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We have compiled a pre-selection of editorial content for you, provided by media companies, publishers, stock exchange services and financial blogs. Here you can get a quick overview of the topics that are of public interest at the moment.
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"legacytech" Legacy Compass secures £60,000 for end-of-life planning platform

London-based Legacy Compass has secured £60,000 in funding from Bethnal Green Ventures’ (BGV) Tech for Good Programme. The company, founded by Natalia Pazzaglia, is on a mission to transform end-of-life planning by combining storytelling, human-centered design, and AI-powered "emotional intelligence". With this investment, Legacy Compass will expand its platform, which simplifies the process of planning for the future. With this investment, Legacy Compass is poised to expand its platform’s capabilities, particularly in the areas of AI and trauma-informed design. The company plans to broaden its business-to-business (B2B) offerings, integrating its solution into employee well-being programs, and continuing to refine its services through clinical and behavioral research. The funding comes at a time when the market is seeing a growing need for digital solutions in the often-difficult area of legacy planning. According to projections, one in five people will be diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer or dementia by 2040, and the administrative burden on bereaved families in the UK can last for up to 15 months after a loss. Through its platform, individuals and organizations can create and store audio memories, digital messages, and end-of-life preferences. The platform’s use of sentiment analysis helps to guide users through the emotional and administrative complexities of end-of-life planning, ensuring that both the practical and emotional needs are addressed in one seamless experience. Natalia Pazzaglia, Founder and CEO of Legacy Compass, commented on the significance of the funding: “This funding is a transformative moment for Legacy Compass. End-of-life planning is often met with avoidance, but it should be an opportunity to reflect, connect, and prepare with clarity. With Bethnal Green Ventures’ support, we are one step closer to making this process accessible, empowering, and human-centered for individuals and families worldwide.” The partnership with BGV is significant, as the firm has long been a champion of “tech for good” initiatives, backing ventures that use technology to solve real-world problems with scalable, impactful solutions. Paul Miller, CEO and Managing Partner at Bethnal Green Ventures, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “Legacy Compass embodies the principles of our Tech for Good programme—leveraging technology to solve real-world challenges while ensuring scalability and impact. The innovative, human-centered approach of Legacy Compass addresses a pressing societal need, and Natalia has built a visionary product that has the potential to redefine the legacy and end-of-life sector. We are excited to support the team in its next phase of growth.”

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How SportAI is changing the game for coaches, players, federations, and broadcasters

