Notable funding rounds across Europe:
- Munich-based AI defence startup Helsing has raised €450 million in Series C funding led by General Catalyst. The round increased the startup’s valuation to €4.95 billion.
- German quantum computing startup planqc has closed a €50 million Series A round led by the European Family Office CATRON Holding and Germany’s deeptech and climate tech fund (DTCF).
- Germany’s HERO Software SaaS platform for trade SMEs in the DACH region, has closed a €40 million Series B financing round led by Eight Roads Ventures,
- Cologne-based developer of a cloud solution for optimizing and scaling sales, service, grid and implementation processes epilot has raised €10 million. The round was led by the UK Expedition Growth Capital.
- Swedish AI content creation platform for car dealers, Phyron, has secured €10 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Round2 Capital.
- Amsterdam and New York-based startup Scaler has secured $10 million in Series A to drive net-zero goals in real estate and expand its team. The fresh investment was led by Plural.
- London-based flight-free travel tech startup Byway has raised €5.9 million in a Series A funding round led by Heartcore Capital.
- Irish fintech startup Trustap that develops an escrow-style payment platform has secured $5.5 million in a funding round led by TX Ventures.
- Munich-based SaaS startup allO, which develops an all-in-one restaurant management system, has raised a $5 million seed round led by 20VC.
- UK app for wellbeing GoJoe has secured £2.4 million in funding led by Venrex Partners, with participation from Redrice Ventures and Hellen's Rock Ventures.
- French investment platform Swaive, which offers simplified management of funds and investment solutions, has secured €2.2 million in a pre-seed funding round. Investors include Motier Ventures, AGLAÉ Ventures, and Kima Ventures.
- Amsterdam-based startup Findest, specializing in R&D software solutions for scouting, has raised €2.2 million in a funding round led by Partinc.
- Munich-based startup trail, the copilot for AI Governance, has raised €1.45 million in a pre-seed funding round led by CapitalT.
CEE startup funding rounds & acquisitions:
- Warsaw-based medtech Doctor.One has secured €1.1 million for its platform. The investment came from Smartlink Partners, Vesna Capital, and several business angels.
- Lithuanian engineering startup Granta Autonomy, which specializes in fully autonomous UAVs for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, has secured €1 million in funding led by ScaleWolf VC.
- Polish-founded cybersecurity startup Relock, which develops software to protect APIs, has secured €900,000 in a pre-seed round led by Early Game.
- Ukrainian robotics startup Ailand Systems, which develops smart autonomous drones for agriculture and landmine detection, has secured $200,000 from business angels.
New venture capital funds and VCs’ news:
- London-based Index Ventures has raised $2.3 billion across two new funds: a new $800 million fund and a $1.5 billion growth fund. The new fund will support startups across various sectors and stages of development, with a strong focus on AI.
- Munich-based Alpine Space Ventures has closed a €170 million fund to support the global space ecosystem, especially in Europe and the US. The fund saw participation from the European Investment Fund and the NATO Innovation Fund.
- Eindhoven-based VC LUMO Labs has launched a €100 million LUMO Rise Fund. It plans to invest in up to 35 impact-driven digital startups across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, and the Baltics.
- Iceland-based Frumtak Ventures has closed €80 million Frumtak IV fund to support local startups with global potential. The fund was closed in six months and serves as the successor to 2021's $57 million Frumtak III.
- Sofia-based VC BrightCap has completed the first close of its new fund, BrightCap II, targeting €60 million. It will invest in tech startups focusing on the future of work, digital health, and fintech across SEE, helping them scale into Western European and US markets.
- Solo GP Felix Plapperer announced the final close of the first €17 million micro fund in his venture capital firm BOOOM. The fund will support B2B software startups across Europe at pre-seed and seed rounds.
Startup calls & Events:
Incubation is a free 6-month in-person program in Zagreb, intended for early-stage startups with an AI component. With workshops, extracurricular events, mentorship, and individual support, startup teams will make their products or services market-ready. The program starts on October 1, 2024.
If you have an early-stage startup you want to develop further, check out the whole program and apply here: https://bird-incubator.com/programs/incubation/.
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