Munich-based happyhotel, a revenue management software provider serving independent hotels and hotel groups across Europe, has closed a €6.5 million Series A funding round. The round was led by venture capital firm Reimann Investors, with participation from existing investors including the Start-up BW Innovation Fund (managed by MBG Baden-Württemberg), seed + speed Ventures, and family office Wecken & Cie. Founded in 2019 by Rafael Weißmüller, Sebastian Kuhnhardt, and Marius Müller, happyhotel develops revenue management software aimed at helping independent hotels and smaller hotel groups manage pricing strategies and improve revenue performance. The platform combines pricing algorithms, software tools, and analytical support to help users identify market trends and optimise distribution decisions. The funding comes as hotels face increasing pressure from rising costs, fluctuating demand, staff shortages, and growing reliance on online booking platforms, all of which can make profitability more challenging. happyhotel’s system supports hoteliers through automated price optimisation that combines artificial intelligence with human expertise. According to the company, the platform currently supports the distribution of more than 50,000 hotel rooms across 12 countries and manages hotel revenue exceeding €1 billion annually. Rafael Weißmüller, CEO of happyhotel, said the company is developing a system intended to automate revenue management activities. Our goal is to enable professional revenue management for every hotel and fully automate the selling of hotel rooms so hoteliers can focus entirely on their guests. The new funding will be used to accelerate expansion across Europe and further develop the company’s commercial AI agent.

5G companies Firecell and Accelleran today announce a merger to create a complete private 5G solution for industrial autonomy, critical infrastructure, and defence connectivity. The merger is backed by a €7.9 million investment round led by existing investors Matterwave Ventures, BPI France, Qbic, and Cogito Capital Partners.  The merger brings together Firecell's core network and NMS (Network Management System) with Accelleran's programmable RAN, management, and AI capabilities into a pre-integrated sovereign private 5G solution. The company’s offering targets ports, factories, defence installations, and logistics facilities, where connectivity is critical for operations.  The industrial sector is moving from monitoring equipment to running fully autonomous operations. Robotic arms, AGVs, drones, and remote-controlled machinery require deterministic connectivity – a dropped connection, for example, can halt production and expose workers to safety risks. Private 5G addresses this, but deploying it today typically means assembling components from multiple vendors, each with its own release cycle, support path, and integration requirements. Firecell’s new platform delivers: Global spectrum coverage: support for all FDD and TDD bands, ensuring seamless deployments worldwide. High-performance connectivity: sub-millisecond latency supporting thousands of concurrent IoT devices with dedicated network slicing and Voice over NR and mission-critical push-to-talk capabilities. AI-driven network intelligence: real-time optimisation of network capacity and energy through programmable xApps and rApps intelligent controllers100 per cent. European-developed software: full on-premise deployment, providing full data autonomy and sovereignty for defence and critical infrastructure. The combined company will operate under the Firecell name and brand with Claude Seyrat as designated CEO and will double its engineering and commercial footprint, with teams across France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland, and deployments in Europe, the United States, and Asia. "Industrial operations are deploying robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles at scale, and they need predictable connectivity, not a patchwork of vendors," said Claude Seyrat, CEO of Firecell. "As private 5G projects evolve toward multi-site deployments – smaller in scope but growing in number – system integrators need a single reference solution they can standardise on. This merger gives them exactly that: one efficient, hardware-agnostic offering so they can focus on delivering high-value applications and ROI to their customers, not on integration work." "We’re witnessing a fast-growing private 5G demand across ports, airports, mines, defence installations, and utilities," said Robert Gallenberg, Partner at Matterwave Ventures. "This merger creates a credible European alternative – a complete, sovereign platform that system integrators can build a private 5G practice around. The single-stack approach, combined scale, and five-country footprint positions Firecell as an upcoming European leader in this market." The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including shareholder approvals, regulatory clearances, and execution of definitive agreements. Completion is expected by the end of Q1 2026.

European sovereign legal AI Noxtua has introduced the market’s first Europe License, enabling legal professionals to access multiple European jurisdictions through a single interface with a single license, and to seamlessly cross-border legal work in a consistent Legal AI workspace. Europe's legal landscape is characterised by distinct legal systems, languages, and traditions that shape the daily work of law firms, legal departments, public institutions, and the different judicial systems.  The Noxtua Europe License is designed for legal professionals at international law firms, companies with subsidiaries in multiple European countries, and European public institutions with cross-border mandates, handling matters across multiple jurisdictions. Legal professionals can conduct research, analysis, and document drafting across multiple European jurisdictions in one interface (starting with the DACH region), a capability previously unavailable in the market. According to Dr Leif-Nissen Lundbækm, CEO and co-founder of Noxtua, Europe’s strength lies in its alliances, and many legal professionals need reliable cross-border legal information.  “We combine these two in our new Europe Licence, with which we’re taking the next logical step in our European expansion. Legal professionals working across borders no longer need to navigate separate systems for each jurisdiction. This is what sovereign European Legal AI can deliver, a practical solution built on the foundation of strong publisher partnerships.” Prof Dr Klaus Weber (Member of the Executive Board of the C.H.BECK Media Group) shared: “Although European legal systems share common constitutional values, they differ in their laws, traditions, and requirements. Noxtua's European Licence combines all of this: through close cooperation with publishers in different countries, the specific differences between jurisdictions are taken into account, allowing lawyers to access a wealth of legal data and expertise via a single interface. With this cooperative approach, we are at the forefront of developments in the field of legal AI and are strengthening Europe's diverse publishing landscape in the age of AI." This new licensing model builds on Noxtua's established partnerships with leadinglegal publishers from the continent, such as: C.H.BECK(Germany),  MANZ (Austria),  Helbing Lichtenhahn (Switzerland), Wydawnictwo C.H.Beck (Poland),  Nakladatelství C. H. Beck (Czech Republic), and Nakladateľstvo C. H. Beck (Slovakia), with additional publishing partners across Europe to follow. Check out an earlier interview with Noxtua CEO and co-founder Dr Leif-Nissen Lundbæk and Dr Oliver Hofmann, Head of Legal Tech at C.H.Beck. Noxtua is a European project from infrastructure to AI architecture, with a clear focus on data privacy, transparency, and the rule of law. All data is processed exclusively in high-security data centres operated by European partners such as IONOS and the Open Telekom Cloud. The legal AI workspace meets the stringent local professional, criminal, and data protection requirements for legal professionals and is certified according to BSI C5, ISO 42001, ISO 27001, ISO 9001, and additional standards. The beta phase of Noxtua’s Europe license will be made available free of charge to all existing users of Noxtua’s country-specific Legal AI Workspaces in stages over the next few days. 