Ask anyone who plays sports for more than just fun, and they'll tell you that improving your technique and skills can be expensive and often lacks the detailed feedback needed for consistent progress. A decade ago, sensor-embedded rackets paired with companion apps promised a new era of data-driven performance analytics. But the technology never truly scaled. Now, a Norwegian company SportAI,  has cracked the code — bringing accessible, scalable data analytics to racket sports players, coaches, and more through software, not hardware. The Oslo-headquartered company was co-founded in late 2023 by ex-NCAA tennis player Lauren Pedersen (CEO), Felipe Longé (CTO) and Andreas Thome (Board Chairman, ex-CEO of Play Magnus) alongside tech-startup heavyweights Espen Agdestein (Board member), and Trond Kittelsen (Head of Commercial and tennis app founder). I spoke to Pedersen to learn more. Originally from New Zealand, Pedersen grew up playing many sports, particularly tennis. She ended up taking a tennis scholarship to play NCAA Division I college tennis in the US in Washington, DC, for four years.  A career working in large advertising agencies followed, first in New York and then in London, before moving to Oslo 17 years ago – Pedersen represented Norway in the ITF Masters Tour World Championships.  Since then, she worked in the tech industry, building and working with scale-up companies growing out of the Nordics. In 2023, she co-founded SportAI. She shared:  "It's the first time I've been a founder, and it's also the first time I've been able to truly combine my passion for sports with my career in tech." Pedersen and her fellow co-founders started the company because coaching, analysis, and commentary around sports technique are still subjective, expensive, and unscalable.  She detailed: "Take tennis, for example—if I take a lesson anywhere in the world, it could easily cost €100 or more. Even with a good coach, three or four coaches would all give me different feedback on my serve, and there's no data to back any of it up. It's the same with the broadcast industry. There's lots of data and stats during events like Wimbledon, but when it comes to technique, you're really just hearing subjective opinions from commentators. So, we saw that as a key challenge. Now, with AI — especially computer vision and machine learning — we're able to analyse video from almost any source, whether it's a phone or a court camera, and deliver biomechanical analysis of an athlete." Bringing analytics to all SportAI analyses player techniques in real-time, such as their tennis or paddle swing, before delivering instant, personalised feedback to improve performance.  Using machine learning, computer vision, and biometric technology, a player's technique can be instantly compared to thousands of other players, including top sporting professionals, with objective and precise written and visual analysis — it's the first time that kind of technique analysis has become objective and scalable. SportAI can offer automated data-based analysis to millions of players, a service typically only affordable for professional players with access to performance analysts.  Business-wise, the company operates as a B2B SaaS platform. Its main clients are larger organisations such as federations, broadcasters, major academies, and even sports equipment brands.  For example, broadcasters can also use the technology to enrich their live sporting commentary. SportAI speaks to everyone in the industry—coaches, players, federations, and Pedersen tests out the tech herself. She noted: "One of the most exciting things is how instant the analysis is. Instead of needing someone to manually draw or tag video, the analysis happens immediately from the video itself. Most people don't have access to a coach who could do that—only professional players really do." From the federation side, the scalability is a game-changer. Instead of analysing 10 or 20 players, they can now gather data from thousands and track their progress in a way that wasn't possible before. From players to racket manufacturers  Significantly, SportAI is hardware agnostic, capable of analysing video from mobile phones, cameras mounted at courts or playing arenas, and broadcast feeds.  Previously, video analysis required manual tagging by coaches using specific hardware, which limited scalability and longevity.  By partnering with major sports organisations and automating analysis from any video, SportAI can reach wide audiences and integrate technique analysis into training for pros, recreational players and fans.  The company is also working with racket brands to understand how people play and how to better design and recommend equipment based on actual performance data. Pedersen detailed: "Most people don't know what racket to buy—they go for what their favourite player uses, which usually isn't the best fit for them.  Player-level detection via a short video clip allows us to match a player's actual technique and ability to the right equipment. Most racket brands design different rackets for different levels of players—but most people don't know which one is right for them. We can help bridge that gap with data. That increases consumer confidence and also helps brands with conversion." Compared to the aforementioned market rackets, SportAI thinks the software-based approach is much more scalable.  "Not everyone has access to smart rackets or sensors. But almost everyone has a phone. That's what makes our solution so scalable; it works with the tools people already have. It's also beneficial for brands and retailers. They can offer a smart technique analysis service and get valuable data for personalised recommendations without dealing with the challenges of hardware such as  maintenance, batteries, and adoption." An opportunity to scale across ball sports SportAI is starting with racket sports—tennis, paddle, and now pickleball—where repeated techniques make performance analysis especially valuable. While tennis has been relatively slow to adopt new tech, the rapid rise of paddle and pickleball brings new market opportunities. Further, the platform has the potential to scale across other sports where technique matters, from basketball free throws to baseball pitches. One of SportAi's first customers is Matchi, a Swedish-founded company that's one of the fastest-growing racket sports platforms in the world.  They're known for their court booking app and also operate Matchi TV, a video streaming service. Of the 15,000 courts they manage, around 2,000 are already camera-enabled. Pedersen explained: "Through Matchi, we deliver automated video analysis, highlights, and statistics—like how far someone ran, how many forehands they hit, and the longest rally. It's a perfect first large-scale collaboration and a strong marketing tool. It's also a new revenue stream for clubs and federations. Players love highlights and data and are willing to pay for it. So this becomes an ecosystem win."

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Restrata partners with MAX Security to offer stronger risk management

Restrata, a provider of operational resilience tech, has announced a strategic partnership with MAX Security, who provide intelligence-led cybersecurity software. The partnership will integrate MAX Security’s Intel Portal into Restrata’s flagship product, resilienceOS, enhancing its capabilities in global security risk management. By incorporating MAX Security’s data into resilienceOS, Restrata strengthens its platform’s ability to identify emerging threats and support businesses in making informed decisions to protect their people, assets, and operations. Botan Osman, CEO and Co-Founder of Restrata, emphasised the strategic value of the partnership: “Partnering with MAX Security strengthens resilienceOS’s capability to deliver intelligence-driven solutions. MAX Security’s strength in intelligence and security operations complements Restrata’s resilienceOS platform perfectly, providing enhanced situational awareness, a better understanding of how threats can impact your organisation, and the tools to react when you need to.” Dror Becker, CEO of MAX Security, added: “The integration of the MAX Intel Portal into Restrata’s platform reinforces why industry leaders trust MAX to provide the intelligence they need. By delivering tailored insights that close information gaps and support informed decision-making, we empower organisations to respond confidently to evolving global and localised challenges.” The partnership with MAX Security represents a broader trend in the security and risk management market, where companies are increasingly seeking to integrate technology and real-time intelligence to improve operational resilience. By combining data from multiple sources and providing comprehensive situational awareness, these platforms enable businesses to mitigate risks and respond quickly to unforeseen events.

