Below is a roundup of the most notable deals across Central and Eastern Europe.
Pathway, additional seed funding at $500M valuation
Location: Polish-founded, based in Palo Alto, the US
Founded in: 2020
Total funding received: $30M
Recent funding sources: Id4 Ventures, TQ Ventures, Red Bridge Ventures, Kadmos Capital, WS Investment Co., and Jonathan Frankle
Pathway develops AI models designed to improve reasoning, memory, and adaptation while reducing the computing costs associated with traditional Transformer-based systems. The newly raised capital will allow the company to expand its compute capacity, including NVIDIA GB300 systems, and further develop and scale its post-Transformer architecture and BDH models.
BOOKR Kids, €6.1M Series A transaction
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Founded in: 2015
Total funding received: €6.1M
Recent funding sources: 3TS Capital Partners, Infinit Capital, and business angels
BOOKR Kids develops digital tools for literacy and language learning through interactive books, educational activities, and teacher-focused features. The €6.1 million Series A transaction will support the company’s global expansion, the launch of BOOKR Next for learners aged 10–18 and BOOKR Phonics for early literacy, and the international rollout of its Teacher Dashboard and Speaking Studio.
Embedd, $2.7M in a pre-seed round
Location: Ukrainian-founded, based in London, the UK
Founded in: 2023
Total funding received: $2.7M
Recent funding sources: Seedcamp, Cocoa, Connect Ventures, 2100 Ventures, Vesna Capital, U.ventures, Underline Ventures, Common Magic, and Roosh Ventures
Embedd develops software infrastructure for physical AI, helping semiconductor companies integrate chips into software ecosystems faster. The fresh capital will support further platform development and the expansion of partnerships with semiconductor companies.
Astute, $1.2M in a pre-seed round
Location: Serbian-founded, based in New York, the US
Founded in: 2025
Total funding received: $1.2M
Recent funding sources: Flyer One Ventures, Silicon Gardens, Marathon Fund, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, and strategic angel investors
Astute is building infrastructure for the new media ecosystem, where B2B audiences increasingly turn to independent creators across newsletters, podcasts, LinkedIn, and X. The funding will support the launch and scaling of the platform, helping companies develop media strategies, secure creator partnerships, and measure their results.
Guideless, €1M in a pre-seed round
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
Founded in: 2026
Total funding received: €1M
Recent funding sources: Superhero Capital, FIRSTPICK, Thomas Plantenga, Vytautas Atkočaitis, and Mantas Mikuckas
Guideless develops an AI-powered platform that turns software workflows into editable, AI-narrated training guides. The fresh capital will accelerate product development, team growth, and expansion across the US, the UK, and broader European markets.
DiscreteStack, €800k in a seed round
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Founded in: 2025
Total funding received: €800k
Recent funding sources: CleverPine Ventures, Milen Manev, and Stoil Vasilev
DiscreteStack develops an AI infrastructure platform that enables businesses to run advanced open-source models on their own infrastructure without relying on external cloud providers. The funding will support the company’s expansion into regulated sectors and increase its access to GPU computing capacity.
DefendEye, undisclosed funding round
Location: Krakow, Poland, and Hallandale Beach, the US
Founded in: 2023
Total funding received: €1.1M
Recent funding sources: NovaCapital, ff Venture Capital, Hard2beat, Sunfish Partners, and In-Q-Tel
DefendEye develops autonomous, pilot-free aerial intelligence systems for first responders. The latest investment round will support the expansion of the company’s operations and scale production at its manufacturing facilities in Krakow and Hallandale Beach.
