European movies and TV programmes to get boost with €25 million EIF investment in Finland-based IPR.VC Fund III

• EIF commits €25 million to Finland-based fund with strong focus on financing European films and TV series.
• Commitment to IPR.VC Fund III to invest in production of film and TV content.
• Backed by MediaInvest programme, initiative highlights EIF commitment to strengthening Europe’s cultural and creative industries.

Stockholm, 27 February 2025: The European Investment Fund (EIF) is investing €25 million in a Finnish initiative aimed at bolstering movies and television series made predominantly in Europe. The EIF commitment is to an alternative investment fund IPR.VC Fund III which now exceeds €100 million for the production of film and TV.

Headquartered in Helsinki and with an office in London, investment fund manager IPR.VC has invested in high quality film and television content since 2015, and to date raised €200 million from mainly Nordic professional investors across three funds. It has financed over 50 productions across Europe and globally, several of which have been recognised at international festivals and by major awards bodies.

The commitment by the EIF, which is part of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group, is designed to help IPR.VC Fund III, the latest IPR.VC fund, attract other financial backers and reach its target size of €120 million by its closing on 31 March 2025. The goal is to boost investments in a sector that has traditionally faced market obstacles to financing, enabling IPR.VC to offer institutional investors access to media content asset investments through standard LP/GP fund structures.

The significant investment further underlines the legitimacy of film and TV as a sector for investment and consolidates IPR.VC, which has long term slate-wide collaborations with acclaimed global production companies such as A24, and leading European studios including France’s mk2 Films and Gigglebug Entertainment (located in Finland and The Canary Islands), as the largest independent Film and TV investment fund manager operating in Europe.

"Our investment in IPR.VC Fund III underscores our commitment to fostering innovation and creativity within the European audiovisual sector,” said EIB Vice-PresidentThomas Östros. “By supporting this fund, we are enabling European producers to retain intellectual property rights and bring high-quality content to global audiences, strengthening Europe's cultural and creative industries."

“Rather than the outdated cliché of investing in ‘passion projects’, this major commitment from the EIF underlines the growing and enduring value of premium film and TV content in Europe and globally,” said Tanu-Matti Tuominen, Co-Founder and Head of Investor Relations IPR.VC. “Further, it illustrates the fast returns that portfolio diversification and non-correlation can bring to an investor’s alternative investments portfolio. As an investment it is both significant and timely.”

The transaction comes under the European Commission´s initiative known as the InvestEU MediaInvest equity investment instrument. It aims to mobilise private investors and support total investments in Europe’s audiovisual sector of €400 million over the period 2022-2027.

IPR.VC Fund III is licensed by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority and will seek to finance a diverse portfolio of audiovisual projects with significant European participation.

Key features of IPR.VC Fund III include:

• Strategic focus: The fund will target the production of international movies and TV series with a strong European focus, addressing a market gap in securing new investments for the development and production phases of audiovisual projects.
• Innovative model: IPR.VC Fund III will develop several portfolios of projects - called “slates” - with strategic partners such as production and distribution companies.
• Support for European productions: The fund will provide audiovisual producers with access to additional sources of funding beyond traditional schemes, helping to retain intellectual property and commercial rights within Europe.
• Experienced management team: The fund is managed by a team with substantial experience in the media and entertainment sector, ensuring robust financial analysis and support for production companies.

The investment in IPR.VC Fund III by the EIF aligns with its mission to support the competitiveness, digital independence and strategic autonomy of the European Union's cultural and creative sectors.

Background information

About the EIF:

The European Investment Fund is part of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group. Its central mission is to support Europe’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by helping them access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments that specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF furthers key European Union policy objectives such as competitiveness and growth, innovation and digitalisation, social impact, skills and human capital and climate action and environmental sustainability. 

About the InvestEU programme:

The InvestEU programme provides the EU with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investments for the EU’s policy priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the EU, 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 implemented through financial 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. 

About MediaInvest programme

MediaInvest is a dedicated equity investment instrument financed via Creative Europe resources and designed to foster European audiovisual productions and distribution businesses. MediaInvest aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the audiovisual industries across Europe, by supporting investments totalling €400 million between 2022-2027.

The EIF, with support of the EC, will implement MediaInvest by providing equity investments directly into financial intermediaries (e.g. funds) alongside other investors investing in the same risk class and in market terms. While it addresses financial intermediaries, the ultimate beneficiaries will be audiovisual content production, distribution and videogames companies.

About IPR.VC

Founded in 2014, IPR.VC is an innovative investment firm focused on helping institutional investors capitalise on the rising value of intellectual property (IP) assets in the film and television industry. With over 50 productions financed to date across North America, the UK, and Europe, IPR.VC is dedicated to championing innovative storytelling and nurturing creative collaborations across the global entertainment industry.

Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with an office in London, IPR.VC has raised €200m across three content funds launched in 2015, 2019, and 2023, with backing from institutional investors, pension funds, family offices, and non-profit organisations.

Following initial success with Nordic scripted projects, including the critically acclaimed Netflix series Bordertown, IPR.VC has broadened its scope in recent years, forming long-term strategic alliances with renowned US and European production companies, such as A24 (The Legend of Ochi, Civil War, Eddington, Mother Mary), XYZ Films (Blackberry, Skywalkers: A Love Story, The Wasp), and leading European studios mk2 Films and Gigglebug Entertainment.

IPR.VC Management is an alternative investment fund manager supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority.

IPR.VC

Press contacts

EIB Group

Kristiina Randmaa

M. +352 4379 72894, e-mail:  k.randmaa@ext.eib.org
Website: www.eif.org — press@eib.org

IPR.VC

Patrick Keegan

M. +44 7990 555305, e-mail patrick@pk-consults.com