’s Investment Ecosystems
One of the central findings of the Connect2Scale project is that Europe’s early-stage investment environment remains highly fragmented, with uneven access to capital, diverse regulatory conditions, and limited cross-border syndication.
The Investment Lighthouse directly contributes to overcoming these challenges by:
- Expanding investor visibility into high-potential startups beyond domestic markets
- Strengthening cross-border syndication through shared deal-flow and network collaboration
- Supporting investor readiness through education, tools, and regulatory guidance
- Reinforcing cooperation between national Business Angel Networks and regional ecosystem stakeholders
In doing so, the initiative operationalises several of the policy and ecosystem recommendations developed within Connect2Scale, supporting the creation of more integrated, transparent, and efficient early-stage investment markets across Europe.
Growing a Network of Investment Lighthouses Across Europe
Within the Connect2Scale project, the Investment Lighthouse model has already been implemented in a first group of European countries in close collaboration with national Business Angel Networks and local ecosystem partners. These initial Lighthouses act as reference points for best practice in curating deal-flow, engaging investors, and facilitating cross-border cooperation.
Explore established Investment Lighthouses.
As the initiative moves beyond the project lifetime, EBAN is committed to further expanding the Investment Lighthouse network and actively welcomes additional countries and networks to join. Broadening the geographical coverage will reinforce pan-European connectivity and create new opportunities for investors and startups to collaborate across regions.