Brighteye Ventures reaches $72 million first close of Fund III for learning and work

Brighteye Ventures, a venture capital firm with offices in London and Paris, announced on September 16, 2026, a $72 million first close of its third fund. The firm said the close brings its total assets under management to $245 million.

New investors in Fund III include Lumina Foundation, Zanichelli Venture and PI Impact, alongside existing backers the European Investment Fund, Jacobs Foundation and several European family offices. Brighteye said it had made eight investments from the fund so far and expects to make up to 35. Named early investments include imagi, which helps schools build AI fluency, NEX Health Intelligence and Gyver, a marketplace for electricians. EU-Startups reported that the firm typically writes initial checks of €400,000 to €4 million, from pre-seed to Series A.

The firm described Fund III as a move beyond traditional edtech toward companies that help people learn, work and adapt as AI spreads, a theme it calls the HumanOS. Brighteye said it has backed more than 50 companies since inception and that these have together raised more than $1 billion since. Its own funding report put venture investment in European learning and work companies at $1.85 billion in 2025, up from $825 million in 2024.