AI hiring platform Hubert has raised €2.5 million Seed funding. Built on proprietary technology, Hubert autonomously conducts structured screening interviews, 24/7 at scale, helping organisations streamline frontline and operational hiring. The platform reduces time-to-hire, saving up to 80 per cent of recruiter screening time, improves quality by up to 5x and enables fairer, more consistent candidate evaluation. At a time when talent acquisition teams face increasing pressure to deliver results fast and at scale; Hubert offers a structured, bias-aware and scalable alternative to traditional screening, alleviating this challenge. With clients including Securitas, Coop, and ManpowerGroup, Hubert serves high-volume employers across retail, logistics, hospitality, and business process outsourcing.  Spintop Ventures led the funding with participation from Bonnier-linked profiles Jakob Tolleryd, Chairman of Bonnier Capital, Peder Bonnier, Vice Chairman of Bonnier Group, and Joen Bonnier, Board Member of Bonnier Capital.  The funding follows a year of exceptional growth and sustained profitability, and will be used to accelerate Hubert’s product innovation as the company targets over 400 per cent revenue growth in 2025, while remaining profitable. According to Peter Carlsson, Partner at Spintop Ventures,  Hubert is setting a new global standard for fair, data-driven hiring.  “The positive outcomes of AI interviews have already been demonstrated in multiple studies and Hubert’s explainable AI has all the ingredients to scale into a category leader.” “This investment gives us the funds to accelerate our product roadmap and seize the opportunity ahead,” said Fredrik Östgren, CEO and co-founder of Hubert. “We're revolutionising large-scale hiring for our customers; and doing it profitably, with fairness and transparency at the core.” Lead image: Fredrik Östgren, CEO and co-founder of Hubert. Photo: uncredited.

Last week, we tracked more than 55 tech funding deals worth over €733 million, and over 15 exits, M&A transactions, rumours, and related news stories across Europe.Click to read the rest of the news.

Car leasing company LIZY has raised €75 million to further establish circular electric leasing.  Before LIZY came along, each new leasing contract meant producing a new car. When the contract expired, the vehicle was resold because a second leasing phase was not considered sufficiently profitable.  LIZY took a different approach: from the outset, the company believed in the potential of used leasing, particularly for smaller businesses. It has thus built a reputation as an affordable leasing partner while offering a quality service. Today, as electric vehicles become more widespread, the rest of the leasing sector is gradually following the path paved by LIZY.  For electric vehicles, the "one and done" model makes little sense because they last longer and require less maintenance than combustion engine cars. They can easily be leased a second or even a third time. Accelerated electrification is therefore the ideal catalyst for LIZY to move up a gear. Founded in 2019, the Brussels-based company quickly made a name for itself in Belgium and has expanded into France and the Netherlands in recent years. It doubled its employee headcount to 60 in touch years and achieved a +100% increase in turnover by 2024. The €10 million in capital and €65 million in debt financing is provided by existing shareholders D'Ieteren, Alychlo (Marc Coucke's investment vehicle) and NewAlpha Asset Management.  "For LIZY, used car leasing has been a no-brainer for years," explains CEO Sam Heymans.  "Electrification is central to our approach. Electric vehicles have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance.  In addition, the environmental benefits increase as the vehicles are used for longer. Thanks to this new investment, we can now roll out our concept even faster internationally."  LIZY has always had clear, ambitious plans and an original positioning," says Marc Coucke, founder of Alychlo.  "The company is now seeing its efforts rewarded with strong growth and can ride the wave of electrification. All this is the result of its ambitious vision and determination. For Alychlo, investing in LIZY is perfectly in line with our objectives: it is Belgian, sustainable, ambitious and innovative." "Electric mobility is clearly the future, but for small businesses, new electric vehicles still represent a significant investment," says Denis Gorteman, CEO of investor D'Ieteren.   "LIZY's used car formula makes electric leasing accessible to more customers, thereby accelerating the transition to electric fleets within companies. As a large proportion of the kilometres travelled on our roads are for business purposes, this accelerated transition has an additional positive impact on the environment." According to Heymans, the capital allows LIZY to promote its circular approach on a larger scale, offering companies across Europe access to high-quality, affordable and sustainable mobility.

