The Future of Travel, AI & Data

Hey there,

Are you ready for a fresh EU-Startups Update? Here comes a curated overview for you regarding European startup news, opportunities, and latest trends that matter. Enjoy!

💸 Fresh VC Funds: The Paris-based VC Wind just closed the first €90 million to ensure startups can thrive in a climate-challenged world, and Madrid-based Kfund secured €70 million for sixth fund to double-down in Southern Europe high impact-startups

🎙️ EU-Startups Podcast: In episode 73 we’ve been joined by Sabina Wizander, General Partner at Creandum, one of the most important venture capital funds in Europe. Sabina discusses her journey from McKinsey to VC and then to being a startup operator, the European tech ecosystem, the challenges of fundraising, and much more!

✈️ FutureTravel Pitch Competition: Our sister brand FutureTravel.com, which focuses on startups and technology in travel & hospitality just opened the application process for this year's big pitch competition. The finals will be held on November 28 at the FutureTravel Summit in Barcelona.

💸 Fundraising FastTrack: Gain LIFETIME access to the Capital HQ private capital marketplace, connecting you with over 25,000 registered investors and an additional 220,000+ global investor profiles. Leverage AI tools and expert advice to efficiently close deals. Limited-time offer ends 30 June. Don't miss out!

🧠 AI boom continues: Cambridge-based CuspAI just secured €28 million to champion AI-designed materials for climate change. Munich-based StoryBox raised €5.5 million to lead the future of AI-powered B2B video content creation. Amsterdam-based defence tech Avalor AI landed €2 million to enhance military unmanned systems. By the way: The VC firm Accel released an interesting report this morning about GenAI talent hotspots in Europe and Israel.

📊 The Tech Nation Report 2024 is the state of the nation report on UK tech, revealing the latest investment data and trends shaping UK tech in the age of AI. Discover the state of the UK AI sector, plus get insider insights from the biggest names in tech, top founders, and CEOs! Download it here.

🤩 WMF was a blast! Last week we attended We Make Future, a leading International Trade Fair and Festival dedicated to AI, Tech, and Digital Innovation in Bologna. Here, we're sharing some of the highlights from the event and the pitch competition. WMF 2024 was supported by the Italian Trade Agency and provided a great opportunity for innovators, leaders, and tech enthusiasts to connect.

🍔 Meat alternatives: London-based THIS bites €23.6 million to lead the meat alternatives revolution in the UK. On that note, we have curated a list of 10 promising European plant-based alternatives that cater to modern dietary preferences.

💻 Data, Data, Data: London-based FINBOURNE just raised €65 million to unlock the power of financial data. Madrid-based Tinybird snaped €28 million to expand its real-time data analytics platform. London-based SurrealDB secured over €18.6 million aiming to disrupt database technology, and Berlin-based forward earth raised €3.2 million to simplify environmental data reporting dramatically.

Have a nice weekend, and sunny greetings from Barcelona!

Your EU-Startups Team