Munich-based EV charging technology company HeyCharge has been awarded a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. The company, backed by BMW i Ventures, Statkraft Ventures, and Y Combinator, has raised €6.3 million in private funding to date. The funding comes as EV charging access in residential and workplace settings remains a challenge despite the expansion of public charging infrastructure. Around 200 million people in Europe live in multi-unit residential buildings, many of which include underground or semi-underground parking areas where mobile and Wi-Fi coverage can be limited. Conventional EV chargers typically rely on continuous internet connectivity for authentication and billing, which can reduce reliability in these environments and increase installation costs due to additional communication infrastructure requirements. HeyCharge’s SecureCharge platform is designed to address these limitations through offline operation using one-time cryptographic tokens generated on a user’s smartphone for authentication. According to the company, this approach allows chargers to function without continuous connectivity and can reduce installation costs by removing the need for additional communications infrastructure. Commenting on EV charging challenges, Chris Cardé, founder and CEO of HeyCharge, said that underground parking areas can create difficulties for chargers requiring continuous internet access. Our technology works 100 per cent reliably even in underground garages, and because we’ve eliminated the need for communications infrastructure - the cabling, the specialist labour, the ongoing maintenance - we cut installation costs by more than 40 per cent. That’s how you democratise home charging. HeyCharge’s co-founder and CBDO Dr Robert Lasowski said the grant reflects confidence in the company’s approach and will support scaling the technology from existing deployments to wider adoption across Europe. The grant will support the SecureCharge FLEX project, accelerating development, certification, and large-scale pilot deployments of HeyCharge’s EV charging platform across multiple European countries. The company said the project is intended to improve EV charging access in apartment buildings by addressing reliability and installation cost challenges.