This week we tracked more than 55 tech funding deals worth over €658 million, and over 15 exits, M&A transactions, rumours, and related news stories across Europe. 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 ?? Ortivity secures €200M to expand outpatient orthopaedic care ?? Framer secures $100M Series D, hits $2B valuation ?? ProVerum raises $80M in Series B funding ??‍?? Noteworthy acquisitions and mergers ?? OrganOx acquired by Terumo Corporation?? MariaDB reacquires SkySQL to strengthen cloud, agentic and AI database offering?? PEAC Solutions acquires German fintech topi to bolster European expansion?? CrowdStrike acquires Spanish telemetry startup Onum to catch hacks sooner and cut data costs?? Palmer Energy Technology acquires battery tech firm Brill Power

Northmill is targeting expansion across the EU, as the Swedish challenger bank reports quarterly pre-tax profits of 56 million kronor (€5.1m). The retail and business bank currently operates across the Nordic markets of Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The challenger bank was founded in 2006 and secured a full banking licence in 2019, regulated by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority. It has around 140,000 retail and 4,000 business customers and competes against big incumbent banks in Sweden. It is backed by M2 Asset Management, the Swedish investment company, and the asset management firm Coeli. Julie Chatterjee, Northmill CEO, said: “We want to continue expanding our presence, with Finland as a key priority — and next year, into new markets as well. Our playground is the entire EU.” When asked about which specific EU markets, Chatterjee said it was still scanning prospective markets, gauging market fit. Northmill offers savings, credit, payments and insurance. Its Q2 earnings, which were up from 46 million kronor the year previous, were helped by consumer card growth, which now numbers more than 140,000 holders. Chatterjee also discussed Northmill’s adoption of AI tools. Chatterjee said: "We take a pragmatic view on AI. It should support and accelerate the overall strategy." And in a light-hearted dig at Klarna, she added: “For us, the strategy is scalability through AI, and we apply it where it truly adds value — so you won’t see me as an avatar presenting our Q2 results.” Chatterjee added: “Our priority is to build internal LLMs and leverage AI to strengthen our capabilities, rather than focusing primarily on customer-facing applications.” Areas in which the bank is using AI tools include its IT departments using AI coding assistant Cursor, marketing using an AI SEO tool, leveraging AI for automating credit decisions, and using AI as a customer service support tool.

