Key Takeaways
- • Affinity's 2026 Private Capital Predictions report found the share of surveyed investors using AI for investment decisions more than doubled, from 13% to 28%.
- • Philipp Spenger, Head of Unit at the European Investment Bank, argues that reliable data, rather than AI itself, is the essential starting point for VC firms.
- • Spenger helped develop the strategy of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, one of Europe's largest deep-tech investment funds, and now leads efforts toward a data-driven VC model.
- • Spenger cautioned investors against automating their judgment when discussing AI's role in VC at Venture Intelligence Day in Prague, organized by Vestberry.
Summary
According to Affinity's 2026 Private Capital Predictions report, the share of surveyed investors using AI for investment decisions more than doubled, rising from 13% to 28%. VC firms are already applying AI to source deals, conduct due diligence, and monitor portfolios, though the report's underlying question remains whether these tools are actually improving investment outcomes.
Philipp Spenger, Head of Unit at the European Investment Bank (EIB), with more than a decade of experience in investment banking, corporate finance, and venture capital, contends that the starting point for effective AI use is not the technology itself but reliable data. As an early member of the EIB team advising the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Spenger helped develop the strategy of one of Europe's largest deep-tech investment funds. He now leads efforts to advance a data-driven venture capital model that uses analytics and AI to improve investment operations and portfolio intelligence.
Spenger addressed these themes at Venture Intelligence Day, organized by Vestberry in Prague, where he discussed how AI could change the way VC firms operate and why investors should be cautious about automating their judgment. The full interview is available to subscribers only, so this summary reflects the publicly available portion of the article.
Philipp Spenger, Head of Unit at the European Investment Bank (EIB), with more than a decade of experience in investment banking, corporate finance, and venture capital, contends that the starting point for effective AI use is not the technology itself but reliable data. As an early member of the EIB team advising the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Spenger helped develop the strategy of one of Europe's largest deep-tech investment funds. He now leads efforts to advance a data-driven venture capital model that uses analytics and AI to improve investment operations and portfolio intelligence.
Spenger addressed these themes at Venture Intelligence Day, organized by Vestberry in Prague, where he discussed how AI could change the way VC firms operate and why investors should be cautious about automating their judgment. The full interview is available to subscribers only, so this summary reflects the publicly available portion of the article.
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