Industry excellence

In the dynamic world of private equity and venture capital, maintaining strong, responsive industry standards is crucial. Reflecting on our achievements in 2024, Invest Europe remains at the forefront of this effort, driving best practices and fostering transparency across the industry, while adapting to the evolving global landscape and exploring emerging industry trends.

At the heart of Invest Europe’s mission is the development of market-leading guidance, created by the industry, for the industry. This commitment was evident in 2024 as we continued to enhance data collection and investor reporting, both in terms of sustainability and financial topics. Through close cooperation with two active Committees and eight Working Groups and Task Forces, and by attracting hundreds of participants to our webinars, Invest Europe’s initiatives have made a broad and meaningful impact.

A major focus of our work last year was the launch of the 2024 Invest Europe ESG Reporting Template, an essential part of the Invest Europe ESG Reporting Guidelines. Designed to strengthen alignment and consistency in ESG investor reporting across the private equity and venture capital industry, the template incorporates an improved level of proportionality. It was developed in close collaboration with VentureESG and key European LPs, building on the foundation of the 2023 version. In January, we also officially released the 2024 Invest Europe Investor Reporting Guidelines, reinforcing the industry’s commitment to clear and effective financial communication.

In addition to these key developments, Invest Europe published two ESG-focused member guides. Launched in March, the Invest Europe GP ESG Due Diligence Guide offers essential insights and tools to help general partners conduct ESG screening and due diligence at the pre-investment stage, while also supporting ESG integration into portfolio operations, monitoring, and reporting. In June, we released the Invest Europe Human Rights Resources for Investors, further equipping industry professionals with helpful materials to navigate human rights considerations in investment decisions. Lastly, we initiated a comprehensive review of the Invest Europe Climate Change Guide, which is scheduled for publication in late 2025.

Facilitating knowledge exchange and fostering industry dialogue remained central to our efforts. Throughout the year, Invest Europe hosted six webinars on critical industry topics, including launch sessions for the 2024 Investor Reporting Guidelines and the GP ESG Due Diligence Guide. We also introduced a new webinar series on impact investing, covering key topics such as defining and measuring impact, navigating EU and UK regulatory landscapes, and understanding fiduciary duty in impact investing. In October, we launched another series on AI in private markets, beginning with an introduction to AI and its implications for the industry. We will continue to expand both webinar series in 2025.

Beyond education and guidance, Invest Europe continued to play a crucial role in industry engagement and sustainability initiatives. In 2024, we organised the second edition of the annual Invest Europe ESG Gathering, providing a platform for informal exchanges and networking among ESG professionals. Additionally, we completed Invest Europe’s carbon footprint calculation for 2023, reaffirming our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Our ongoing diversity programme remains a priority, as we strive to meet the goal of 30% female representation across Invest Europe’s governance structure, including Councils, Committees, and the Board of Directors, by 2025.

2024 was a year of continued progress for Invest Europe and the broader private equity and venture capital community. By championing best practices, fostering collaboration, and promoting peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing, Invest Europe has reinforced its position as a leader in shaping industry standards. Looking ahead, we remain committed to working alongside our members to provide the industry with the insights and guidance needed to navigate the evolving global landscape and to deal with both the challenges and opportunities that this brings.