Sweden: EIB launches first pre-IPO support to help European growth company access public markets

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• EIB signs first pre-IPO advisory agreement to support a European growth company on its potential path to a stock-market listing
• Support will help Swedish biotechnology company Anocca proactively strengthen governance, reporting and investor readiness
• Initiative contributes to deeper European capital markets and stronger competitiveness

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed its first pre-IPO advisory agreement to help a European growth company prepare for access to public capital markets. The support is provided through the InvestEU Advisory Hub and aims to strengthen the ability of innovative European companies to grow and remain in Europe as they scale.

The agreement supports Swedish biotechnology company Anocca, based in Södertälje, which develops next-generation T-cell immunotherapies for cancer. T-cell immunotherapy is a form of treatment that uses a patient’s own immune cells, engineered to recognise and attack cancer cells more effectively.

The advisory support will help the company prepare for a potential future stock-market listing by strengthening governance, internal controls, environmental and social standards and overall readiness for public investors.

The EIB previously provided €25 million in venture debt financing to Anocca in 2022 to support the development of its clinical pipeline and manufacturing capabilities. The new advisory agreement builds on that partnership and reflects the Bank’s broader role in supporting innovative companies through different stages of growth.

“Europe needs innovative companies to scale, raise capital and list in Europe,” said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer. “With this first pre-IPO advisory agreement, we are expanding our support beyond financing to help promising European companies access public markets. Stronger capital markets are essential for Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy.”

Access to public markets is a critical step for high-growth companies seeking long-term funding. By supporting IPO preparedness, the EIB contributes to the development of deeper and more integrated European capital markets, in line with the objectives of the Capital Markets Union.

“Support from the EIB through the InvestEU Advisory Hub provides access to the expertise required to fast-track the next phase of our corporate development as we accelerate our growth journey,” said Anocca CFO Jacob Michlewicz.

The advisory support is scheduled to run during 2026 as Anocca continues to evaluate options for a potential future stock-market listing in Europe.

Background information   

EIB Group  

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

In 2023, the EIF together with six Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands) launched the European Tech Champions Initiative, a fund-of-funds to scale up innovative startups. As of February 2026, this initiative has already enabled the creation of 13 European venture capital mega-funds and scaled up 3840 companies, including 11 unicorns (with more than €1 billion in capital).

Photos of the EIB Group’s representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here. 

EIB Advisory

In addition to financing, the EIB Group offers advisory services that help public and private clients develop markets, build capacity and support high impact investment projects. In 2025, EIB Advisory helped accelerate project delivery and crowd in finance for 179 projects worth more than €80 billion in the European Union and beyond.   

InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps crowd in private investment for the European Union’s strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments previously available for supporting investments within the European Union together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub, and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is deployed through implementing partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.