Finnish film and TV investor IPR.VC lands $26m backing from European Investment Fund

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The European Investment Fund (EIF) has invested €25m (US$26m) in IPR.VC, the Finnish alternative investment company focused on film and television.

The funding committed by EIF, which sits within European Investment Bank (EIB) Group, will go towards IPR.VC’s third fund, which is aiming to raise €120m by March 31. So far, IPR.VC says more than €100m has been committed to the fund.

Since launching a decade ago, IPR.VC has raised roughly €200m across three content funds, launched in 2015, 2019 and 2023.

Those have helped to finance more than 50 productions in Europe and North America, including projects from A24 (The Legend of Ochi, Civil War, Eddington, Mother Mary), XYZ Films (BlackBerry, Skywalkers: A Love Story, The Wasp), mk2 Films and Gigglebug Entertainment.

Headquartered in Helsinki and with an office in London, IPR.VC’s strategy is to help institutional investors tap into the rising value of intellectual property assets in film and television. It is backed by a combination of institutional investors, pension funds, family offices and non-profit organisations.

Tanu-Matti Tuominen

For EIF, the investment is being made under the European Commission’s InvestEU MediaInvest equity investment instrument, which aims to mobilise private investors and support investments in Europe’s audiovisual sector of €400m from 2022 to 2027.

“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,” said EIB VP Thomas Östros.

“Rather than the outdated cliché of investing in ‘passion projects,’ this major commitment from the EIF underlines the growing and enduring value of premium film and TV content in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 at 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.”