EU-Startups

Startups & Innovative Tech Companies from across Europe: Exhibit at this year's EU-Startups Summit on April 24-25 in Malta and connect with around 2,500 founders, c-level startup executives, investors and corporates. 🤝 A great opportunity to generate leads, sales and valuable new connections. Request a proposal now and see you in sunny Malta! 🏝️ ▶️ https://lnkd.in/dHixbkK5

Turku-based Videobot, an omnichannel interactive short-form video platform, has announced the closing of their €2.8 million funding round to develop customer experience through its video experience (VX) platform 🇫🇮 🎥 The funding round was led by Volta Ventures, Expon Capital, and Superhero Capital. The funding adds to an initial €2.2 million raised in 2023 as well as a further €500k awarded as part of Business Finland’s Young Innovative Company funding programme. This brings the company’s total funding to €5.5 million. Outlining the concept behind Videobot, Co-founder Matias Mäenpää said: “Videobot goes further than the traditional video, allowing engaging, video-based micro-interactions throughout the user journey on websites and apps as well as facilitating the use of paid ads, physical stores, and beyond. By adding an interactive element to video, we’ve seen that companies using Videobot can experience up to 5x higher conversion rates and increased customer satisfaction.” https://lnkd.in/dqy2VXZH

VRAI , a Dublin-based startup focused on military and defence applications of VR, Mixed Reality and simulations, has raised €5 million in a Series A led by VC firm Beringea 🇮🇪 🎖️ VRAI has raised €3 million to date from investors including Enterprise Ireland, Northstar Ventures, and several leading Irish family offices. Pat O'Connor, Founder and CEO of VRAI, commented: “We are delighted to announce our latest investment round, which marks a significant milestone in our mission to redefine exceptional human performance through data driven simulation. We aim to be global leaders in our niche. This investment will allow us to continue innovating for our existing customers, continue building a talent dense team and growing the company through our new US office.” https://lnkd.in/dQYqNwR7

Seville-based Universal Diagnostics S.A., a HealthTech startup, has secured a €20 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the development of its blood-based liquid biopsy solutions 🇪🇸 🩸 The funding will drive the expansion of Signal-C®, its most advanced colorectal cancer screening product, as well as the development of new solutions for liver and lung cancer detection (Signal-Li and Signal-Lu, respectively). Juan Martinez-Barea, Founder and president of Universal DX, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “Our mission is to create a future where cancer is curable. With the transformative power of our technology, we are taking bold steps to turn this vision into reality. We are deeply inspired by the support of the EIB, which will enable us to contribute to the European Plan to Fight Cancer and to bring our revolutionary blood tests for early cancer detection to both European and U.S. markets.” https://lnkd.in/dUpCkCxb

ZeroNorth, a Copenhagen-based tech company focused on the maritime industry, has just announced a €19 million debt financing from CIBC Innovation Banking to fuel its growth strategy through M&A 🇩🇰 🌊 Soren Christian Meyer, CEO of ZeroNorth, said: “The maritime industry is navigating unprecedented complexity, largely driven by the challenges of the energy transition and evolving regulations. To meet these demands effectively, the industry needs unified technology solutions that simplify operations and enhance decision-making. Our M&A strategy has enabled exactly that. “With this facility from CIBC Innovation Banking, we aim to continue our role as an industry consolidator, bringing together fragmented solutions to create greater value for customers and accelerate the energy transition for the industry.” https://lnkd.in/dTn9QpDx

Taktile, a decision automation platform with offices in Berlin, London and New York, has raised €51.5 million in Series B, to continue optimising risk management strategies across the customer lifecycle 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🚀 The round was led by Balderton Capital, with participation from existing investors Index Ventures, Tiger Global, Y Combinator, Prosus Ventures, Visionaries Club as well as Larry Summers, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, bringing Taktile’s total funding to date to €75.3 million. Maik Taro Wehmeyer, CEO & Co-founder, Taktile said: “From day one of our journey, we believed that millions of lives could be improved by enabling organisations to make optimal decisions for their customers. By keeping experienced risk experts in control, we make it possible for even the most regulated businesses in financial services to fully adopt AI into high-stakes workflows.” https://lnkd.in/dS2Qe2Rb

Zurich-based Unique, a vertical AI player creating a specialised agentic AI platform for financial firms, today announced the successful completion of its Series A funding round, raising €28.6 million 🇨🇭 🤖 This round was led by CommerzVentures and DN Capital, with continued support from existing seed investors including Vi Partners and Pictet Group. Unique’s total investment now stands at €50.5 million. “We are excited to announce this Series A investment,” said Manuel Grenacher, CEO of Unique. “This funding will significantly boost our global expansion efforts and enhance our ability to deploy agentic solutions for our clients. As a vertical AI leader and a category owner, we are dedicated to advancing the financial services industry, and with the strong backing from our investors, we aim to drive the next wave of innovation.” https://lnkd.in/dUQhxWuk

The latest report, Spin-offs: Reinforcing a Vector of Value Creation for EU-27, is out! Learn how university spin-offs are using Deep Tech to spark innovation and make a real societal impact across Europe. Inside, you'll find: 🎓 The key role universities play in spin-off success. 🚀 Emerging Deep Tech opportunities that are reshaping industries. 💡 Practical recommendations for making spin-offs easier to create. This report is part of the #StepUpStartups project and highlights one of the exciting themes that’ll be explored at this year’s EU-Startups Summit, where the StepUp Startups Stage will dive into these discussions in even more detail. Check out here the full report and get ready for some great conversations at the summit! https://lnkd.in/dWyJ534p

What makes an exceptional founder? In 2024, Antler was more selective than ever — only the top 2.5% of founders made it into their residencies. So what does it really take to be in that elite group? This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sat down with Hannah Leach, Partner at Antler, to dive into: - What sets exceptional founders apart - Why the UK startup scene has untapped potential compared to SF - How ESG is reshaping venture capital (and why investors should care) - The power of community in building great companies — it's all about people Antler is now the most active private early-stage investor in the world, backing 500+ tech startups in Europe over the last five years. If you're a founder looking to raise, Hannah’s advice in this episode is gold. Watch the trailer & check out the full conversation below! Links in comments. ⬇️

IDC Ventures, a global VC platform in Copenhagen, today announced the launch of VC4 FoF I, its inaugural Fund of Funds with a €150 million cap focused on sectors shaping future economic growth 🇩🇰 🚀 Its General Partners have committed €15 million to VC4, which has already been deployed across 10 funds including Soma Capital (backers of Deel, and Razorpay), G Squared (investors in Airbnb and Spotify), and Ensemble VC (early investors in Zoom and Carta), with some achieving track records of over 4x in prior funds. “Our new fund of funds, VC4 FoF I, represents a new chapter for IDC Ventures,” commented Bobby Aitkenhead, Managing Director of IDCV. “By offering a diversified and balanced investment vehicle, we are creating access for both new and experienced investors to unique venture capital opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.” https://lnkd.in/dzCyjpR3