Late last year, I predicted that those looking for Europe’s next major tech hub should have Poland firmly on their radar for 2026. One of the reasons lies just across its eastern border. Over 500,000 Belarusians have fled since the contested 2020 presidential election — driven out by political repression, geopolitical tension, and regional conflict. A significant share were the entrepreneurs, developers, and founders who had built the country's thriving tech sector. This triggered one of the largest forced entrepreneurial migrations in modern Europe — and Poland became its main landing zone, with Belarusians quietly reshaping its tech sector ever since. From repression to relocation: How over 7,000 Belarusian companies are powering Poland ​ According to the Association of Belarusian Business Abroad (ABBA), there are over 9,300 companies with Belarusian shareholders across the EU, with around 80 per cent of them in Poland, implying roughly 7,500 in Poland and around 2,300 in other EU states (many in the Baltics and Lithuania). ​ Following the 2020 election, migration was further aided by Poland’s Business Harbour, a government programme offering Belarusian IT professionals, startups, and tech companies a simplified path to relocate to Poland, with a special visa that allowed holders to work without a separate permit, start businesses, and bring family members. The programme was created in response to political repression in Belarus, helping talent continue their careers in a safer, pro-business environment while supporting Poland’s tech sector. At its peak, over 55,000 visas were issued. Behind these numbers are individual stories of flight and rebuilding. From Minsk to Warsaw: A founder in exile To understand how this influx is reshaping Poland’s tech and startup ecosystem, I spoke with Belarusian and Warsaw resident Dzmitry Danilchuk, former Head of the Belarus Business Centre and now startup entrepreneur at Rainbow Weather. Danilchuk left his home in Minsk following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, relocating to Warsaw. Like many Belarusians who had been active in the protest movement, he is registered as a refugee. “We are usually people who were quite actively involved in political activism and demonstrations inside Belarus,” he said. “I got unlucky because I was filmed by a TV camera once during an anti-Lukashenko protest. The journalists named me in their publication.” An economist by training, Danilchuk was also a lecturer at a Belarusian university. The public exposure triggered intense scrutiny and, ultimately, made it unsafe for him to remain in the country. Building an ecosystem in exile For Danilchuk, leaving Belarus meant shutting down two businesses and starting over professionally. Through friends, he was introduced to the Polish Business Union — the country’s largest business lobby — which had received significant USAID funding to support the relocation of Belarusian companies. It's the Belarus Business Centre, run by the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP), which provides information support, consulting, and legal guidance to Belarusian firms operating in or moving to Poland. Danilchuk went on to lead the Union’s business support centre for exiled Belarusian companies for three years, before stepping down about a year ago to return to startup life. Inside the rise of BelTech Global Upon moving to Warsaw, Danilchuk and others saw the need for a platform not only to integrate into new ecosystems, but also to “avoid losing national identity — to give people a place to meet, collaborate, and build together.” They founded BelTech Global, the largest international tech conference for the Belarusian business community abroad. The event gathers Belarusian entrepreneurs, startups, and CxOs, and connects them with international investors, business partners, and clients. With BelTech, the team worked hard to move away from grants. In its first year, it received USAID support, but from the second conference onward, it was fully funded by Belarusian businesses in exile. How Belarus built a tech powerhouse First, to understand the last few years, you have to take a step back in history. Danilchuk explained that Belarus’s business landscape is historically unusual. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country never underwent full-scale privatisation, largely because President Alexander Lukashenko opposed it. Yet more than 60 per cent of Belarus’s GDP is now generated by the private sector — a rare global case in which a majority-private economy emerged without a formal privatisation process. Around 20 per cent of output comes from public healthcare and another 20 per cent from public education, leaving roughly 60 per cent produced by private enterprise. A history of entrepreneurship Before Soviet rule, Belarus had a strong tradition of entrepreneurship, particularly among Jewish communities, as it lay within the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire. However, both the Empire and, later, the Soviet system largely dismantled private business. Despite this, a resilient entrepreneurial culture re-emerged after 1991. The key catalyst was the Belarus High Technologies Park, created in 2005 as a special nationwide regime with generous tax breaks and lighter regulation for IT firms. It boosted the sector’s share of GDP and pushed computer-service exports into the billions of dollars, while a handful of globally used products and startups reinforced the image of a modern tech hub inside an otherwise tightly controlled, state-dominated system. This was underpinned by a strong mathematics and engineering education inherited from the Soviet period, which later enabled Belarus to become a major outsourcing and offshoring hub, comparable to Ukraine and, to a lesser extent, Moldova. Belarus’ technical foundation helped power the growth of the country’s IT and services sectors over the next couple of decades. Even in the absence of market reforms and amid persistent political and economic pressure, Belarus produced highly successful companies like Wargaming, Viber, MSQRD (acquired by Facebook) and EPAM. How Belarus became the ‘Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe’ in the 2010s Danilchuk and others characterise the 2010s as Belarus’ golden era. Despite the restrictions imposed by Lukashenko’s regime, the criminal cases against entrepreneurs, and constant tax pressure, the country was still being called the ‘Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe’ for its strong, export‑driven IT sector on top of its Soviet‑era strengths in mathematics and engineering. A steady flow of well‑trained developers, relatively low wages, and a focus on foreign clients — mainly in the US and EU — turned the country into a competitive outsourcing hub despite having a small domestic market. A “new middle class” formed in the 2010s, including entrepreneurs, private-sector and IT workers and in 2013 startup hub Imaguru was founded in Minsk and became one of Eastern Europe’s leading startup hubs. But all of this was about to change. The rise and repression of Belarus’ entrepreneurial opposition Belarus’s 2020 presidential election and the ensuing protests marked a shift in the state’s relationship with the private sector. For the first time, leading opposition figures came from business and the tech ecosystem, notably Viktor Babariko, the former head of BelGazPromBank, and Viktor Tsepkalo, a former diplomat and one of the founders of the High Technology Park, challenging long-time president Alexander Lukashenko. As protests spread and even calls for strikes emerged, the authorities increasingly framed the independent private sector as a threat and responded by tightening control, shutting down media and NGOs, and escalating pressure on business with renewed anti-bourgeois rhetoric. Thousands of people were charged and some imprisoned for being entrepreneurs, journalists, or NGO staff. ​ In 2021, the Belarusian regime shut down Imaguru in Minsk. Despite this, Imaguru continued supporting the Belarusian community online and abroad. However, the regime escalated its repression, designating Imaguru as an "extremist" formation. ​ This led to criminal cases against its founders, property seizures, and a trial in absentia, which sentenced founder Tania Marinich to 12 years and a cofounder, Anastasiya Khamiankova, to 11 years of imprisonment, and a combined $160,000 in penalties.  The crackdown has extended far beyond business. Over the last year, contributors to the Belarusian-language Wikipedia have been arrested, detained, and intimidated as part of the government’s broader crackdown on independent media and civil society, with some sentenced to prison. Recently in Belarus, at least seven amateur (ham) radio operators have been arrested, and three reportedly threatened with the death penalty after state media accused them of “intercepting state secrets” and engaging in “espionage” and “treason” despite a lack of evidence. According to activists, these charges, including conspiracy and alleged extremist activities, highlight the authoritarian regime's ongoing efforts to undermine freedom, innovation and autonomy. From outsourcing hub to global scaleups Across sectors, the Belarusian tech diaspora has been especially successful in health and fitness, producing globally scaled companies such as Flo Health and AI-driven coaching platform Zing Coach. There’s also NAV8 with dog training Woofz, which successfully scaled from $5.2 million to $20 million in revenue in one year and reached profitability without VC funding, as well as unicorn SaaS company PandaDoc and mobile games publisher AB Games. The largest private equity fund to emerge from Belarus is Zubr Capital. Still operational but now keeping a low profile to reduce the risk of asset seizure, the firm primarily invests internationally, with a particular focus on backing Belarusian-founded teams and positions itself as a bridge helping regional startups scale into global markets. And Poland-based Belarusians are stepping up for their local and diaspora innovators. At Web Summit, Belarusian founders even funded a national stand — the only one not funded by a government, but by the community itself. “We want to be visible as Belarusians, but not as representatives of the regime,” explained Danilchuk. Entering the Renaissance phase Danilchuk asserts that while the last five years have been a phase of relocation and survival: “We are now entering that Renaissance phase. Companies have re-registered, rebuilt, and settled. Now it’s time for growth again. Despite exile, the Belarusian tech ecosystem continues as a transnational community.” That said, whether Poland will remain the first-choice destination for relocation will depend, above all, on migration rules for Belarusian entrepreneurs — which many still consider overly restrictive—as well as on access to financing in the Polish market and on the broader geopolitical stability of Poland and Eastern Europe. The suspension of the Poland Business Harbour programme, which had provided a fast-track pathway for Belarusian tech talent and founders, has added further uncertainty. Yet the Belarusian diaspora has repeatedly shown remarkable commercial success. Despite political exile, regulatory hurdles, and shifting policies, Belarusian founders continue to build, scale, and internationalise startups, drawing on deep technical talent, tight-knit networks, and an entrepreneurial culture forged in adversity. But if the last five years have shown anything, it's that Belarusian founders don't wait for ideal conditions. They build anyway.