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Biotech Aqemia secures €7M grant for drug discovery using deep physics

Biotech Aqemia has received a $7.4M grant to expand and and accelerate of its computational platform to target RNA therapeutics, marking a significant step in the company’s broader mission to innovate drug discovery using generative AI. The grant is awarded as part of the "France 2030" initiative. It will specifically bolster the company’s generative AI platform, enhancing its ability to handle the complex, flexible structures of RNA and proteins. Aqemia plans to use this funding to explore RNA and RNA-modifying targets experimentally, refining its AI-driven approach and furthering its capabilities in drug discovery. The company’s physics-enabled generative AI engine, which has already delivered success in epitranscriptomics, is now poised to make strides in targeting RNA, a highly complex class of therapeutic targets. In parallel to advancing its RNA-focused initiatives, Aqemia continues to make progress in its broader pipeline, including drug discovery programs targeting proteins. The company is positioning itself to develop novel small-molecule drugs aimed at RNA, which represents an emerging and promising class of therapeutic targets. The flexibility and structural complexity of RNA have long made it a challenging target for therapeutic development. Despite these challenges, RNA plays a crucial role in gene regulation and expression, especially in diseases such as cancer, making it an important target for innovative drug discovery. With its generative AI platform, Aqemia is looking to overcome the obstacles traditionally associated with RNA-targeting drug discovery. Dr. Maximilien Levesque, CEO and Co-Founder of Aqemia, commented on the new funding: “This funding enables us to extend the reach of our technology to previously unexplored targets, opening the door to new classes of treatments. "Integrating RNA targeting into our platform reinforces our ambition to transform the invention of new therapeutic solutions for patients. We are grateful for the continued support that allows us to push boundaries and tackle critical medical challenges.” The company’s broadening pipeline, which spans both RNA and protein-targeting programs, aims to address cancer and other gene-related diseases.

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WeeFin Raises €25M for ESG data management platform

Sustainability fintech WeeFin has raised €25 million. The funding round, which was completed 15 months after WeeFin’s Series A, is led by BlackFin Capital Partners, alongside existing investors IRIS, Asterion Ventures, and Ring Capital. It brings the company's funding to over €34 million. WeeFin, launched in 2021 by Grégoire Hug (former R&D product manager at BNP Paribas), Marion  Aubert, and Guillaume Klech, provides financial services companies with a SaaS platform that centralises all the data needed to deploy and manage ambitious sustainability strategies,  encompassing aspects such as ESG, impact and climate.  The company currently has more than 40  customers across Europe, including Generali Asset Management, Caisse des Dépôts Asset  Management, Groupe BPCE, and Malakoff Humanis.  According to Julien Creuzé, Partner at BlackFin, and Chloé Novène, Investment Manager et BlackFin: “We have been following WeeFin since its inception and have been particularly impressed by the ability of its management team to execute its ambitious vision.  At BlackFin, we share the founders’ vision to establish  WeeFin as the leading ESG data management platform for large financial institutions and asset  managers.”  Grégoire Hug, CEO and co-founder of WeeFin added,   “We have always been convinced that sustainability is an essential and differentiating strategic element for financial institutions. This Series B not only confirms this vision,  but also validates our clients trust and the relevance of our platform, which enables them to address  their challenges at scale.”  WeeFin will use this investment to further enhance its products. Sustainability has become a major strategic area of growth and differentiation for financial institutions, and WeeFin has grown strongly in recent years. Thirty percent of total revenue now comes from international sales, up from 0 percent just two years ago. Annual Recurring Revenues (ARRs) have also increased fivefold in the same period.  WeeFin plans to continue its expansion across Europe by entering new markets. It has new clients in Luxembourg and Italy and has opened its UK office. WeeFin has doubled its headcount in two years and plans to welcome more than 100 new employees over the next three years.   Lead image: WeeFin. Photo: uncredited. 

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Fiberdom secures €3.5M to scale its plastic-free packaging

Finnish material startup Fiberdom, which specialises in sustainable plastic substitutes, has secured €3.5M to accelerate product development and commercialisation. Fiberdom’s "supermaterial" is made from FSC-certified wood fibers and designed as a sustainable alternative to plastic in a variety of applications. The funding round was led by long-term investor Heino Group alongside Nordic Foodtech VC, Holdix Oy, and a €0.6M grant from Business Finland. The investment underscores the growing interest in sustainable materials capable of replacing plastic in high-demand applications across multiple industries. Fiberdom’s patented technology transforms market pulp and paperboard into a novel material that is 100 percent plastic-free, recyclable, home-compostable, and formable, while maintaining durability and strength. The company's flagship product, a line of plastic-free cutlery, has achieved commercial success. Fiberdom’s General Manager, Tomi Järvenpää, said that the funding marks a pivotal moment in scaling the technology. “This investment reflects the confidence our investors have in Fiberdom’s team and capabilities,” Järvenpää said. “The commitment from both long-term and new investors underscores the value of what we’re building—a future driven by smarter materials that deliver durability and high performance without plastic.” Consumer demand for sustainable alternatives is at an all-time high. The global fiber-based packaging market alone is expected to grow from $407B in 2025 to $567B by 2034, driven by increasing regulatory pressure to phase out plastic and rising consumer awareness of environmental issues.  The company’s technology has been lauded for its ability to deliver on four critical criteria: functionality, scalability, sustainability, and recyclability. According to Pekka Siivonen-Uotila, a partner at Nordic Foodtech VC, Fiberdom’s product addresses a key challenge in the food system. “Replacing single-use plastics in food packaging and in serving and eating on-the-go food is one of the key pain points in the food system, both for the industry and for the consumers.” Siivonen-Uotila remarked. The company is particularly focused on advancing its offerings for packaging, interior design, and durable goods, industries in need of sustainable alternatives to plastic.