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has reopened its newly expanded “giga factory” in Pilsen, Czech Republic, following a €320 million investment aimed at significantly scaling up production of heat pumps for the European market. The move marks one of the largest manufacturing investments in Europe’s heating and cooling sector in recent years. The upgraded facility will serve as Panasonic’s primary European production and R&D hub for its air-to-water heat pump solutions, with an annual capacity projected to reach 1.4 million units by 2030. The expansion forms part of Panasonic’s broader strategic shift, transferring heat pump production and R&D from Southeast Asia to Europe, in line with EU decarbonisation targets and rising demand for localized clean energy solutions. "At Panasonic, we see Europe as particularly advanced when it comes to sustainability, and therefore the acceptance of sustainable energy solutions,” said Toshikatsu Fukunaga, CEO of Panasonic HVAC Europe. “Our investment into the Pilsen factory demonstrates both our confidence in the growth of the market and our ability to anticipate and meet future demand." The reopening comes at a pivotal moment for the European heat pump market. In 2024, the sector was valued at €12.2 billion, with forecasts expecting it to surpass €71 billion by 2034, according to Global Market Insights. As countries phase out gas boilers and pivot to electrified heating, companies like Panasonic are racing to meet growing residential and commercial demand. The European Commission has called for the installation of 30 million new heat pumps by 2030. “The heat pump sector is boosting Europe’s energy security, our economy and our path to decarbonisation… Today’s factory reopening is both a big step forward and a clear message that heat pumps will inevitably be at the heart of our future global energy system,” said Paul Kenny, Director General of the European Heat Pump Association. “The factory in Pilsen is set to become Panasonic’s central hub for heat pump production and supply in Europe,” said Radek Vach, Business Planning Director, Panasonic HVAC CZ. “Bringing R&D and production together on the same site enables speed, flexibility, and cost efficiency, while reducing logistics-related emissions.” “The opening of this state-of-the-art heat pump production facility strengthens the competitiveness of Czech industry, brings new skilled jobs, and confirms that the Czech Republic offers attractive conditions for technologically demanding and innovative projects,” said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who attended the ceremony. The facility is located in what Panasonic refers to as the Czech Republic’s own “Silicon Valley,” a region known for its concentration of engineering talent and tech firms. Panasonic has been operating in the Czech Republic since 1997, and the expansion is expected to create a significant number of high-value jobs in manufacturing and research. “Pilsen itself is in the Czech Republic’s own ‘Silicon Valley,’ with many high growth and innovative tech companies nearby… It has a highly qualified workforce, as well as strong opportunities for collaboration with local academic institutions,” added Radek Vach. Globally, Panasonic has committed to achieving Net Zero in its own operations by 2030, and across its value chain by 2050. The Pilsen facility contributes directly to these goals, helping Panasonic not only scale production but also align with ESG priorities that are increasingly vital to both policymakers and institutional investors. By shifting key operations to Europe, the company also hedges against supply chain disruptions, rising geopolitical tensions in Asia, and increasing scrutiny of embedded emissions in imported goods. The move positions Panasonic as a front-runner in the European clean heating market, putting it in direct competition with local and regional players such as Vaillant, Viessmann, and Bosch Thermotechnology, all of whom are scaling their own heat pump capabilities in response to surging demand and policy incentives.

UK-based Palmer Energy Technology Limited (PETL), a battery energy storage system startup, has announced the acquisition of Brill Power, a spin-out from the University of Oxford known for its advanced battery management technology. The deal is backed by a new £5 million Series A round co-led by FirstGroup plc, Barclays Bank, and the University of Oxford. This transaction marks a significant consolidation of UK-based innovation in the battery energy storage space, bringing together PETL’s automotive-grade BESS technology with Brill Power’s cell-level battery control software. The combination is expected to enhance safety, efficiency, and lifecycle performance in battery deployments across sectors, from electric buses to grid-scale storage. “PETL’s acquisition of Brill Power enables us to embed the Brill software in all of our systems, instantly giving PETL a leading position in the space to serve customers such as FirstGroup,” said Andy Palmer, CEO and co-founder of PETL. “With buses at the forefront of the transition to electric vehicles and net zero transportation, I’m delighted to welcome investment from FirstGroup, as well as Barclays and Oxford University, to advance the development of next-generation control systems. This will allow us to accelerate our business and give the UK a leading position in BESS technology.” Brill Power, founded in 2016 by a team of Oxford engineers and scientists, has developed proprietary technology that improves battery safety and performance by actively managing the current drawn from each individual cell based on its condition. The system helps extend battery life and efficiency—critical for industries like transport and energy storage where downtime or degradation has high cost implications. Brill Power’s control software is engineered and validated in the UK. With all operational data stored on UK-based servers to support security and compliance. While Brill Power will now operate under PETL for integrated systems, its brand will continue independently for module sales to third-party partners. The acquisition and growth capital are part of a broader play to scale PETL’s UK operations, enhance domestic assembly and shorten supply chains. The £5 million funding round was co-led by FirstGroup Energy Limited (the dedicated energy investment arm of FirstGroup plc), which is both a strategic investor and customer of PETL. “This investment continues our strategy of backing new and innovative companies aimed at supporting our long-term public commitment of achieving a zero-emission fleet by 2035,” said Faizan Muhammad, Investment Director at FirstGroup plc. “PETL, along with its acquisition of Brill Power, will unlock innovative energy procurement solutions whilst providing second life use cases when batteries are taken off electric buses.” “It is great to see the coming together of PETL and Brill Power to accelerate their novel energy storage technologies,” said Adam Workman, Head of Investments and New Ventures at Oxford University Innovation. “Alongside FirstGroup, we hope that the combined business will accelerate the commercialisation of its energy platforms.” The PETL-Brill Power deal reflects a wider trend in Europe’s cleantech and energy storage ecosystem, where innovation in battery systems, from hardware to software, is seen as essential to achieving net zero targets and ensuring grid stability amid the clean energy transition.