A Paris and New York-headquartered quantum technology VC firm has closed what it says is the “largest-ever” dedicated quantum fund. Quantonation Ventures, an early-stage fund focusing on quantum tech, has closed a €220m fund, with investment from Novo Holdings, the investment arm of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, electronics giant Toshiba and Vertex, the VC platform backed by Singapore state investor Temasek. The close of the fund comes amid an investment boom in quantum. The latest fund, which Quantonation says was oversubscribed, surpassed its €200 million target. It follows Quantonation's first €91 million fund. The latest fund, Fund II, invests in the pre-seed and seed rounds of deep physics and quantum tech firms, including companies engaging in molecular design, cybersecurity, and ultra-precise sensing. Quantonation is now the largest quantum fund globally on an AUM basis. Returning LP investors in the latest fund include Vertex and Fonds National d’Amorçage 2, managed by Bpifrance on behalf of the French State, along with new investors such as the European Investment Fund, Novo Nordisk and Toshiba. Since its launch in 2018, Quantonation has invested globally in more than 10 countries, backing companies in quantum computing, sensing, supply chains and broader deep-physics domains. Christophe Jurczak, managing partner, Quantonation, said: “Quantum has spent decades being described as five years away. That wasn’t a failure of physics, but of ecosystems. "What’s changed is alignment: hardware, software, supply chains, and industrial demand. Quantum is no longer a race to build one machine. It’s an interlocking stack, and that’s where durable value now sits.” Quantonation backs technologies that take time to scale, saying progress comes from multiple systems, not a single breakthrough.

Mondra, a Scope 3 SaaS company serving the retail sector, and inoqo, a European sustainability intelligence platform, have announced a strategic merger that will combine their operations into a single global organisation focused on decarbonisation and resilience in the food system. The merger strengthens the combined company’s operational presence in mainland Europe and is intended to support a broader international customer base, including grocery retailers, manufacturers, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. The companies said the integration will combine inoqo’s European market expertise and impact data with Mondra’s technology to strengthen capabilities in areas such as product-level impact assessment, supplier engagement, and climate-related initiatives within retail organisations. The merged organisation will operate under the Mondra brand and maintain a globally distributed team with hubs in London, Vienna, and India. Integration efforts will focus on aligning product roadmaps and data systems to develop a single AI-powered platform aimed at improving transparency around environmental impacts and supporting net-zero objectives. Jason Barrett, CEO of Mondra, said the merger reflects the company’s efforts to support measurable sustainability outcomes across the food system, adding that combining technology and impact data is expected to help customers make more informed decisions. As part of the transaction, Markus Linder, founder and CEO of inoqo, will join Mondra’s leadership team to support international growth and strategic development.

