Europe’s Earlybird VC closes €360M Fund VIII
By Cristian Dina
Published on April 30, 2026.
Bergen's Earlybird Venture Capital has closed its eighth early-stage fund, Fund VIII, at €360 million, the largest in the Berlin firm's 29-year history. The fund was oversubscribed and managed €2.5 billion across various strategies, with Earlybird focusing on AI infrastructure, foundation models, and deeptech. The firm has already deployed capital from Fund VIII into a cohort that includes Black Forest Labs, the German image generation startup that raised $300 million at a $3.25 billion valuation in 2025, and SpAItial AI, a 3D AI foundation model company, and Sintra AI for SMBs. Earlybird plans to remain a European institution controlled by its own partners funded by the returns it generates.
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