Fond-ICO Crecimiento

Fond ICO Crecimiento: Sustainability, digitalisation and social impact of the entrepreneurial ecosystem

The Fond ICO Crecimiento was the first fund created by Axis and has a size of 250 million euros

What is the objective of the Fond -ICO Crecimiento?

This fund was set up in 1993 with the aim of promoting the growth of the business fabric and job creation through participation in Spanish SMEs, with equity and quasi-equity instruments.
It now operates mainly by investing in funds that in turn invest in strategic or innovative activity segments, such as sustainability and social impact or the entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as promoting complementary financing to bank loans through different financing types: business angels or diversified debt (crowdlending/crowdfunding). 

With investments from the Fond ICO Crecimiento, Axis contributes to the consolidation of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, job creation and the economic stimulations, while also mobilising private sector resources. 

This public-private partnership model pays special attention to supporting strategic projects focused on digitalisation and sustainability.

Complete and accessible description of the infographic ‘Impact Areas of Fond ICO Crecimiento"

The image is a circular infographic with an orange background and the FOND-ICO Growth logo in the centre. Around the ring there are white linear icons and, on the outside, signs in English identifying the areas of action. At the top it reads "Promoting the business fabric". On the left-hand side, from top to bottom, are Gender equality, Business growth, Education, Entrepreneurial ecosystem, Job creation and Health. On the right-hand side, from top to bottom, Digitisation, Rural development, Sustainable agriculture, Business angels and Sustainability. At the bottom, below the circle, Social Impactis highlighted. The composition visually shows the levers on which the programme acts: boosting the business fabric, innovation and digitisation, support for entrepreneurship and investors, territorial development, environmental sustainability and social welfare.

Where do we invest?

The Fond ICO Crecimiento's investment strategy focuses on channelling resources to companies through co-investments with other venture capital funds and investments in funds that are especially dedicated to sustainability and social impact, as well as business angels and diversified debt.

The Fond ICO Crecimiento also contemplates investments in Spanish companies with a certain degree of maturity that want to finance their expansion process or, to a lesser extent, are in its early stages, either through loans or equity participation, always in co-investment with other private equity funds, on a minority basis, without becoming a reference partner, and only for a limited time adapted to the project's period of maturity.

Complete and accessible description of the infographic“Fond ICO Crecimiento – Business Investment"

At the top left appears the Fond-ICO Crecimiento logo, consisting of an orange circular icon next to the text. To the right, the title “Business Investment” is displayed.  The infographic is structured into three main sections located on the left side, represented by horizontal orange arrows: “Resources,” “Concepts,” and “Range.” In the “Resources” section, three types of financing are presented: equity and quasi-equity participation, loans, and participation in funds. In the “Concepts” section, three types of eligible activities are included: acquisition of assets, innovation activities, and internationalization. In the “Range” section, the investment volume is indicated, ranging from 750,000 euros to 15 million euros.
To the right of each section, the corresponding elements are shown inside dashed-border boxes, accompanied by representative icons (such as money, a briefcase, charts, or innovation symbols), which help identify each concept. The infographic features a structured and hierarchical design that summarizes the main types of business investment supported by the fund, as well as their uses and funding ranges.
 

What are our resources for?

The resources that we invest go to financing companies’ expansion, which specifically include:

•  Innovations.
• Asset purchases.
• Internationalisation.

And expressly exclude:

• Debt restructuring and refinancing.
• Working capital requirements.
• Substitution of shareholders.

What is the investment range?

From 750,000 to 15 million euros, with a target average investment of 5 million euros, depending on the contribution from the co-investor fund.

Different Initiatives developed by the Fond ICO Crecimiento

Within the framework of the Fond ICO Crecimiento, a series of initiatives have been developed to foster financing that is complementary to bank financing, thus allowing for participation based on objective criteria in certain strategic activity segments (sustainability and social impact) and financing types (crowdfunding, crowdlending, business angels), providing greater flexibility and reducing the material and management costs of certain participations.

The Fond ICO Crecimiento invests in the following initiatives:

Complete and accessible description of the infographic "Initiatives developed Fond ICO Crecimiento"
The image is a horizontal infographic entitled "Initiatives developed" and headed by the FOND-ICO Growth logo. On a white background there are four orange bands in the form of arrows listing the lines set in motion. The left column shows the Sustainability and Social Impact Initiative - accompanied by an icon of people with a heart - and the Business Angels Initiative, identified by a gear icon and monetary symbol. The right-hand column shows the Diversified Debt Initiative, with a pictogram of growth bars, and the Covid-19 Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative, associated with a network icon with a globe. The design uses clear typography and linear pictograms to facilitate the reading and identification of each initiative.