Target Global

Shmuel Chafets recently took the stage at the LSE Alternative Investments Conference, hosted by the talented students of The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), to explore the growing impact of AI adoption within the VC ecosystem. Joined by Laurence Garrett (Highland Europe), Stephanie Opdam, CFA (Notion Capital), and William McQuillan (Frontline Ventures), the panel tackled key topics such as: 🤖 The risk of portfolio companies becoming obsolete in the face of rapidly advancing AI and technology 💡 How to differentiate between genuine innovation and inflated optimism 🔍 The strategies to assess the long-term value potential of startups 📈 Emerging opportunities in the global venture capital ecosystem over the next 5-10 years A big thank you to Parmy Olson (Bloomberg) for moderating the session, and to Radhey Patel and the whole team for organising yet another fantastic conference! To end the day on a high, our Head of Communications and Marketing, Seda Ambartsumian, had the honour of awarding the winning startups from the pitching competition — an inspiring moment for all involved! 🏆 Looking forward to 2026 🚀

Yesterday, love was in the air at Target Global! 💖 We celebrated the incredible connections and teamwork that make our company such a special place, made even sweeter with heart-shaped chocolates and cupcakes. Wishing everyone a Valentine’s Day full of love, joy, and connection, both in and out of the office! 💌

Last week, our portfolio company luca hit a major milestone: €150M+ in transaction volume! In just a year, luca has gone from processing in a month what it now handles in a day—a testament to the vision, grit, and relentless execution of Patrick Hennig and the team. What started in 2020 as a solution to help restaurants navigate COVID-19—scaling to 40M downloads—has transformed into a platform redefining the guest experience across hospitality. The vision? A fully digital, frictionless guest experience across hotels, events, and restaurants—integrating check-in, reservations, ordering, and payments into one seamless flow. The result is clear: lower costs, fewer intermediaries, new revenue streams, and a better experience for both businesses and guests. Hospitality is long overdue for transformation and, with 1205% YoY growth and €150M in transaction volume, luca is just getting started 🚀 cc: Yaron Valler Joshua Stein

In a world where most companies are scrambling to acquire as many users as possible, Voyantis took a bold step in the opposite direction—and it’s paying off. Today we’re excited to announce that they’ve secured $41M in funding, led by Intel Capital, bringing their total to $60M. What sets Voyantis apart? While others focus on quantity, their platform uses AI to target and engage the right customers right from the start. Instead of hoping a few valuable users emerge from a flood of acquisition efforts, Voyantis helps companies find and nurture their highest-value customers across platforms like Google, Meta, Salesforce, and Braze. This shift is already driving impressive results for growth teams. Instead of spending large sums on user acquisition with uncertain outcomes, Voyantis helps companies target and secure their best customers from the start. This is more than just a marketing tool—it's a new way of thinking about growth that’s built to last. Ido Wiesenberg and the team have created something truly unique. Their vision of AI-driven, precision-based growth is setting a new standard for how companies scale. We're proud to have supported them from the beginning and look forward to seeing how they continue to reshape customer acquisition. Shmuel Chafets Dana Bublil 

Flo Health Inc. is one of 50 software companies making The Times 100 Tech - Britain's fastest-growing private technology companies list 🎉 This achievement is a testament to the team's relentless drive to transform women’s health through a data-driven approach and AI-powered insights —helping 73M+ users worldwide take control of their well-being. Check out the full list of trailblazers in the link in the comments below👇

In the HR and business world, skills-led transformation has become the go-to answer for everything — from talent shortages to adapting to new technologies. But as René Janssen, CEO & Founder of Lepaya, points out in his latest piece for Forbes, the term is at risk of losing its meaning. Instead of treating skills-led as a one-size-fits-all solution, businesses need clear definitions and actionable strategies that align with their unique goals. 🔹 Being skills-led isn’t just about training or hiring—it’s about a cultural shift that values skills while also considering experience, diversity, and company vision. 🔹 It’s about moving away from rigid job specs and building a flexible, adaptable workforce that thrives in dynamic environments. 🔹 And most importantly, it’s about getting the fundamentals right—not just chasing the latest trend. Lepaya is leading the way in making skills development measurable, targeted, and impactful. As companies navigate today’s talent landscape, those that move beyond the hype and focus on real execution will be the ones that succeed. Read René's full take in the link in the comments below 👇

