EU-Startups Summit opens applications for 2026 Pitch Competition finals The EU-Startups Summit has opened applications for its 2026 Pitch Competition, inviting Europe’s early-stage founders to compete for a prize package valued at more than €622,000. The finals will take place…

Altek AI closes €423k pre-seed to expand autonomous hotel communications Altek AI, an Oslo-based hospitality technology startup, has raised €423,000 (about $500,000) in a pre-seed funding round to expand its autonomous guest communication platform for hotels across the Nordics and…

LiveKit becomes a unicorn after $100M raise LiveKit, a startup building infrastructure for real-time voice and video applications and “agentic” AI experiences, has raised $100 million in a funding round valuing the company at $1 billion. The round was led…

Nila Cares targets cross-border eldercare gaps for diaspora families Nila Cares, a care coordination startup focused on helping diaspora families arrange reliable eldercare in their home countries, has raised $2.4 million in a pre-seed round after a seven-week fundraising sprint,…

Helin, a Dutch industrial edge intelligence scaleup based in Rijswijk, has secured a €10 million growth investment to expand internationally and accelerate development of its edge computing and analytics platform. The round was led by Amsterdam-based investment firm FORWARD.one, alongside…

Agileday lands €6.4M Series A to expand AI operating system for professional services Agileday, an Espoo-based technology company developing an AI operating platform for professional services firms, has raised €6.4 million in Series A funding to accelerate international expansion and…

Agileday secures €6.4M Series A to scale AI-first platform for professional services Agileday, a Helsinki-based software company building an AI-driven operating system for professional services firms, has raised €6.4 million in Series A funding to accelerate international expansion and deepen…

Octarine Bio raises €5 million to scale sustainable pigments Octarine Bio, a Copenhagen-based biotech developing sustainable pigments through precision fermentation, has raised an additional €5 million in a Series A extension to accelerate industrial validation and commercial rollout of its…

Estonia’s next startup wave is taking shape Estonia has spent the past decade building a reputation that far exceeds its size: a digital-first state with e-government services, the e-Residency programme, and global breakout companies such as Skype and Wise. Now,…

Mews lands $300M Series D at $2.5B valuation Mews, a Czech-founded hospitality technology company building a cloud platform for hotel operations, has raised $300 million in a Series D funding round led by EQT Growth. The financing values the company…

Mission debuts after Demium rebrand, launches €35M pre-seed fund Madrid-based talent investment firm Demium has rebranded as Mission and unveiled a new venture fund targeting €35 million to invest in Spain’s earliest-stage startups. The vehicle will focus on pre-seed rounds,…

Shield Space secures £2m to accelerate autonomous satellite defence Shield Space, a UK defence technology startup focused on protecting satellites from interference and attack, has raised £2 million in new funding to expand its team, move into new facilities in…

ErVimmune secures first close of €17 million Series A ErVimmune, a Lyon-based biotech developing cancer vaccines and cell therapies aimed at so-called “cold tumors”—cancers that typically do not respond to today’s immunotherapies—has announced the first closing of a €17 million…

Preply closes €127 million Series D to scale AI-assisted tutoring Preply, the US- and Spain-based language learning marketplace, said it has raised €127 million in a Series D funding round as it accelerates investment in AI, data infrastructure, and international…

Finst secures €8 million to scale across Europe Finst, an Amsterdam-based regulated cryptocurrency platform, has raised €8 million in a Series A round to fund its expansion into additional European markets and accelerate product development. The financing was led by…

AI agents surge as investors back specialised enterprise startups AI agents have become one of the fastest-scaling software categories heading into 2026, as businesses look for automation that goes beyond chatbots and into end-to-end execution. The global market for agentic…

Zipline surpasses 2 million deliveries and secures $600 million Zipline, a U.S.-based autonomous delivery company, has crossed two million commercial drone deliveries and raised more than $600 million in fresh funding, valuing the company at $7.6 billion. The round includes…

Cloover secures €1.04B in capital commitments to scale embedded energy finance Cloover, a Berlin-based climate FinTech positioning itself as the “Shopify of energy,” said it has secured a combined €1.04 billion in capital commitments to accelerate household energy independence across…