London-based adeus, a legaltech company specialising in modernising will-writing and legacy planning, has launched adeus True Wills™, a service intended to help prevent wills from being lost, altered, or disputed after death. Founded in 2024 by entrepreneurs Nick Adams and Mark Hedley, the launch marks the first major product release from an innovation project supported by an Innovate UK Smart Grant, with additional products planned for release in the first half of 2026. Traditional paper wills can be lost, damaged, or challenged in court, potentially leading to stress and legal costs for families. adeus True Wills addresses these risks by creating a permanent digital fingerprint of a will using blockchain technology while remaining compliant with current UK law. According to Nick Adams, CEO of adeus, making a will is a significant step, yet paper-based wills are often more vulnerable than many people realise. True Wills removes the uncertainty. Your will is permanently protected, clearly time-stamped, and impossible to alter. This gives you peace of mind today and protects your loved ones from unnecessary conflict when it matters most, Adams said. The service is designed to work alongside a traditionally executed paper will signed and witnessed in accordance with current legal requirements. Once a will is created through the adeus platform, a unique digital fingerprint is generated and secured using adeus True Will Technology. The will document itself is not stored on the blockchain, only the digital fingerprint is recorded. This approach maintains privacy while providing cryptographic verification of authenticity. Because any change to the document would alter the fingerprint, potential tampering or forgery can be detected, giving families and executors verifiable evidence during probate and helping to reduce the likelihood of disputes. True Wills is an adeus trademark, and the company plans to offer the technology to independent will writers and solicitors in addition to its direct customers. For people with more complex needs who require expert legal advice, solicitors and will writers continue to do what they do best - taking instructions, drafting, and overseeing the signing of wills. We take care of the rest, ensuring their clients’ wills are protected with the same institutional-grade security, said Mark Hedley, COO of adeus. The launch comes as England and Wales prepare for significant reforms to will-making, with electronic wills expected to become legally valid in 2026 following the Law Commission’s recommendations in May 2025. adeus True Wills has been designed to adapt to this transition. While customers currently create digital wills that are executed using traditional wet signatures, the same platform is intended to support fully electronic will creation and signing once new legislation takes effect, without requiring users to start again. Hedley added that the company is building infrastructure for electronic wills ahead of legislative change, allowing customers to access True Wills protection now while preparing for future legal developments. adeus Wills are currently available in England and Wales, with the company planning to expand its product offering in 2026 as reforms around electronic wills progress.

A Berlin-based investment firm in the buzzy area of so-called “AI roll-ups” has emerged out of stealth, with an €80m target for its debut fund.   Tenet is set up by four executives with more than 25 years of investing experience across VC, growth capital, and private equity. Tenet is a VC-cum-private equity play, investing in “AI roll-ups” across Europe at the inception stage. The firm has raised around a third of its €80m target to date and plans to deploy cheques of around €5m. Tenet has already made its first investment, investing €5m in Taxforce, an AI-native German tax advisory platform. An “AI roll-ups” strategy can be described as a company acquiring several companies in a service sector, such as accounting, IT or insurance, and then leveraging AI to make the acquired companies more efficient.    It can be likened to a private equity model in some respects. Major US VC firms like General Catalyst, Lightspeed and Thrive Capital are making plays in “AI roll-ups”. Tenet is hoping to capitalise on what it sees as the tech adoption shortfall in Europe. It points to the major digital gap between the US and Europe, saying 60 per cent of small US businesses use vertical SaaS solutions, while adoption remains in the single digits in large parts of Europe.   Tenet backs founders at the inception stage to acquire and transform professional services businesses into scalable, AI-native platforms.    Martin Janicki, general partner, said: “SaaS has failed to reach the core of the European economy. While AI-powered productivity gains are real, they are currently hitting a wall of traditional sales methods and ineffectual implementation.    "We see a historic opportunity to solve our continent’s succession crisis at the exact point where the unstoppable force of AI meets the immovable object of the European SMB.”  Janicki, previously of Berlin-based VC Cavalry Ventures, set up Tenet, along with Alex Maly, previously of private equity firm Clearsight Investments, Sahil Patwa, previously of London-based investment firm Unbound, and Simon Lohmann, formerly of Atlantic Labs, the Berlin-based VC firm.   Maly adds: “AI roll-ups have been gaining attention as pioneering companies across Europe show remarkable progress. However, there is a realisation that neither classic private equity nor early-stage venture capital firms are the ideal launch pad for these platforms. "Private equity mandates typically require substantial scale and debt leverage at entry, while traditional VC firms often lack the expertise for establishing a buy-and-build platform. Tenet is purpose-built to fill that specific void at inception." Tenet is also supported by a network of advisors, including the founders of European AI roll-ups such as Arbio, Buena, and Zinco.

London-based SurrealDB, the company behind a multi-model, AI-native database, has raised an additional $23 million in Series A funding, bringing the round’s total to $38 million. Chalfen Ventures and Begin Capital joined existing investors FirstMark and Georgian in the extension, while Mike Chalfen of Chalfen Ventures will join the company as a director. The latest investment brings SurrealDB’s total funding to date, including seed financing, to $44 million. SurrealDB is a cloud-native, multi-model database designed for real-time and AI-native applications. The platform combines structured querying, graph traversal, embedded business logic, and AI-focused capabilities to simplify data infrastructure while supporting scalability and developer flexibility. The funding extension coincides with the general availability release of SurrealDB 3.0, which the company describes as its most stable, high-performance, and enterprise-ready version to date. Built in Rust, SurrealDB 3.0 is designed to unify multiple data models within a single platform, including relational, document, graph, time-series, vector, search, geospatial, and key-value data types. The system also provides real-time functionality intended to reduce the complexity and cost of operating multiple databases and integrating them through additional API layers. The release focuses on addressing challenges related to AI agent memory and context management, enabling models to maintain consistent information and manage relationships as data scales. SurrealDB 3.0 introduces features designed to support agent memory and context graphs directly within the database, helping data and logic remain closely integrated. The new funding will support continued product development and adoption, with a focus on reliability, performance, security, cloud capabilities, and enterprise readiness. SurrealDB also plans to expand its team to scale its cloud offering and strengthen support for production deployments.

