Europe’s defence and resilience startups hit $8.7B in 2025. Here are top deals so far in 2026
Early 2026 is already bringing new major rounds, highlighting growing demand for AI, drone, and defence capabilities.
5 signals from CEE investors on what’s next for the region
CEE investors point to defence, physical AI, and AI-native services as key opportunities — but say the region’s biggest gaps remain growth capital and scaleup experience.
"We double down on ideation-stage talent." Inside FIRSTPICK’s new fund
With a new €25M fund closed, FIRSTPICK is doubling down on early-stage startups. Andra Bagdonaitė told us more about the firm’s plans.
Headway Inc secures growth backing from Horizon Capital
The investment was made via Horizon Capital Growth Fund IV, which typically writes $10–40 million.
List of new VC funds launched in Q1 2026 to invest in Europe
Vestbee maps new VC funds launched in Q1 2026 — highlighting key trends across deeptech, AI, and Europe’s evolving capital stack.
Foreverland raises €6M to scale cocoa-free chocolate alternative across Europe
The company plans to expand internationally and scale the commercial growth of its cocoa-free chocolate alternative, Choruba®.
Credo Ventures raises $88M Fund V to invest at pre-seed across CEE
It will focus on pre-seed investments in founders from Central and Eastern Europe and their diaspora.
Ukrainian defence tech Swarmer goes public, shares surge over 6×, peak near 8×
Swarmer finished the day at $31 per share and later climbed to above $40, pushing the company’s market capitalization to well over $400 million.