SWISSto12 secures €73 million to accelerate HummingSat development SWISSto12, a Lausanne-based aerospace manufacturer of satellite systems and radio frequency (RF) products, said it has secured €73 million in financial support from European Space Agency member states to advance its compact…

Global Startup Awards confirms date for 11th Grand Finale Global Startup Awards has announced that its 11th Edition Grand Finale will take place on the evening of May 7, 2026, marking the latest milestone for the international startup recognition program.…

Legato raises $7M seed to bring AI “vibe” app building to SaaS Tel Aviv-based startup Legato has raised a $7 million seed round led by S Capital VC, as the company positions itself to make custom business app creation faster…

British Business Bank backs IQ Capital with £50M commitment The British Business Bank has committed £50 million to IQ Capital Fund V, a move aimed at increasing the flow of growth capital to UK deep-tech startups working in areas including…

Vanagon Ventures raises €20 million to back Europe’s earliest DeepTech bets Munich-based venture capital firm Vanagon Ventures has announced the final close of its €20 million Fund I, aimed at financing Europe’s pre-Seed DeepTech and AI startups building business-to-business products.…

BRUM closes €5 million round led by Italian Founders Fund BRUM, a Milan-based EdTech startup aiming to modernize Italy’s driver’s license and driving-school ecosystem, has raised €5 million in new funding to accelerate its national expansion. The round was led…

Dripl closes €4 million round to scale smart refill points Dripl, a Brussels-based startup building smart water dispensers for workplaces, has raised €4 million to expand across Europe, increase manufacturing capacity and accelerate adoption of its refill-based alternative to bottled…

ElevenLabs in talks to raise fresh capital at up to $11B valuation ElevenLabs, the London-founded AI voice company, is reportedly in discussions to raise a new round of funding that could value the business at as much as $11 billion.…

Elyos AI secures Series A to scale AI agents for field services Elyos AI, a London-based startup developing AI agents for trades and field services businesses, has raised €11.1 million (about $13 million) in a Series A round to speed…

one.five closes €14M Series A to tackle packaging R&D waste Hamburg-based startup one.five has raised €14 million in Series A funding as it targets a costly problem in the packaging industry: innovation that fails before it ever reaches the market.…

A personal health scare sparks a new oral-care brand A startup founded by a former radio presenter has raised €2 million (about £1.8 million) to expand production and accelerate growth for its gut-friendly toothpaste, a product created after the founder…

Incentifi raises phase-one pre-seed funding Incentifi, a London-based workplace rewards startup focused on employee well-being, has secured €174,000 (about £150,000) in phase-one pre-seed funding as it prepares to launch a pilot of its product. The company positions itself at the…

The end of easy money reshapes startup playbooks The era of unrestricted capital is over, and startup leaders are adjusting to a market where profitability increasingly defines credibility. After years in which abundant funding rewarded rapid expansion and user growth,…

Ahead Health secures €5.1 million to expand in Europe Ahead Health, a Zurich-based preventive healthcare company, said it has raised €5.1 million (about $6 million) in new funding as it looks to scale its services across Europe. The company did…

Bricks.sh secures €1.6 million to expand AI-native internal tool building Italian startup Bricks.sh, which is developing an AI-native platform for building internal tools, has raised €1.6 million in a pre-seed funding round. The company said the financing will be used…

Wasabi Technologies lands $70M to expand no-egress cloud storage Wasabi Technologies, a Boston-based cloud storage provider, has raised $70 million at a $1.8 billion valuation as it looks to scale its “no-egress” Hot Cloud Storage platform for data-intensive AI workloads.…

Verna secures $4M to operationalize biodiversity for business London-based climate and nature-tech startup Verna has raised $4 million in fresh funding to help companies move from biodiversity disclosure to measurable, AI-assisted action. The round was led by NAP and Übermorgen,…

Ex Nunc Intelligence announces oversubscribed pre-seed Ex Nunc Intelligence, a Lausanne-based developer of the LegalTech platform Silex, said it has closed an oversubscribed pre-seed financing round. The company disclosed the close on Tuesday, positioning the funding as a milestone intended…