Munich-based energytech startup nuuEnergy, which focuses on building regional heat-pump installation businesses, has secured €4.3 million in seed funding. The round was led by amberra, the corporate venturing studio of the Cooperative Financial Network Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken, with participation from EnjoyVenture and existing investors HTGF, Vireo Ventures, better ventures, and Bynd Venture Capital. The heat pump sector has seen strong growth in recent years despite a slowdown in 2024. Around 229,000 units were sold last year, and annual installations could reach up to 500,000 by 2030, according to the German Heat Pump Association. While heat pumps can significantly reduce building-related CO₂ emissions, growth remains constrained by skilled labour shortages and inefficient installation processes. Founded in late 2023, nuuEnergy aims to address these challenges through a locally focused, digitally supported installation approach. The company generates revenue through planning, installation, and long-term maintenance contracts, with additional income from services such as water treatment systems and energy consulting. To build regional specialist businesses, or “hubs,” nuuEnergy focuses on attracting skilled workers through modern software tools and structured working conditions. The company positions itself between traditional craft businesses and digitally focused installation models. Digitised processes and on-site system planners support tailored technical planning for each building and aim to improve installation efficiency. Commenting on the funding, Tobias Klug, co-founder of nuuEnergy, said customers are looking for local partners that guide them through the full process, from planning to installation and service, adding that the new investors will support the development of the company through both capital and expertise. He also noted that cooperative banks can provide tailored financing options to support local heating transition projects. Julia Rafschneider, co-founder of nuuEnergy, added that the approach strengthens the company’s regional, quality-focused strategy and supports its skilled workforce. The newly raised capital will be used to expand regional specialist businesses and further digitise the installation process.

SatVu, a UK-based thermal intelligence company that uses space-based data to analyse operational activity and infrastructure performance, has closed a £30 million funding round, bringing its total equity funding to £60 million. The round includes a strategic investment from the NATO Innovation Fund, alongside the British Business Bank, Space Frontiers Fund II (managed by SPARX Asset Management), and Presto Tech Horizons. Existing investors also participated, including Molten Ventures, Adara Ventures, Ridgeline Ventures, NOA, Lockheed Martin, Seraphim Space Fund, and Stellar Ventures. As governments and allied institutions place increasing emphasis on resilience, readiness, and independent intelligence capabilities, demand is growing for reliable and persistent sources of operational insight. Traditional observation methods can limit visibility into activity across critical infrastructure and complex environments, particularly when continuous monitoring is required. SatVu develops high-resolution thermal Earth observation technology designed to address these challenges. The company provides thermal intelligence data from space for government and defence customers, capturing activity both day and night at 3.5-metre resolution. Its technology supports defence, security, and critical infrastructure monitoring, including activity around buildings and strategic assets, helping organisations assess operational changes and readiness where independent insight is essential. Beyond defence applications, SatVu’s data also supports industrial and climate-related monitoring, including observations of blast furnaces, cement production, data centres, oil and gas operations, and energy generation such as solar farms. Anthony Baker, co-founder and CEO of SatVu, said the company was established to provide governments with intelligence that is not available through other sources. He explained that high-resolution thermal imagery from space can reveal activity that is otherwise difficult to detect, including heat signatures linked to operations around buildings and critical infrastructure, helping governments assess activity, operational readiness, and changes relevant to defence and security decision-making. To expand its capabilities, SatVu plans to launch two satellites in 2026, with three additional satellites already under contract as part of its transition toward a multi-satellite constellation. While a single satellite can observe any point on Earth, a constellation increases revisit frequency, enabling more continuous monitoring of activity and operational patterns over time. The funding will support the deployment of this high-resolution thermal constellation and accelerate the company’s transition from a single-satellite demonstration to scalable commercial operations.

Turkish deep-tech fund 212 NexT, focused on advanced materials and industrial technologies, has participated in Aepnus’ pre-Series A funding round. Founded by Lukas Hackl and Bilen Akuzum and headquartered in the US, with additional operations in Canada and Germany, Aepnus is developing a modular alternative to conventional energy-intensive production methods. The company’s technology is designed to enable lower-carbon manufacturing while reducing hazardous by-products such as chlorine gas, with applications across the chemicals industry, heavy manufacturing, and critical mineral processing. Dr Bilen Aküzüm, co-founder and CTO of Aepnus, said the company is developing a new electrochemical production model aimed at enabling the localised manufacturing of essential industrial chemicals that are challenging to produce using conventional methods. Explaining the company’s focus, Aküzüm said: Today, Turkey alone spends more than $150 million annually on caustic soda imports. Our approach strengthens supply security by enabling safe, on-site and lower-carbon production of these critical inputs. The platform we are developing offers a more economical and scalable pathway for producing caustic soda and sulfuric acid – chemicals widely used across battery manufacturing, paper, textiles, heavy industry and in the processing of critical metals. With 212 NexT’s support, we are focused on accelerating global commercialisation. Commenting on the investment, Çağlar Urcan, Managing Partner at 212 NexT, said that Aepnus is addressing structural challenges in the production of essential chemicals such as caustic soda, which are increasingly affected by supply constraints and cost volatility. The company’s modular, chlorine-free electrochemical process offers a commercially viable and more sustainable alternative to conventional production methods. By enabling competitive on-site manufacturing while eliminating hazardous chlorine gas by-products, Aepnus combines clear economic value with industrial scalability.This positioning is particularly compelling given the industrial depth of our investor base, including Akkök Group, a significant Turkish player in the chlor-alkali and speciality chemicals value chain. Emphasising Aepnus’ strategic relevance for Turkey, Urcan added that localising advanced production technologies for key chemicals such as caustic soda and sulfuric acid could strengthen supply security, support industrial competitiveness, and contribute to green transformation goals. He also said that 212 NexT focuses on technologies with strong technical foundations, industrial-scale potential, and long-term strategic value, noting that Aepnus aligns with this investment approach. The investment will support further development and global scaling of the company’s platform, including team expansion, progress across multiple markets, and the strengthening of industrial partnerships.

