London, United Kingdom: Pension money is edging further up the risk curve. Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, has completed a €15m investment with redalpine, a pan-European venture capital manager focused on technology and science innovation. The deal makes Aviva Investors redalpine's first UK institutional investor, and one of its first with a continental Europe-based VC manager.
Founded in Switzerland in 2006, redalpine has offices in Zug, Berlin and London and more than €1bn in assets under management. Its portfolio of more than 100 companies reads like a who's who of European tech, including N26, Mistral AI, Proxima Fusion, Klarna, Taxfix, Inkitt, 9fin and vivenu. For Aviva Investors, it is a way into that pipeline at a time when global VC markets are competing harder than ever for capital.
Cynthia Chen, Head of Fintech at Aviva Investors, said: "redalpine has a proven track record in backing fantastic European businesses that are at the forefront of technology and scientific innovation. At a time when global VC markets are competing more intensely than ever for investor capital, we are thrilled to partner with the team at redalpine and believe it can help us gain greater access to support some of the most exciting, high-growth, disruptive and innovative start-ups across the UK and Europe. We view partnerships like this as being vital for the continued growth of our portfolio and, ultimately, supporting the delivery of long-term investment outcomes for pension investors."
Rafael Hubatschek, Partner and Head of Investor Relations at redalpine, said: "We are delighted to welcome Aviva Investors as an investor in redalpine. Their commitment to European venture is a vote of confidence in the strength of European tech. For more than twenty years we have backed exceptional founders building category-defining companies at the intersection of software and science. What impressed us most about the Aviva Investors team was their shared passion for European game-changers, rigour, and deep technical underwriting expertise." The commitment builds on investments made since the launch of Aviva Investors' VC-focused long-term asset fund at the start of 2025, including Cambridge Innovation Capital, Oxford Science Enterprises and Alloyed, and follows the UK Government's 2023 Mansion House Compact, of which Aviva is a founding signatory.
The angle property investors should not miss is where this capital lands next. Every pound that flows from defined contribution pensions into venture is a pound competing with property for long-term allocations, but it also feeds the occupiers of tomorrow. Science and deep tech start-ups, from fusion to advanced alloys, need laboratories, pilot plants and flexible innovation space that standard office stock cannot offer. Developers who can deliver that kind of specialist, adaptable real estate near research hubs may find the venture boom is quietly writing their next tenant list.
People mentioned
- Cynthia Chen, Head of Fintech, Aviva Investors
- Rafael Hubatschek, Partner and Head of Investor Relations, redalpine
Companies mentioned
- Aviva Investors, global asset management business of Aviva plc, investor
- Aviva plc, parent company of Aviva Investors
- redalpine, pan-European venture capital manager, recipient of the investment
- N26, redalpine portfolio company
- Mistral AI, redalpine portfolio company
- Proxima Fusion, redalpine portfolio company
- Klarna, redalpine portfolio company
- Taxfix, redalpine portfolio company
- Inkitt, redalpine portfolio company
- 9fin, redalpine portfolio company
- vivenu, redalpine portfolio company
- Cambridge Innovation Capital, venture capital firm in Aviva Investors' LTAF portfolio
- Oxford Science Enterprises, science and technology investor in Aviva Investors' LTAF portfolio
- Alloyed, advanced alloys specialist in Aviva Investors' LTAF portfolio
Image Source: Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: Pexels (for illustrative purposes only)
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