Ex Nunc Intelligence closes $2.15M pre-seed to launch Silex Ex Nunc Intelligence has raised $2.15 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round to build Silex, a legal-focused artificial intelligence platform designed to provide source-grounded answers while maintaining full confidentiality, the company…

Bulgaria’s startup ecosystem shows steady momentum Over the past few years, Bulgaria has modestly strengthened its standing as a rising startup destination in Southeast Europe, according to a review of recent developments in the local innovation scene. While the country…

Vivanta closes €2.5 million seed round in Berlin Berlin-based PropTech startup Vivanta has successfully completed its Seed financing round, raising €2.5 million to support the development of what it describes as a “new generation of property” technology. The company said…

Spore.Bio raises fresh capital to scale AI microbiology testing Paris-based biotech startup Spore.Bio announced today that it has secured a multi-million-dollar funding round to accelerate development and deployment of its AI-based microbiology testing technology. The company positions its platform as…

Annual spotlight returns to Europe’s startup scene It is once again that time of year when the annual series dedicated to Europe’s emerging startup ecosystem returns, aiming to identify and highlight some of the most promising young companies across the…

Swap lands $100M Series C to tackle fragmented global e-commerce operations Swap, a startup building an operating system for cross-border e-commerce operations, has raised $100 million in a Series C round co-led by DST Global and ICONIQ. The financing comes…

ShanX Medtech closes oversubscribed seed round and wins EU contract ShanX Medtech, a female-led Dutch MedTech startup based in Eindhoven, has secured a total of €24 million in financing to accelerate development and validation of its in-vitro diagnostic platform designed…

Biographica secures €8 million to accelerate climate-resilient crops London-based AgTech startup Biographica has raised €8 million (£7 million) to speed the development of climate-resilient, higher-yield and more nutritious crop varieties, as rising temperatures, extreme weather and resource constraints intensify global…

Vitrealab lands oversubscribed $11M Series A Vitrealab, a European photonics startup focused on augmented reality display hardware, has raised an oversubscribed $11 million Series A to accelerate the development and industrialisation of its Quantum Light Chip (QLC). The round was…

The Netherlands’ startup engine hits scale in 2025 The Dutch startup ecosystem is entering 2026 with fresh momentum after a year that showcased its ability to produce both deep research-led innovation and fast-scaling digital platforms. Across the largest disclosed rounds…

West Co secures reported $29M seed round for Tangle West Co, a new social media startup co-founded by Biz Stone and led by Evan Sharp, has raised a reported $29 million in new funding as it develops an invite-only app…

Mercor positions itself as a $10B middleman in AI’s data rush Mercor, a three-year-old startup that has surged to a reported $10 billion valuation, is building a business around a simple premise: the next wave of AI progress depends less…

Arya.ag lands $81 million as volatility tests farm economics Arya.ag, an Indian agritech company that combines near-farm storage with credit and market access for farmers, has raised an $81 million all-equity Series D round led by GEF Capital Partners. The…

Dropout status is resurfacing as a startup credential The mythology of the college dropout founder has long been embedded in Silicon Valley lore, fueled by iconic examples such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. Yet research on entrepreneurship…

Fizz bets Gen Z wants “real life,” not a highlight reel Fizz, a fast-growing social app built around hyperlocal college communities, is leaning into a provocative thesis: Gen Z is increasingly exhausted by the pressure to curate a public persona…

Fizz founder Teddy Solomon outlines a new social playbook for Gen Z Fizz founder Teddy Solomon joined the Equity podcast to discuss what he sees as a turning point in how Gen Z wants to interact online—less public performance, more…

Aidoptation secures €20 million to accelerate industrial scale-up Aidoptation, a Belgian-American startup, has raised an additional €20 million in financing as it looks to accelerate the development and industrialisation of its advanced technology, the company said. The new capital is…

Deep tech fundraising is shifting from proof to belief In deep tech, founders often assume the path to capital is straightforward: show the data, publish the results, and let the numbers speak. But in today’s fundraising environment—where long timelines, technical…

Fundraising begins before the pitch deck For many founders, the start of a funding round feels like a single, definable moment: the day they finalize a pitch deck, compile a target investor list, and begin sending emails. But in practice,…

