VC & Startup Weekly News, August 19-25, 2023

Notable Funding Rounds across EU:

London-based music ticketing platform DICE has secured $65M led by MUSIC co-founder Matt Pincus.
German construction tech startup Schüttflix raises €45M from FJ Labs and DEVK Insurance. Schüttflix runs a bulk materials marketplace, while reducing waste and emissions.
Scottish biotech Enough raises €40M to scale sustainable plant-based protein production using fungi fermentation. Funding led by World Fund and CPT Capital.

London's The Players Fund is launching a €47M fund to support startups across Europe in digital-first, consumer-facing sectors. The fund aims to create a prominent athlete venture platform.
The European Investment Fund (EIF) and Lithuania’s SME Finance have partnered to provide over €40M in financing for small businesses in the Baltics, Finland, and the Netherlands to support growth.
Amsterdam's HPE Growth, a European tech-focused investor, has received a minority GP investment from Nieland Family Office to expand its tech investment platform.
Hamburg's MobilityFund expands globally with a California office and a team of industry experts. They invest in startups like Flowfox and Colonia, focusing on enhancing mobility involving major players in the energy and transportation sectors.

Bulgarian e-commerce platform Badu, offering faster delivery and higher quality products, has raised €2.6M led by Silverline Capital.
Czech financial app Advanto gets €500K from investors including Jean-Pascal Duvieusart, Ladislav Bartoníček, and Nation 1 fund. The app offers instant wage access, aiding employee financial well-being.
Tenity Incubation Fund II invests €52k in Romanian Blockaware, a platform simplifying crypto asset management for SMBs with secure wallets and compliance management.
Ukrainian medtech startup DrugCard secures new investment led by New Nordic Ventures. Their platform automates medical literature monitoring for cost-efficiency and compliance.
Estonian-Dutch fintech Change has been acquired by Swiss private equity firm Andromeda Capital. Started as a crypto-asset platform, Change now offers investments across 31 EU countries, trading €170M.
Lithuanian Business Angels Fund completes its exit from solar energy provider Energia Futura. The Kaunas-based startup has installed 2500+ solar plants since 2016, experiencing substantial growth with €6.6M in 2022 sales and €0.55M pre-tax profit.
Czech energy comparison platform DEAP receives investments from Seed starters Česká spořitelna. DEAP's platform helps users select energy suppliers based on multiple factors.

Last call to AWS Global Fintech Accelerator - an equity-free online program designed to empower AI-driven Fintech startups for global success with product, business, and investment support. Apply till August 31st.
Call for Startups to join How to Web 2023, a major tech conference in CEE, is offering a record investment prize of €780k to 40 early-stage startups. Collaborators include Credo Ventures, SMOK Ventures, Fiedler Capital, Underline Ventures, Fortech Investments and more. Startups that meet criteria such as being under 5 years, raised < €700k, launched product with traction are eligible to apply until August 31.
Apply till 31 August to Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe Program that ranks 50 rapidly growing tech companies across sectors like communications, fintech, software, and more. Application opens to companies in 18 Central European countries. Eligibility requires strong revenue growth and specific financial criteria.
Open Calls for climate tech startups from the Baltic region to join Latvian a pre-accelerator Future Hub Climate, the program offers up to €5k for 10 weeks of support to 8 early-stage teams. Backed by the government, it builds on the existing Future Hub initiative and is supported by Latvia's Investment and Development Agency and Riga City Council. Apply till September 12th

VC & Startup Weekly News From CEE, July 1 - 7, 2023 (by Sofia Drobychevskaya, Editor & Ilya Mikhalchyk-Kananenka, Community Builder, Vestbee)