Building better businesses
Private equity is a cornerstone of Europe’s economy and society.
Over the past four decades, European private equity and venture capital has grown from a niche segment of the finance industry into a central element of Europe’s efficient capital markets and its healthy asset management universe.
Invest Europe has been at the industry’s side every step of the way, educating, informing, and safeguarding the industry’s reputation, while providing a forum for practitioners to meet and learn. In doing so, we have enabled our members to focus on what they do best – building better businesses and delivering superior returns that support European citizens’ savings and retirements.
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1983 - 2026
1983
European Venture Capital Association (EVCA) founded
EVCA’s inaugural general meeting held 9 November 1983, with 36 full members and 7 associate members.
1987
First training course offered
First EVCA Institute private equity management training course took place in Brussels, Belgium.
1990
First performance, measurement and valuation guidelines for private equity industry published
1998
EVCA adds ‘private equity’ to its name
Becomes the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.
1999
First International Investors' Conference took place in Zürich (now called Investors' Forum and held in Geneva)
2000
First industry reporting guidelines published
2000–2004
1 million
New jobs created
Between 2000 and 2004 European private equity and venture capital-backed companies created 1 million new jobs, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 5.4% per year (8x the EU25 total employment growth rate of 0.7%!).
2005
International private equity capital valuations guidelines published
AFIC, BVCA and EVCA develop the International Private Equity and Venture Capital Guidelines. 30 national and international private equity and venture capital associations endorsed the guidelines. Independent board created to monitor market practices and the use of the guidelines.
EVCA published Corporate Governance Guidelines for the management of portfolio companies and issues a binder with a complete set of multi-jurisdictional Professional Standards.
2006
€71 billion
Investment in over 7,500 European companies
Record private equity, venture capital investment of €71 billion in over 7,500 European companies.
2007
PEREP_Analytics data service launched; endorsed by 15 national associations and EVCA
2008
Public Affairs Executive begins work on Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD)
2012
European NVCAs agreed to establish a private equity activity database, the first of its kind in Europe
2013
AIFMD: industry becomes EU regulated after 5 years of PA work
AIFMD became law in July 2013. Debate among policymakers in Brussels moves from, ‘what is private equity?’ to, ‘what private equity can do for Europe.’
2013
€555 billion
Capital under management in the European market
Overall investment by private equity into European companies remained stable in 2013 at €35.7bn in more than 5,000 European businesses. Of these, more than 40% were backed for the first time.
2015
EVCA became Invest Europe
Change of name overwhelmingly endorsed by Invest Europe’s members, in recognition of industry’s evolution since the association was founded in 1983.
Since 2007, private equity and venture capital firms have invested €350 billion in 28,000 European companies, which employ up to 8 million people.
2016
EDC launches
First release of activity data using the European Database Cooperative (EDC), a joint effort among European associations, to deliver a single data source on industry activity. The EDC replaced previous database, PEREP_Analytics. All relevant historic data since 2007 migrated to the EDC system.
2019
A year of changes
Invest Europe developed market-leading standards in fields including valuation, investor reporting and responsible investment, enabling members to remain at the forefront of global industry best practice.
Total fundraising in Europe in 2019 climbed to €109 billion, up 6% from 2018 and the highest total over the past decade. In parallel, the total investment in European companies increased 10% year-on-year to €94 billion in 2019 - the highest level ever recorded.
2020
First virtual training and event
2020
Positive actions during the pandemic
Established essential resources including a COVID-19 library for members and portfolio companies, while pushing policymakers for urgent liquidity measures. Policy calls doubled, increasing their depth and quality. Almost all conferences, events and training became virtual. Secretariat reshaped its team and capacity to scale-up communications, public affairs and research, while reinforcing training function.
2021
A year of record-breaking activity for European private equity and venture capital
2021 was a year of record-breaking activity for European private equity and venture capital as the continent’s recovery from the effects of the pandemic accelerated. Our industry also made great strides in its commitment to critical issues including ESG and climate change.
2022
Resilience and solidarity
Private equity and venture capital have been there to back companies and their employees through uncertain times, fostering robust businesses, expediting job creation, and fortifying European citizens' pensions and savings.
2024
Highlights 2024
Explore our highlights and achievements across Public Affairs, Industry Data & Research, Communication, Member Events & Training, Industry Standards, Governance & Finance.
2025
Annual Report
A comprehensive overview of the association’s key achievements in 2025, priorities for 2026, and our long-term strategic vision.
2026
Chairs 1983 – 2026
From driving the inclusion of ESG considerations, to supporting diversity, and championing European start-ups and innovation, Invest Europe’s Chairs have been a forefront of major industry shifts over the past four decades.
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