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Isomorphic Labs nets $600M in first external funding round

A UK startup spun out of Google DeepMind focusing on leveraging AI to help drug discovery has raised $600 million, marking its first external funding round. The funding round in Isomorphic Labs was led by Open AI-backer Thrive Capital with funding from Alphabet and Google’s venture arm, Google Ventures. The funding underscores Google’s ambition for Isomorphic Labs, which was founded in 2021 as a spin-off from Google DeepMind, which Google acquired in 2014. Isomorphic Labs is built on software that DeepMind has developed, including its Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold, which predicts protein structures. Isomorphic Labs founder and CEO Demis Hassabis said: “This funding will further turbocharge the development of our next-generation AI drug design engine, help us advance our own programs into clinical development, and is a significant step forward towards our mission of one day solving all diseases with the help of AI." Isomorphic Labs is researching treatments for cancer and immune disorders. Last year, it signed research partnerships with two major drug firms, Eli Lilly and Novartis. Joshua Kushner, founder, CEO, Thrive Capital, said: "At Thrive, we aim to invest in category-defining companies with singular conviction, and that has led us to Isomorphic Labs. We believe Isomorphic has earned a rare position to define a new age of drug discovery and design, and we are deeply inspired by their mission and the extraordinary progress they have made to date.” Doctor Krishna Yeshwant, managing partner, Google Ventures, said: "AI and machine learning have long held the promise of transforming drug discovery, yet few companies over the past decade have unlocked their full potential. “After witnessing the extraordinary pace of innovation at Isomorphic Labs, we believe their pioneering approach will redefine AI-powered drug discovery.  “With Sir Demis Hassabis at the helm, Isomorphic has assembled an exceptional team at the intersection of life sciences and technology. We're proud to support them as they advance the development of new treatments for patients.” IMAGE: PIXABAY

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CBPE announces final close of Fund XI at £714M

Private equity firm CBPE today announced the final close of its latest fund, CBPE Fund XI ("Fund XI"), at its hard cap of £714 million less than four months after its launch.  Fund XI represents a 27 per cent increase from CBPE’s prior fund, CBPE Capital Fund X, which closed at £561 million in November 2020.  New capital commitments have diversified the geographic profile of CBPE’s investor base by strengthening existing markets like the US and the Nordics, and adding investors in new markets, e.g., Australia. Fund XI will continue CBPE’s established strategy of investing in primary buyouts, backing growing, cash-generative UK and Ireland headquartered businesses with enterprise values of up to £175 million.  CBPE’s core sectors include business services, financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, industrials, and technology. The close of Fund XI follows a busy six months for CBPE, where the firm announced four new platform acquisitions including the intellectual property firm HGF, the clinical homecare services business HealthNet Homecare, the wealth management firm Clifton Asset Management and the legal services provider HF.  The first seven exits from Fund IX (2016 vintage) have delivered strong proceeds, generating a blended return of 5.2x multiple on capital (MoC). Ian Moore, Managing Partner at CBPE, said: “The high re-up rate and the interest from new geographies reflect confidence in our focused investment strategy and strong track record. We remain committed to identifying and partnering with high-quality businesses in the UK lower mid-market and supporting ambitious management teams on the next phase of growth.” Laura West, Head of Investor Relations at CBPE, said:  “A huge thank you to all of our limited partners for their conviction in CBPE’s strategy and culture, and for their continued trust in us.”

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Hungarian HRtech Qneiform secures €3M to expedite candidate analysis

Qneiform, an employee intelligence platform, has raised €3M in Seed funding to strengthen how organisations understand employee performance. The round was led by PROfounders Capital and Day1 Capital, alongside existing investors Keen Ventures and DFF Ventures (formerly Dutch Founders Fund). Founded in Budapest in 2022, with additional offices in London and Amsterdam, the company focuses on candidates within the financial services industry. Qneiform combines proprietary data with expert domain-specific research to give recruiters global visibility into talent, enabling them to quickly identify the most relevant candidates and track talent movement trends at the market or competitor level. Its platform aggregates various sources of talent data into a single point of analysis, providing recruiters with metrics on organisations' hiring needs and their ability to attract, retain, and develop talent. The platform’s insights not only help recruiters identify who a company may hire next but also suggest alternative options, improving hiring strategies and decision-making. According to CEO and founder Thomas Percy, Qneiform aims to improve how talent is identified and understood within organizations: “A perfect talent search engine can process and understand every relevant datapoint in the world, so any organisation can be understood instantly in granular detail. That is where Qneiform is headed.” Joe Bond, Partner at PROfounders Capital, highlighted the importance of a data-driven approach in recruitment: “Almost every company in the world sees hiring as a priority and yet precious few take a data-driven approach to understanding their market for talent. We see Qneiform becoming the de facto starting point for any firm engaging in high-value recruitment or seeking to improve their talent strategy.” The new investment will be directed toward further developing Qneiform’s data models and platform, with plans to expand beyond finance.

