Investing in Innovation: How Capital is Shaping Malta’s Startup Scene

Venture capital is a critical driver of innovation, and in recent years, Malta has carved out a place for itself on the European map of startup investment. Its strategic location, international business links, and government-backed initiatives have made the island an increasingly attractive base for both founders and investors.

The country welcomes several events throughout the year to push innovation forward, such as the Malta Startup Festival happening on 22-24 October 2025, which brings together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders to celebrate entrepreneurship, or the EU-Startups Summit, taking place on the island for the third time in a row on 7-8 May 2026, attracting Europe’s most promising startups and venture capital firms, reinforcing Malta’s growing reputation as a Mediterranean hub for creativity, technology, and innovation.

In this article, we highlight 12 investors anchored in Malta that are actively supporting local and international startups. Their approaches vary, but together they demonstrate the growing maturity and global reach of Malta’s innovation economy.

Apeiron InvestmentGroup is the private investment firm of entrepreneur and investor Christian Angermayer. Headquartered in Sliema with teams also in New York, London, Berlin, and Abu Dhabi, the firm applies a global multi-strategy approach with a primary focus on the US.

Apeiron invests both directly in innovative companies and as an anchor LP with minority GP stakes in emerging asset managers, whose funds collectively manage around $5 billion in external capital. The group has a strong emphasis on life sciences, fintech, and frontier technologies, guided by a mission to support bold founders and emerging managers shaping a future where technology enables longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.

GO Ventures is the corporate venture arm of GO plc, Malta’s leading telecommunications provider with over 500,000 customers. Established to back technology-driven startups, the fund provides capital and strategic support in exchange for equity, focusing on innovative solutions that extend beyond traditional telecom boundaries.

With the mission of “Helping Great Ideas Grow”, GO Ventures offers startups not only financial investment but also access to deep sector expertise and an extensive network of national and international contacts. By leveraging the infrastructure and resources of GO plc, it creates unique opportunities for founders to test, scale, and connect with corporate partners across Malta and beyond.

Growth Box Ventures is a Malta-based early-stage venture capital firm with a portfolio of over 57 companies and 62 investments to date, including five successful exits. The fund primarily invests at seed and pre-Series A stages, focusing on fintech, personal finance, gaming, and lead generation sectors where Malta has global relevance.

Founded by entrepreneurs with a track record of starting, building, and exiting ventures, Growth Box offers much more than capital. Its hands-on approach focuses on empowering management teams through strategic advice, performance-driven guidance, and value-adding services. By combining financial investment with commercial insight, Growth Box Ventures helps ambitious founders reduce risks, accelerate growth, and scale internationally.

Ikigai Ventures was founded by Maltese entrepreneur Eman Pulis, best known as the driving force behind SiGMA Group. The seed-stage fund invests globally, but with strong ties to Malta through its founder and LP base. Ikigai Ventures backs early-stage startups across gaming, fintech, and frontier technologies, seeking bold founders with the potential to reshape their industries.

Beyond capital, Ikigai supports founders with access to tech hubs in Belgrade and Noida, a network of more than 10,000 industry contacts, and bi-annual mentorship retreats aligned with major SiGMA events. The team includes experienced operators and investors who provide strategic guidance, operating expertise, and international exposure to help startups scale.

Malta Enterprise, the country’s national economic development agency and headline sponsor of the EU-Startups Summit, operates a range of funding schemes that complement private investment. Its Start-up Finance and Business Start programmes offer non-dilutive capital to early-stage businesses, helping them develop products and reach market readiness. These instruments are designed to fill gaps in traditional venture financing and reduce risk for both founders and co-investors.

While not a VC firm in the traditional sense, Malta Enterprise plays a vital role in the ecosystem by catalyzing private investment.