The British Business Bank is investing up to £45m in a VC fund which makes seed-stage investments in consumer brand startups and B2B tech that supports them. The UK state-backed bank is investing the funds in Redrice Ventures, saying it will help promising startups scale, commercialise research and attract follow-on investment.  It is investing in Redrice’s £75m Fund II. The BBB previously backed Redrice’s Fund 1 in 2021 with a £36m investment. The BBB calls its investment a "cornerstone commitment", designed to help the fund reach its close and attract other investors. London-based Redrice, founded in 2018, primarily invests across media, sport and health and wellness. The BBB's investment forms part of its Enterprise Capital Funds programme, which aims to increase the supply of equity capital to early-stage UK companies with long-term growth potential. The programme has backed 51 funds to date, representing more than £3bn of finance, the BBB said.   Christine Hockley, managing director & co-head of funds, British Business Bank, said: “The creative industries are central to the UK’s growth mission, employing 2.4 million people and contributing £124bn of Gross Value Added to the economy. As a cornerstone investor we hope to crowd in capital to provide additional finance options for companies looking to scale. This will ultimately create more jobs in an already-thriving sector and support the UK to reach its full commercial potential.”

London-based Klaris, an AI-driven medtech startup focused on automating regulatory compliance for medical device companies, has closed a $1 million pre-seed funding round. The round was led by Meridian Health Ventures, a specialist fund backed by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital, University College London Hospitals, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Existing investor Antler also participated, alongside Vento Ventures, Milan-based private investment firm Alecla7, and a group of MedTech and regulatory-focused angel investors. The medical device market is projected to exceed $1.1 trillion by 2034, while regulatory requirements continue to present significant challenges for companies bringing products to market. According to FDA analysis, a large share of 510(k) submissions include quality deficiencies, and many are rejected at the first submission stage. In Europe, increasing regulatory demands linked to MDR and IVDR requirements have also led manufacturers to report reduced research and development activity, alongside a decline in the number of devices available on the EU market. To address these regulatory challenges, Klaris develops AI-powered software designed to support compliance for medical device manufacturers. Its platform automates compliance and consistency checks across technical documentation, helping teams identify gaps, maintain alignment with regulatory requirements, and prepare for submissions and audits. By combining AI-driven analysis with expert-validated regulatory frameworks, the company aims to replace traditionally manual documentation processes with a more streamlined approach, improving traceability, data security, and efficiency throughout the product lifecycle. The company was founded by Francesco Corazza and Mihai-Sorin Dobre, combining experience in medical technology, regulatory processes, and AI systems. With the new funding, Klaris will scale its engineering and product teams and accelerate commercial expansion into the wider EU market, following initial traction in the UK and Italy.

Paket Mutfak, a cloud kitchen software startup, has raised $3.8 million to support its ongoing expansion. The round included additional investment from existing backers such as Nokta Yatırım Holding, Ünlü & Co, and Fırat İşbecer, alongside new investors including Ali Sabancı, Sip & Bite GSYF, Robert Baler, and Corsini Global. The latest funding brings the company’s total capital raised to $12.3 million. As food delivery continues to grow while service quality remains uneven across the industry, Paket Mutfak focuses on an operations-driven model designed around the delivery experience. The company operates a multi-brand system aimed at delivering consistent quality and efficiency at scale. Paket Mutfak currently runs 16 brands across 16 locations in Istanbul and manages millions of annual orders through major food delivery platforms using its proprietary operational infrastructure, positioning itself as a scalable, delivery-focused platform. Commenting on the company’s approach, Tali Şalhon, co-founder and CEO of Paket Mutfak, said that one of the biggest problems in the takeaway industry is the inability to maintain quality standards: We are solving this problem by focusing on operational excellence. We are constantly improving our systems to offer our customers the same high quality with every order. Eytan Nahmiyas, co-founder and CSO of Paket Mutfak, said the company plans to develop its own application to gain greater control over the customer experience. By building a platform that enables us to oversee the entire process, from order placement to post-delivery, we aim to offer an experience that sets us apart in the sector. In the coming period, we will focus on strengthening our technological infrastructure and turning this vision into reality. The newly raised capital will be used to strengthen Paket Mutfak’s technology infrastructure, enhance customer experience, and support the development of its own ordering application alongside delivery-focused technology solutions. The funding will also support the expansion of its brand and location network, as well as improvements to supply chain flexibility.