Mosa Meat has officially submitted its very first Novel Foods application to the European Commission for their cultivated beef fat — making it the first submission in the EU’s history for a beef product! Why is this big news? Cultivated fat is the secret to delivering the signature taste, aroma, and mouthfeel of meat. This achievement marks a major leap forward for the future of sustainable food 🍽️ . The scale of effort behind this application is truly awe-inspiring: 🔍 Nearly 1,000 pages of rigorous data and analysis 🧪 450 samples reviewed and 652 analytical documents studied 🏢 6 accredited labs, 23 new analytical methods, and 148 parameters tested per production batch 💪 Over 10 dedicated team members, working tirelessly for 2 years Congrats to Mark Post, Peter Verstrate and the whole Mosa Meat team on taking this monumental step toward bringing their innovative Mosa Burgers to European plates 🍔. Read more about the news in the link below 👇

'Business travel is broken.'" That's what Avi Meir told us in our first investment meeting many years ago. Fast forward to today: TravelPerk just announced a $200M Series E at a $2.7B valuation, and their vision of fixing business travel has evolved into something far bigger than we imagined. Here's why this matters: Every week, millions of employees wrestle with mind-numbing expense reports while finance teams chase receipts across endless email threads. Meanwhile, companies are desperately trying to control costs without making their people miserable. TravelPerk's latest acquisition of Yokoy tackles this head-on - imagine your business travel platform being smart enough to handle everything from booking your next client meeting in Berlin to automatically processing that late-night taxi receipt. The numbers tell the story: 8,000+ companies have ditched their legacy systems, saving an average of 25% on travel costs while their employees actually enjoy the booking experience (yes, you read that right - people actually like using it!). Congratulations to our friends Atomico on leading this round, alongside EQT Group (EQT Growth), Noteus Partners, and existing investors Kinnevik and General Catalyst. But the biggest congratulations go to Avi Meir, Roy Hefer, Jean-Christophe Taunay-Bucalo, Yasmine El Alj Bratt, and every single TravelPerk team member who's helped transform that initial seed-stage vision into a company that's genuinely making work travel less painful for millions. From those early pitches in Barcelona to becoming Europe's leading travel tech company - what a journey to be part of! 🛫

🇪🇺 As we enter 2025, optimism is returning to European venture capital, with AI innovation and a recovering IPO market setting the stage for what could be a transformative year. From B2B applications in manufacturing and supply chain optimization to transformative advancements across industries, Europe’s deep technical talent and industrial heritage position it to lead in applied AI 🤖. Shmuel Chafets believes 2025 should be a year of AI adoption at scale where we’ll see AI integrated more deeply into day-to-day business operations and consumer life. Read more in Leah Hodgson's latest article for PitchBook below 👇

The UK government’s recent announcement of “Humphrey” AI assistants marks a bold commitment to reducing inefficiencies and overhauling public services. From streamlining civil servant workloads to automating public-facing processes, this initiative signals the transformative potential of AI in the public sector. But what does this mean for the frontline workers who are at the heart of these services? Our report, "From Human to Hybrid: AI and the Future of the Frontline," explored this very question. Through focus groups with teachers, nurses, and police officers, we found: 👩🏫  72% of teachers feel overwhelmed by administrative burdens. 👨⚕️  85% of nurses say admin tasks keep them from patient care. 👮♀️ 38 million hours of police work could be saved annually with AI automation. Shmuel Chafets emphasizes that success in these efforts hinges on meaningful engagement with frontline workers. Nurses, teachers, and other staff must be actively involved in selecting and implementing these tools to ensure that the transformation of public services truly meets their needs. AI can transform public services—but only if it’s done collaboratively. Let’s ensure these innovations are built with frontline workers, not just for them. Curious about the role of AI in empowering public sector professionals? Explore our research for insights in the link in the comments below 👇