POELLATH advises the European Investment Bank (EIB) on an equity investment in ‘Wachstumsfonds Bayern 2’

The LfA Förderbank Bayern has already invested EUR 115 million. The participation of the EIB now increases the fund volume to the target size of EUR 165 million.

The EIB is a facility of the European Union whose shareholder are the member states of the European Union and that invests in long-term risk financing. The investment is part of the Investment Plan for Europe and pursues the goal to create jobs and growth by making smarter use of existing and new financial resources.

The aim of WFB 2 is to provide Bavarian innovative start-ups (e.g. in the fields of robotics, digitization, industrial manufacturing processes, artificial intelligence or life science) with financial support, enabling them to maintain its early-mover advantage, scale up its business and continue its expansion.

The participation of EIB in WFB 2 will provide another strong signal to the German venture capital market as Germany’s VC investments are still below EU average.

POELLATH has again comprehensively advised the EIB on all contractual, corporate, regulatory and tax aspects in complex negotiations regarding the investment in WFB 2 with the following Berlin-based private funds team:

• Tarek Mardini (partner, private funds)
• Dr. Christian Hillebrand (counsel, private funds)

In-house legal advice to the EIB was provided by Daniel Krauss (Legal Department, EIB).

Dr. Wolfgang Weitnauer (Weitnauer Attorneys-at-law) provided legal advice to WFB 2.