India’s startup deal count falls as investors back fewer bets Startup funding rounds in India fell sharply in 2025, reflecting a market where investors are increasingly concentrating capital into fewer companies. The shift signals a more selective funding environment, with…

Reface raises €15.2 million to scale user acquisition Reface, a Kyiv-based startup building AI-powered tools for content creation, has secured €15.2 million (about $18 million) in non-dilutive financing earmarked for user acquisition. The funding provides growth capital without issuing new…

Filtrabit lands €2 million commitment ahead of new round Filtrabit, an Oulu-based CleanTech company, has secured a €2 million funding commitment from Ajanta Innovations 2 Ky for its upcoming financing round, the company said. The commitment signals early investor backing…

Mosa Meat secures €15 million for regulatory push Mosa Meat, a Maastricht-based cultivated meat company, has raised an additional €15 million in funding as it prepares for the next phase of regulatory market approvals. The new capital is expected to…

ScrubMarine raises €849k to scale subsea inspection tech ScrubMarine, a UK-based startup building subsea robotics and data systems for inspection and maintenance, has closed a €849,000 (about $1 million) pre-seed funding round, the company said. The fresh capital is expected…

Those Vegan Cowboys secures €6.25 million to scale cow-free dairy R&D Those Vegan Cowboys, a Ghent-based FoodTech startup, has raised €6.25 million in its first funding round, the company announced. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate research and…

Meatable winds down after funding efforts fall short Delft-based cultivated meat startup Meatable is shutting down operations after failing to secure additional financing, according to a statement released by Agronomics, one of the company’s key shareholders. The London-based venture investor…

Aisti lands €20 million EIB venture debt to expand production Jyväskylä-based materials startup Aisti has secured a €20 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to accelerate the scale-up of its bio-based, noise-reducing acoustic ceiling tiles. The financing will…

Resolve AI raises Series A with $1B headline valuation Resolve AI, a startup building what it describes as an autonomous site reliability engineer (SRE) that can maintain software systems with minimal human intervention, has raised a Series A round led…

Nodu raises €1.25 million to bring stablecoins into traditional finance Nodu, a London-based stablecoin infrastructure startup focused on making digital assets function more smoothly inside traditional financial systems, has closed a €1.25 million pre-seed funding round. The company said the…

Liom raises €13.9M to push needle-free glucose monitoring Liom, a Swiss health-tech startup developing a calibration-free, needle-free glucose monitoring wearable, has raised €13.9 million to extend its Series A round to €40.8 million. The company says the additional capital will…

Lovable lands $330M Series B as AI app-building surges Lovable, a Swedish AI platform that converts text prompts into production-ready applications, has raised $330 million in a Series B round at a $6.6 billion valuation. The financing was led by…

Moss Fashion opens in Laleli under the leadership of Adem Ozen. The brand aims to increase textile exports to Russia and Europe with local production. Istanbul‘s historic Laleli district, recognized globally as a central hub for textile commerce, has witnessed…

Paris startup Kotcha, co-founded by Eliud Kipchoge, has raised €3.5 million in pre-seed funding to advance its innovative plans in the running sector.

Calm/Storm Ventures announces a new €30 million fund aimed at supporting early-stage healthtech startups with innovative solutions and diverse teams.

Proximus Global introduces Konera, a new API platform for fintech, enhancing connectivity for developers and enterprises at Global Fintech Fest 2025.

dHealth Intelligence launches a groundbreaking AI platform for healthcare management, streamlining patient data while ensuring privacy and security.

Stockholm-based Hubert has secured €2.5M in a seed funding round. The investment, led by Spintop Ventures, will boost its AI-driven hiring platform. The recruitment technology company Hubert, which specializes in AI-driven solutions for high-volume hiring, has successfully closed a €2.5…

London-based LogisticsTech startup Synkka has raised a pre-Seed round to accelerate the rollout of its AI-powered workforce and reduce parcel delivery costs. Strategic backing from industry insiders Synkka, founded in 2024, confirmed the completion of an oversubscribed pre-Seed investment led…