Sendance, a startup developing sensor technology for collecting data from medical devices and assistive equipment, has raised new funding as part of its ongoing third investment round. The investment, structured as a convertible loan, was provided by Garage Angels, with Electron Capital Partners having participated earlier during the seed round. To date, the company has raised a total of €2.6 million to support the development of digital health products. Founded in 2021 and based in Linz, Sendance develops flexible, multi-functional sensor systems for wearable devices. The company has created a patented technology platform that enables manufacturers of products such as orthopaedic insoles, prosthetics, and exoskeletons to collect health-related data and support improved mobility outcomes. Its technology combines a patented sensor grid with a cloud platform, allowing manufacturers to integrate pressure, force, temperature, and motion sensing into medical, sports, and research wearables. The system supports the full product development cycle, from design and prototyping to production, enabling customers to collect and analyse real-time data to improve product performance and user outcomes. Sendance’s solutions are already used by customers internationally, and the first products featuring “sendance inside” technology are entering the market. As stated by the company, the current investment will support further development of the sensor and data platform and help expand its adoption among manufacturers looking to add data-driven capabilities to physical devices and develop new approaches to health and mobility data.

Intuos, a startup developing an integrated platform to improve aircraft fleet efficiency, safety, and compliance, has closed a €720,000 investment round. The round was led by a group of investors, including Argo, a TravelTech accelerator created through a CDP Venture Capital initiative in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Tourism and managed by Zest and Venisia, together with Techstars, Ventive, and several club deals and business angels. Founded by Carolina Gianardi and Vito Tedeschi, Intuos is addressing what it describes as a growing challenge in non-commercial aviation, where traditional software is increasingly unable to manage rising operational complexity and the integrated coordination of training, operations, and fleet management. According to the founders, non-commercial aviation requires stronger structured control across operational workflows, and the company’s platform was developed to close gaps between in-flight activity and operational oversight. The Intuos platform is built around two core components. The Manager digitises aeronautical operations, covering activities ranging from flight planning to fleet maintenance while centralising processes within a single integrated platform for flying clubs, flight schools, and commercial operators. The InFlight Data Monitoring solution combines proprietary IoT devices with real-time telemetry and engine performance data, enabling continuous monitoring, pilot performance analysis, and anomaly detection without the need for manual data uploads. Together, these components connect in-flight performance with operational management, creating a unified and scalable technology cycle supported by two patents, one of which has been extended internationally. The founders said that the platform integrates hardware and software within a single system to improve data consistency, reduce redundancy, and support safer and more efficient operations. The capital raised will support the completion of key technological developments and the company’s initial exploration of the US market, building on its expansion in Europe and South Africa.

The Austrian creator of the popular open-source AI assistant OpenClaw is joining US frontier lab OpenAI, in a move some see as a blow to the European tech ecosystem.   OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman announced on X last night that “genius” software developer Peter Steinberger is joining the company to “drive the next generation of personal agents”.   Altman said: “OpenClaw will live in a foundation as an open source project that OpenAI will continue to support. The future is going to be extremely multi-agent and it’s important to us to support open source as part of that.”   In a separate X post, Steinberger posted: “I’m joining OpenAI to bring agents to everyone. OpenClaw is becoming a foundation: open, independent and just getting started.”   He also wrote a blog post explaining his decision, saying he spent last week in San Francisco talking with the major labs. OpenClaw, previously called Clawdbot, then Moltbot, has become a viral sensation over the past few weeks as an “AI that actually does things”, from responding to emails, checking in flights and carrying out research. The OpenClaw tech was created in Europe.   Responding to the news, some commentators see Steinberger’s exit to a US firm as a blow to the European tech ecosystem.   Posting on LinkedIn, one tech commentator said: ”As happy as I am for him as a fellow Austrian, I can't help but wonder if there was a counter offer from a European tech company.”   Another commentator said: “It‘s a real pity that every promising idea/startup gets immediately swallowed by US big tech.”   A third person posted: "Europe isn't losing to OpenAI. Europe is losing to its own bureaucracy. When Zuck, Sam, and Satya call personally while European leadership is still 'aligning on a process,' the outcome is a foregone conclusion.” Many who posted on social media congratulated Steinberger on the move. Image: Peter Steinberger

Nul, a UK-based healthtech startup developing a supported alcohol reduction platform that combines clinical care and prescription medication, has raised $1 million in seed funding. The round was led by dmg ventures and BYVP, with participation from a group of angel investors. Alcohol use disorder and harmful drinking affect millions of people globally, while treatment options have seen limited innovation in recent decades. Nul aims to address this gap with medication- and therapy-supported reduction models designed for individuals who want to reduce their alcohol consumption without requiring immediate or complete abstinence. Founded by Matus Maar, Nul is building a telehealth platform that integrates clinical care, prescription medication, digital treatment pathways, and behavioural support. The company’s programme is based on naltrexone, a medication used to reduce alcohol cravings by targeting reward pathways. Delivered through a fully remote subscription service, the programme includes virtual consultations, ongoing clinical support, and structured digital guidance based on The Sinclair Method. Commenting on the company’s mission, Matus Maar, founder and CEO of Nul, said that alcohol reduction remains one of the largest areas in healthcare that has seen relatively limited modernisation. Telehealth and online pharmacy platforms have transformed categories like weight loss and mental health, yet alcohol has been left behind despite the scale of the problem. Nul is about making evidence-based treatment accessible, discreet and compatible with real life. Nul launched a UK test phase in summer 2025 and has onboarded more than 120 paying customers, reaching an annualised revenue run rate of over £300,000 within its first months, driven largely by organic demand and word-of-mouth. The seed funding will support the company’s full UK commercial launch, expansion of its clinical and product teams, scaling of customer acquisition, and preparation for future international expansion, including the US market. Alongside the seed round, Nul plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Republic Europe, allowing retail investors to participate in the round and support the company’s next phase of growth.