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European Investment Fund backs 33N Ventures in cybersecurity push

 Cybersecurity and infrastructure software venture capital fund 33N Ventures, has secured additional investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF), a part of the European Investment Bank Group, the Luxembourg Future Fund, Criteria Venture Tech, and Caixa Capital.  33N is a European venture capital fund specialising in cybersecurity and information technologies, registered with the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). The fund invests globally in early-growth stage companies that develop and commercialise emerging technological solutions in cybersecurity and information technologies. To date, the Fund, based out of Europe, has led several strategic investments across the globe in cybersecurity and infrastructure software technology companies, including Panorays, StrikeReady, Exein and DataGalaxy. Carlos Moreira da Silva, Managing Partner at 33N Ventures, said: “We are grateful for the latest investment in 33N, reflecting trust in our unique approach to building the next generation of global cybersecurity and tech leaders. As a specialised European Fund, with worldwide coverage, we combine a global outlook with deep industry expertise. By backing exceptional companies, 33N creates strong value for investors.” According to Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive of the EIF: "Our collaboration with local and international partners reinforces our commitment to building a robust and resilient technology ecosystem capable of addressing future digital challenges." “LFF2’s investment in 33N provides another important element for Luxembourg’s ecosystem, adequately aligning with our mission to foster innovation and support the growth of strategic sectors like cybersecurity in Luxembourg,” said Eva Kremer, CEO of SNCI.  “As an investor in Series A and B stages, 33N is complementary to existing early-stage investors and business angels in Luxembourg, enabling the most promising companies out of the region to have connections to specialised and growth-stage investors. Furthermore, 33N will help to position Luxembourg as a reference country in Europe in regards to cybersecurity, via its network and associations.” Lead image: 33N Ventures. Photo: uncredited. 

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Linux Foundation Europe launches NeoNephos for EU digital sovereignty

Linux Foundation Europe today announced the official launch of the NeoNephos Foundation.  This new initiative is dedicated to fostering collaboration and innovation around open cloud infrastructure, digital sovereignty, and next-generation cloud-native technologies in Europe.  NeoNephos, one of the first concrete open source outcomes of the IPCEI-CIS EU investment, emerges as a response to the growing demand for secure, scalable, and transparent cloud solutions that support European goals of digital sovereignty.  Bringing together leading organisations, technology providers, and academic institutions, the foundation will serve as a hub for developing and promoting open source solutions that empower European enterprises and public sector entities.  “Linux Foundation Europe is proud to support the launch of NeoNephos, which represents a significant step forward in supporting Europe's cloud sovereignty goals through open source,” said Gabriele Columbro, General Manager of Linux Foundation Europe.  “By fostering an openly governed collaborative ecosystem, we can accelerate innovation by building and integrating with open source cloud native building blocks like Kubernetes, Sylva, and LF Networking projects.  Together, we can leverage projects already hosted under the Linux Foundation global ecosystem, while ensuring alignment with regulatory and data protection requirements that are critical for European stakeholders.”  NeoNephos will focus on several key areas, including:  Cloud Infrastructure: Developing and promoting open, interoperable cloud technologies tailored to the needs of European enterprises and governments.  Digital Sovereignty: Ensuring that organisations retain full control over their data and infrastructure while maintaining compliance with European regulations.  Collaboration & Innovation: Providing a vendor-neutral environment where contributors can build, deploy, and scale cloud-native solutions that support a thriving digital economy.  A broad coalition of founding members is joining the NeoNephos Foundation to accelerate its mission, including leading technology companies, cloud providers, and research institutions. Initial members include Clyso GmbH, Cyberus Technology, Deutsche Telekom AG, SAP SE, TNO - ECOFED, and 23 Technologies GmbH. According to Joachim Kraftmayer, CEO at CLYSO GmbH, NeoNephos represents a significant step forward in Europe's quest for digital autonomy and cloud sovereignty.  "As a long-standing advocate of open source solutions, I am excited about the launch of the NeoNephos Foundation, which aligns perfectly with CLYSO's commitment to harnessing open source software for innovative data management.  By fostering collaboration between industry leaders, technology providers and academic institutions, NeoNephos will accelerate the development of secure, scalable and transparent cloud solutions that meet European regulatory standards."  Ferri Abolhassan, CEO T-Systems and Member of the Board of Management Deutsche Telekom AG. shared: “A team is always stronger and better. With joint efforts we can ensure that Europe determines its own digital future and stays independent. For decades, T-Systems developed sovereign solutions for Germany and Europe together with other players. That is why we also heavily invest in building a cloud-edge infrastructure in IPCEI-CIS. NeoNephos as a shared open source standard will be a key enabler to make this a success."  NeoNephos welcomes additional members, contributors, and collaborators to get involved and support its efforts. Organisations and individuals interested in participating can find more information at neonephos.org. 