London-based Synkka, an AI platform automating the full carrier integration process, has closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Ascension VC. The round is notably joined by a syndicate of seasoned parcel delivery experts who have built and scaled the industry's key players, including founders and executives from ITA Group, ZigZag, Sendify, LetMeShip, One World Express, ex-Asendia, and ex-Global-E. For years, the parcel delivery industry has been bound by a costly rule: to grow your business, you must grow your headcount. Entering new markets, adding carriers, or handling higher volumes has always required more people, more complexity, and thinner margins. This reliance on manual orchestration has acted as a permanent tax on growth, putting companies at a disadvantage when building the delivery networks of the future. Synkka, a new AI-powered platform, is launching to show that this model no longer applies. By creating an AI workforce, digital teams that automate core operational roles, the company enables parcel delivery operations to scale efficiently and profitably. The vision is backed by a founding team that combines deep domain expertise with proven scaling and AI leadership. Torbjörn Maaherra, Founder and CEO of Synkka, explained: The era of scaling a parcel delivery operation by throwing people at the problem is over. Manual labour is a tax on every parcel you ship. We are building the autonomous workforce for the future of parcel delivery, where networks run on intelligence, not headcount. This funding from leaders who have lived this pain is the ultimate confirmation of the industry's urgent need for this change. Synkka’s first commercially available product, the AI Carrier Integration Team, transforms delivery network expansion for any technology company in the e-commerce delivery space, 3PLs, online marketplaces, and cross-border retailers. What was once a slow, costly, and technical bottleneck becomes a growth driver, enabling companies to launch in new markets up to 17x faster, cut the high costs of integration teams, and scale delivery partners without scaling headcount. This translates into faster expansion, reduced costs, and more profitable growth. Looking ahead, Synkka’s roadmap includes deploying a full suite of AI teams to handle the most complex operational roles, from customer support and client implementation to financial reconciliation and proactive customer service. The company’s goal is to build the intelligent, automated workforce required to run delivery operations fully autonomously. This latest investment reinforces industry consensus that the old model is broken and that Synkka’s approach offers the path forward.

Professional website design platform Framer today announced a $100 million Series D funding round led by existing investors Meritech and Atomico, valuing the company at $2 billion, and bringing the company's funding to over $160 million. For over a decade, personal websites have been transformed by visual website builders like Squarespace.  But, professional websites — complex, high-traffic, brand-defining sites — have still required developer-heavy workflows. Framer is ushering in the same shift for professional websites, combining a fully flexible design canvas with enterprise-grade depth. With built-in CMS, A/B testing, analytics, enterprise security, and more. This represents a market shift worth tens of billions of dollars, where businesses can now build beautiful, fully custom professional sites faster, easier, and at a fraction of the cost. Unlike traditional builders, Framer combines a fully flexible design canvas with a state-of-the-art CMS, on-page editing, and rich built-in features like animations, forms, analytics, A/B testing, and live collaboration.  Founded in Amsterdam with offices in San Francisco and Barcelona, Farmer has hundreds of thousands of active websites and half a million monthly active users.  Startups like Scale AI, Perplexity, Miro, and Bilt already power their websites with Framer. 40 per cent of the most recent Y Combinator batch launched on Framer. Since launching business plans late last year, the majority of Framer’s new customers are now businesses, making this the company’s fastest-growing revenue segment.  “Framer is changing the way the best companies bring their ideas online,” said Koen Bok, CEO and co-founder of Framer.  “Designers and marketers can now ship production-ready sites in days, not months—without waiting on a front-end team. That means better-looking, higher performing pages built right where the brand lives.”

