Introducing SAFE to European deep tech industry

A SAFE, a Simple Agreement for Future Equity is a financial instrument which has been developed by Y Combinator, one visible accelerator in the US more than 10-years ago. Currently, in the US and in Canada more than 80 % of the investments in startups are realized as SAFE investments. In Europe, this financial instrument is not as widely diffused.

The reasons for developing the SAFEs lie among others in a higher transaction speed and a lower level of bureaucracy in all periods of the investment lifecycle. Both mentioned reasons might also toughen up the European financial ecosystem.

Since such an instrument can not be transferred in a “blind copy mode” into another cultural ecosystem with different policies and mentalities, the objective of DEEPSAFE is to design, validate , disseminate and finally establish an Europeanized instantiation of core SAFE building and deliver it into the European startup ecosystem (40 startups from emerging/moderate regions negotiating SAFE agreements with investors/corporates).

As outcome, DEEPSAFE will be providing a validated DEEPSAFE legal framework tailored to EC law, a DEEPSAFE curriculum used for training all stakeholders, a DEEPSAFE White Paper, DEEPSAFE cross-border use cases and best practices for dissemination and awareness creation in order to increase the competitiveness of our startup Ecosystem in Europe.