Cluster 2 – HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-02

ANIMA Investment Network would contribute to the action as a key partner bridging creative startups, investors, and innovation support ecosystems across Europe. With its extensive pan-European network of business angels, early-stage investors, incubators and innovation hubs, ANIMA is well positioned to deepen knowledge on the specific growth factors enabling creative startups to engage in disruptive and cross-sectorial innovation, particularly in capital-intensive and technology-enabled creative domains (e.g. AI-driven cultural content, immersive technologies, design-tech and creative-health crossovers).

ANIMA would lead and support research and evidence-gathering activities aimed at identifying investor-side, financing-readiness and governance factors that distinguish creative startups with disruptive potential from those in other sectors. This includes analysing investment decision-making patterns, risk perceptions related to intangible assets and IPR, and the role of hybrid business models typical of CCIs. The resulting insights would be translated into actionable recommendations for policymakers, investors and enterprise support bodies, contributing directly to improved support frameworks aligned with the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

Building on this knowledge, ANIMA would co-design, pilot and implement innovative investment-readiness and market-positioning approaches tailored to creative startups with disruptive ambitions. These may include new assessment methodologies for creative and technological value, cross-sector matchmaking formats connecting creative startups with corporates and investors from non-creative sectors, and blended finance or co-investment schemes lowering entry barriers for private investors. ANIMA would play a central role in at least three real-world pilot trials, mobilising its investor network to support selected creative startups in preparing for market entry of disruptive innovations.

Finally, ANIMA would contribute to showcasing and disseminating success stories of creative startups and scaleups supported by the action, increasing their visibility at European level and reinforcing recognition of the CCIs as drivers of disruptive, cross-sectorial innovation. Through its communication channels and European partnerships, ANIMA would support coordination, dissemination and long-term uptake of project results beyond the project lifetime.