The Recursive

🚀 After 7 months of research, data analysis, and countless hours, the day has come! The Recursive's State of AI in CEE Report 2024 is now live. Here’s a quick look at what’s inside: 📍 €5B+ invested in CEE AI since 2021, with 2024 set to match last year’s €850M. 📍 Strategic acquisitions by global giants like IBM, Intel, and WP Engine in Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, and Serbia. 📍 €1.4B in active VC funding from around 30 firms backing CEE’s AI growth. 📍Countless opinions and insights about the CEE AI ecosystem from founders & experts. Curious to see more? Download the full report and get the latest insights shaping CEE’s AI future! 👉 Get you copy here: https://hubs.la/Q02XRX1v0 #AllAIsonCEE #TechStartup #MarketReseach

What does it take to build a startup in Bulgaria? 🇧🇬 The Startup Journey is a five-part documentary that offers an unfiltered glimpse into the Bulgarian innovation ecosystem, a home to over 800 startups. The web series is produced by The Recursive and EBRD, supported by the EU under #InvestEU. Watch the first episode here: https://hubs.la/Q03137Gj0 📽️ Episode 1 features: Oggy Popov, CEO of Volt Premium Taxi Vassil Popovski, VP of Engineering at Alcatraz AI Boryana Levterova, founder of Infinity Toy Box Maggie Stancheva, founder of VEDA Accounting Thibault Taittinger, founder of Puzl CowOrKing

CEE is booming in mobile app development, driven by affordable smartphones, rapid 5G rollouts, and mobile-first solutions. 📊 CEE Highlights: Gaming: 30% YoY growth in Poland’s mobile gaming sector. E-commerce: Hungary’s app installs doubled during the pandemic. Fintech: Romania leads, with apps like Revolut. 👉 Full Article by Vlad Lastovsky: https://hubs.la/Q03107S-0

Here are TOP 10 INVESTMENTS for CEE startups in 2024. 🌟 Rohlik.cz 👉 €164M Growth Equity VC (Index Ventures European Investment Bank (EIB), EBRD, Quadrille Capital, TCF Capital) Mews 👉 €106M Late VC (Kinnevik, Notion Capital, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Revaia, GS Growth Equity) InoBat 👉 €100M Series C (Rio Tinto IPM Group, Gotion Inc.) Verne 👉 €100M Series A (Rimac Automobili, Infinum, KIA Motors, SiteGround, Neurone Technologies) FintechOS 👉 €55.4M Series B (Cipio Partners, Molten Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital, BlackRockand OTB Ventures) Blueground 👉 €43.4M Series D (Susquehanna Private Capital and WestCap) Hellas Direct 👉€30M Late VC (ETF Partners and 5G Ventures) AROBS Group 👉 €28.7M Private Placement VC AMPECO 👉 €24.8M Series B (LAUNCHub Ventures, BMW i Ventures, Cavalry Ventures, Revaia) Colossyan 👉 €21.2M Series A (Lakestar, LAUNCHub Ventures, Day One Capital, Emerge, Oktogon Ventures) P.S. Companies above are filtered out as per rule of at least being founded in CEE, even if their HQs moved elsewhere. If there is anyone we missed, let us know in the comments. #CEE #investments #CentralEasternEurope #EuropeRounds

📢 Introducing Evercurious VC: A new fund connecting Greece’s untapped deep tech talent with Europe’s innovation hubs. Backed by Hellenic Development Bank of Investments, Evercurious founded by Alex Vamvakas and George Georgiadis will focus on startups at the intersection of hardware and software. 🚀 First investments coming soon! #Greece #DeepTech #VC

From the GDPR to the EU AI Act, launching and scaling a startup in Europe comes with its fair share of legal hurdles. But you don’t have to tackle it alone. 📜 We've curated a list of 30 startup-savvy lawyers in CEE who specialize in helping tech founders like you with everything from crafting contracts and funding to compliance. 🛡️ Let these experts take the stress out of legal so you can focus on building the future. Check out the list and find the right legal partner for your journey! 👉 https://hubs.la/Q030q0KC0 #Startups #LegalForStartups #TechLawyers #CEEStartups

Romanians and people from the CEE doesn't lack ambition - shares Marius Istrate in #TheRecursivePodcast. 💡 See in the video below his full line of thinking and let us know if you agree or disagree. 👇 #EasternEurope #History #TechInvestor

2025 has arrived—a year full of possibilities, opportunities, and perhaps its share of challenges. 🌟 While the future remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the resilient spirit of CEE will rise to meet whatever comes our way. From all of us at The Recursive, we wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year! 🎆 #2025 #NewYear #NewBeginnings

As 2024 comes to an end, the European tech scene has grown significantly, with investments rising from €13.8B in 2015 to €41.4B this year, according to Atomico’s State of European Tech report. 📈 Still, Central and Eastern Europe received 50x less funding than the rest of Europe in 2024. Can we make a wish that next year bring more balance? 🤔 #EuropeanTech #CEE #Innovation

It has been an interesting year for the tech and startup ecosystems worldwide. In CEE in particular, we have seen tighter funding conditions 💸, but also some of the biggest rounds in the last few years. Some valuations dropped, elsewhere new unicorns emerged 🦄... Sales and employment rates stagnated, while the AI craze continued. It was definitely a rollercoaster ride 🎢. Here is how it all translated to your readership interests... We gathered a list of the top 10 most-read articles on The Recursive in 2024! 🏆 💠 15 Celebrity Investors Making Waves in VC → https://hubs.la/Q030wKsj0 💠 The Pros and Cons of Having a Smart Home → https://hubs.la/Q030x2jz0 💠 10 Family Offices From CEE You Should Know → https://hubs.la/Q030wNyN0 💠 The Recursive Podcast: Innovation Podcast for Tech Leaders → https://hubs.la/Q030wDVg0 💠 Shkolo_bg, Bulgarian School Management Software Platform, Acquired by UK's Juniper Education → https://hubs.la/Q030wVs30 💠 BgGPT, the First Bulgarian Language Model, Is Launched by INSAIT → https://hubs.la/Q030wHZR0 💠 Romania’s Startup Landscape in a Nutshell: 6 Key Figures → https://hubs.la/Q030wHPD0 💠 myPOS Gets Acquired by Advent International to Enhance the Future of European Fintech → https://hubs.la/Q030wQbz0 💠 Unveiling 5 Soon-to-be Unicorns for 2024 in CEE → https://hubs.la/Q030wCHx0 💠 Bulgarian Scale-Up Nasekomo Raises €8M Series A To Fuel Robotized Insect Bioconversion Expansion → https://hubs.la/Q030wH8s0 Thank you for reading us! 👐