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Diffblue Secures £1M grant from Innovate UK

Diffblue, a provider of software development tools, has received £1M in grant funding from Innovate UK. Diffblue is part of the ITEA GENIUS project, which is geared towards Generative AI for the software development life cycle, and will be used to refine its product which automates the software development lifecycle (SDLC).  Diffblue is using reinforcement learning, a machine learning technique, to improve the efficiency and accuracy of its AI tools. Unlike traditional large language model (LLM)-based solutions, Diffblue’s approach focuses on learning from real code execution, in an effort to produce more reliable outputs and a reduction in hallucinations . The company’s flagship product, Diffblue Cover, is designed to autonomously generate high-quality unit tests.  By automating this critical but time-consuming part of the SDLC, Diffblue aims to help development teams save time, reduce human error, and improve software quality.  "We are excited to receive this grant from Innovate UK and to work with our partners on the GENIUS project,” said Peter Schrammel, CTO and co-founder of Diffblue. “AI is rapidly changing the way software is developed, and at Diffblue, we are channeling this shift to bring scalable development solutions to enterprises so they can innovate with greater speed and confidence." The GENIUS initiative, a multi-country collaboration, brings together a consortium of industry leaders and academic institutions, including Siemens, Fraunhofer, Philips, Vaadin, and Ontario Tech University. The project’s aim is to explore the potential of generative AI in addressing the inefficiencies of manual software engineering processes and accelerating the adoption of AI technologies across the software industry.

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European tech weekly recap: Over €2.1B invested into the tech ecosystem and highlights from Tech.eu Summit London 2025

Last week, we tracked more than 55 tech funding deals worth over €2.1 billion, and over 5 exits, M&A transactions, rumors, and related news stories across Europe.Click to read the rest of the news.

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POCKLA secures £1.6M Seed for content strategy platform

POCKLA, a London-based martech startup specializing in AI-powered content strategy and creation, has successfully raised £1.6M in a seed funding round led by Venrex. The round also saw investment from a range of high-profile investors, including the Sidemen’s VC arm, Upside Ventures, as well as Love Ventures, Shuttle, and SyndicateRoom. This latest investment will be used to scale the company’s platform, refine its AI-driven technology, and expand its team to meet the growing demand for dynamic and impactful content creation tools.  According to POCKLA, 73 percent of consumers prefer short-form video when exploring products and services, making it crucial for brands to adapt to this new medium. The company's AI-powered tool combines human strategy with an LLM to help brands find their "internet voice" and understand the topics and conversations that truly matter to their target audience.  Traditional content creation requires significant human resources, time, and budget, making it increasingly difficult for brands, especially small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), to compete. AI-powered tools like POCKLA assist by automating the time-consuming aspects of content creation, allowing marketing teams to focus on high-level strategy and creative tasks. This shift enables brands to produce more content, more efficiently, and with fewer resources. Sam Uwins, Director of Sidemen Entertainment Limited, commented: “We back businesses that are building the future of marketing. POCKLA is doing just that, helping brands to move with the speed of social media and build engaged audiences which we believe is the secret to growth.” Rupert Boddington, co-founder of POCKLA, added: “Brands aren’t just competing with each other, but also against every other piece of content on a consumer’s social feed. Given the vast majority of this content is designed purely to entertain consumers, marketers have their work cut out trying to cut through the noise week in, week out.” This funding round brings POCKLA's total raised capital to £2M. Photo by Carlos Muza

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Voize raises $9M to streamline healthcare admin with AI

Berlin-based AI startup voize has raised $9M in a Seed funding round led by HV Capital, with participation from existing investors Y Combinator, redalpine, and HPI Ventures. The company has developed a proprietary AI for speech recognition that aims to simplify and accelerate digital documentation processes, particularly in healthcare, by allowing professionals to dictate their notes rather than spending time on repetitive paperwork. Voize’s AI-powered speech recognition technology enables caregivers to dictate their notes into a smartphone. The AI then processes the speech, structures the content, and automatically generates the relevant documentation, such as patient reports, vital signs, and medication logs, directly into the system. The new funding will enable voize to expand its technology into the hospital sector and further develop its AI for broader industrial applications. The ease of use and adaptability of the platform have already led to its adoption in over 600 care facilities, where it has been shown to reduce caregivers’ documentation time by an average of 39 minutes per shift, according to a study conducted in collaboration with Berlin’s Charité University Hospital. “Documentation in healthcare is extremely time-consuming. Marcel and I saw this firsthand when our grandfather moved into a nursing home – that’s how the idea for voize was born,” said Fabio Schmidberger, co-founder and CEO. “Today, we deliver real value in healthcare. Tens of thousands of caregivers now simply dictate their documentation, reclaiming valuable time for care.” “Voize combines all the elements for a true European technology champion: Meaningful impact with thousands of engaged care workers and patients, a sustainable business case for healthcare providers, proprietary technology and the potential to fight the blue-collar labor shortage in Europe,” said Felix Klühr, General Partner at HV Capital, who is excited about the company's potential. “We're excited to expand our AI into hospitals and beyond, setting the new standard for digital documentation,” added Marcel Schmidberger, co-founder and COO of voize.

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Tomorro raises €25M to expand its contract management software

French start-up Tomorro, which specializes in AI-powered contract management, has raised €25M in a funding round led by XAnge and Acton Capital. The new investment will support the company’s expansion efforts, particularly its growth in the European market, with a focus on opening new offices in Germany and developing its AI. The funding round, which also saw participation from Adelie, Founders Future, and previous investors such as HenQ, Resonance, and Motier Venture, will enable the company to accelerate its expansion into Germany and other European countries. Tomorro's platform is designed to optimise contract management and has secured clients including Veja, Nestlé, and Ingenico.   Focus on AI and Innovation One of the key features of Tomorro’s platform is its AI assistant, Oro, which was launched in 2024. Oro is designed to help businesses analyze and process contract data instantly, offering assistance with tasks such as contract generation, editing, summarization, translation, and data extraction.  “Opening a German office is the first stage ahead of expanding into other European countries,” said Antoine Fabre, co-founder and CEO of Tomorro. “2025 will also see us recruit an entire sales, marketing, and customer team as well as consolidate our staff in France to further underpin the solution that we provide.” Alexis du Peloux, partner at XAnge, highlighted the timing of the investment: “Tomorro’s exceptional performance has perfectly captured the crest of this particular wave, and XAnge is proud to support them as they venture overseas.” 

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Tencent invests $1.25B in Ubisoft, Poland's dynamic tech ecosystem, and Ex-employees accuse Raydiant of dodging labour laws in Europe

This week we tracked more than 55 tech funding deals worth over €2.1 billion, and over 5 exits, M&A transactions, rumours, and related news stories across Europe. In addition to this week's top financials, we've also indexed the most important/industry-related news items you need to know about. If email is more your thing, you can always subscribe to our newsletter and receive a more robust version of this round-up delivered to your inbox. Either way, let's get you up to speed. ? Notable and big funding rounds ?? Tencent invests $1.25B in Ubisoft's new core games operating division ?? Deutsche Bank commits £250M to Abound ?? UK's largest semiconductor facility receives £250M led by Vishay ?? Medical education platform AMBOSS bags €240M   ??‍?? Noteworthy acquisitions and mergers ??Tallinn-based Bolt acquires Danish taxi startup Viggo ?? Ksebe acquires Terap.io to launch mental health platform in Czechia ?? Wellhub buys Urban Sports Club ? Interesting moves from investors ? EA Ventures has announced a new €20M fund in partnership with Plug and Play ?? Amsterdam’s NUNC Capital launches €20M initiative to back emerging Ukrainian defence tech ?Daphni secures $215M for its third fund ?? Catalyst Romania Fund I exits avocatnet.ro, the leading Information as a Service platform in Romania ?? New €25M fund targets fintech and SaaS expansion in Europe   ?️ In other (important) news ?? London’s fintech crown “under threat”, says Pockit CEO ? Trapped and unpaid': Ex-employees accuse Raydiant of dodging labour laws in Europe ⚛️ Welinq launches commercial quantum memory for distributed quantum architecture ?? German software developer SAP reaches €314 billion in value, becoming Europe's most valuable company ? Recommended reads and listens ?? Poland's dynamic tech ecosystem ? Smart lockers, smarter software: Bloq.it’s AI-driven push to redefine last-mile delivery ? Infobip's playbook for success in frontier markets ? ARX Robotics and Daimler Truck join forces for next-gen military vehicles   ? European tech startups to watch  ?? Market research platform Experial secures €2M pre-seed funding ?? Healsgood raises £1.5M to boost NHS operational efficiency with Flexzo AI ?? HypeSound's biotech solutions for industry total €1.2M in funding ?? Fund F invests €700,000 in Willow to support its digital memoirs platform ?? Embargo receives £350,000 government grant to build AI hospitality CRM

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ARX Robotics and Daimler Truck join forces for next-gen military vehicles

Unmanned autonomous land systems company ARX Robotics has announced a strategic partnership with  Daimler Truck to jointly drive forward the next generation of digital development in the field of military vehicles. The joint project aims to strengthen the innovative power and competitiveness of the European defence industry. ARX Robotics develops autonomous unmanned ground systems with scalable hardware components and software architectures. With its innovative, modular platforms, ARX Robotics uses software-defined defence and robotics to redesign productivity, efficiency, and safety in various industries. ARX systems are currently being procured or tested by six European armed forces.  Within Daimler Truck, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks is the business unit for special vehicles and is responsible for the defence business as well as for the firefighting and disaster relief vehicle segments, among others.  The companies plan to integrate robotics and AI technologies from ARX Robotics into vehicle platforms from Daimler Truck in the future and thus achieve greater networking, operational capability, and vehicle efficiency. Image: Daimler. In particular, the military vehicle variants of the Unimog and Zetros series, which the Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks business unit develops, produces, and sells, will be enabled for a broader range of tasks through sensor and software modules and AI.  In addition to networking, the focus is on operation via teleoperation and autonomous driving in open terrain, made possible through ARX Robotics’ Mithra OS operating system. According to Daniel Zittel, Head of Sales Defence, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks: "We are currently investing and growing in the defence sector in order to meet customer needs even better and offer specialized solutions for military tasks. We are looking forward to working with ARX Robotics, one of the leading start-ups for autonomous ground systems. Digitalization and AI will play a key role in the defence sector, especially in cyber defence, defence logistics, and international cooperation." Marc Wietfeld, co-founder and CEO of ARX Robotics, shared:  "The future of land forces is software-defined, as this is the only way they can act in a closely networked manner when needed.”  Modern vehicles should therefore be able to incorporate the latest software and AI modules to be an efficient part of the NATO armed forces.  “The solutions from ARX Robotics, implemented in the off-road vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, can ensure significantly greater efficiency in the defense vehicle sector.”  Through equipment upgrades and the integration of the Mithra OS operating system, the vehicle fleets will be given the ability to network with other software-defined systems, such as compatible vehicles or drones. This is particularly important for multi-domain operations, i.e., missions that involve simultaneous action on the ground and in the air. The ARX Core central computing and networking unit, installed in each vehicle, integrates sensors, cameras, and radio systems wlll enable real-time object recognition and rapid data processing using AI. This allows the vehicles to navigate open terrain autonomously, perform remote-controlled landmine clearance, and evacuate injured individuals from hazardous areas—minimising risk to crew members. In a first step, Mercedes-Benz Zetros prototypes will be equipped with the digital systems from ARX Robotics. After the technical implementation, the partners want to test different application scenarios and enable other vehicle types, such as the Unimog, for comprehensive networking, teleoperation, and autonomous driving in open terrain. The plan is to retrofit existing and new vehicles to enable faster implementation and better use of existing resources. Lead image: Daniel Zittel, Head of Sales Defence, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, and Marc Wietfeld, co-founder and CEO of ARX Robotics. Photo: uncredited. 

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EA Ventures has announced a new €20M fund in partnership with Plug and Play

EA Ventures, the venture capital arm of Kazakhstan’s EA Group Holding, has announced a new €20M fund in partnership with Plug and Play. The fund, based in Madrid, aims to provide backing to early-stage startups across Europe, with a particular focus on AI, enterprise solutions, fintech, sustainability, mobility and e-commerce.  Plug and Play's EMEA Fund aims to make seed investments, with tickets ranging from €200,000 to €500,000. The fund is expected to support 30–35 startups. Yerik Aubakirov, CEO of EA Group Holding, explained the strategic importance of Spain in this initiative: “Spain is entering a new wave of tech entrepreneurship, and we see an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective rooted in global connectivity and agile capital. This partnership enables us to tap into Europe’s deep talent pool while helping founders think and grow beyond borders.” Launched officially on March 3, 2025, the fund offers portfolio companies more than just financial support. In addition to capital, companies will gain access to expert mentorship and the global network of corporations, investors, and advisors associated with Plug and Play.  Seena Amidi, Managing Partner EMEA at Plug and Play Tech Center, discussed the fund’s broader objectives: “We believe in the immense potential of the Spanish territory and aim to provide both financial and strategic support. Our goal is to connect the best founders with international hubs, enhancing their global reach and agility.” Spain has seen significant growth in its early-stage startup ecosystem over the last few years. The country is home to a rapidly expanding network of tech entrepreneurs and investors, with Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia emerging as key hubs for innovation and venture capital activity. Early-stage funding in Spain has traditionally been more challenging to secure compared to other European countries, but recent trends indicate a positive shift. Plug and Play’s model focuses on corporate innovation and startup acceleration. It runs various industry-specific programs that support startups throughout their growth journey, from early-stage development to scaling. The platform also manages over $1 billion in assets across its funds and has an extensive portfolio that includes successful companies such as Dropbox, PayPal, Guardant Health, Honey, N26, Rappi, and Turing.

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London’s fintech crown “under threat”, says Pockit CEO

London’s position as the fintech "capital of the world” is “under threat”, according to the co-founder of London fintech Pockit. Virraj Jatania, CEO and co-founder of Pockit, a UK fintech which serves the unbanked, said the noises from the UK government being pro-fintech were “good at the moment”. As examples, he pointed to government plans to create a national inclusion strategy to improve financial resilience, talk of deregulation, and a move to allow UK pension providers to allocate a per cent of assets to unlisted equities such as venture capital. But he said some of these plans could take time to materialise. “Do we actually see the rhetoric come into action on the ground?” he questioned. Jatania said: “London and the UK have had this crown of being the fintech capital of the world, I think that is definitely under threat.” He also pointed to an increasing number of startups launching outside the UK, in Europe, the US, Singapore and the Middle East. He said: “I think there is a lot of work to be done to make sure that the UK remains a super-attractive place for fintech businesses.” In the podcast, Jatania also spoke about Pockit's plans moving forward, its acquisition of rival Monese, and why he thinks we will see more consolidation in the fintech market. Pockit is backed by Puma Growth Partners, Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager, Jon Moulton, the private equity veteran, and the Future Fund.

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