Glasgow-based medtech company Seluna is set to improve the diagnosis and management of childhood sleep disorders following the launch of a major clinical validation study with the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.  It also recently secured nearly £650,000 funding via continued support from existing backers Gabriel Investment Syndicate, Scottish Enterprise and the University of Strathclyde, as well as a new investor STAC Invest. Seluna is addressing a critical gap in paediatric sleep medicine, aiming to be the first software as a medical device (SaMD) developed specifically for diagnostics in this underserved market.  Currently, the gold-standard pathway relies on manual interpretation of complex sleep study data – a slow and labour-intensive approach that creates significant bottlenecks in an already strained healthcare system. Seluna’s machine learning pipeline automatically scores paediatric sleep studies by identifying and classifying digital biomarkers ofsleep-disordered breathing.  Designed to reduce clinical workload and support objective, data-driven decisions, the system streamlines and standardises the diagnostic pathway. The algorithms are designed to be interpretable and transparent, and to support, not replace, clinical judgement. The current study, involving 500 anonymised patients under 18 years old, will run from now until the end of 2025. It aims to validate Seluna's diagnostic software as a medical device (SaMD), which is designed to automatically interpret sleep studies via a pipeline of machine-learning algorithms. This will support Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (RPSGTs) and doctors in diagnosing and managing paediatric sleep apnoea. Dr Scott Black, co-founder and CEO of Seluna, commented: “Paediatric sleep diagnostics has been underserved for too long. It’s a complex challenge, which is why existing tools weren’t built for children - until now. This validation study will demonstrate clinical impact and make a clear statement: we’re here to set a new standard.  We’re here to innovate, drive change, and compete internationally, with backing from investors who recognise the potential of the paediatric healthcare market.” Dr Ruth Hamilton, Consultant Clinical Scientist at Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, and principal investigator, added: "What makes Seluna's approach so compelling is its focus on explainable AI.  As clinicians, we need to understand why the technology is making certain recommendations. Seluna's focus on interpretability builds the trust we need to confidently use this technology in clinical practice. It will help take pressure off busy departments and allow us to stop firefighting wait lists.” Even after diagnosis, clinicians lack the physiological insights needed to predict which children will benefit from treatment, which often involves surgery.  As a result, some children undergo unnecessary operations, while others who might benefit are overlooked. Seluna’s ambitions go beyond diagnosis, helping to uncover the underlying pathology to guide more precise, personalised treatment decisions. Dr Haytham Kubba, Paediatric Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeon at Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, and chief investigator on the study, said: "Adenotonsillectomy for sleep apnoea is the most common paediatric surgery for the most common reason but right now, we simply don’t know if we’re operating on the right children.  Seluna is developing a solution which could dramatically improve our ability to identify and prioritise the children who need help most urgently. It has the potential to transform how we approach paediatric sleep medicine.” The Glasgow study marks the first phase of a broader, multi-site validation programme, with other NHS sites expected to join by the end of the year. This diverse, multi-centre approach is specifically designed to capture population data that reflects the wider UK demographic - helping to minimise bias in model development and ensuring Seluna’s technology can equitably serve children from all communities and backgrounds. Alex Lusty at Gabriel Investment Syndicate confirmed: “It’s been great to see the strong clinical engagement with the company’s ethical AI-based diagnostic pathway. We look forward to continuing to support Seluna as the company transitions to helping children in the UK and US." 80 per cent of childhood sleep apnoea cases go undiagnosed worldwide, and 96 million children are affected by sleep disorders. According to Angus Macfadyen, head of investment at STAC: "Seluna represents exactly the kind of investment opportunity STAC Invest is looking for — a world-class founding team tackling a significant global challenge with genuinely innovative technology.  There's a compelling commercial opportunity for a solution that delivers better patient outcomes while reducing healthcare costs.  Seluna has all the ingredients for international success: exceptional."  The company expects the validation studies to support Class I medical device classification in the UK by the end of 2026, enabling adoption across the NHS and private healthcare.  This will also lay the groundwork for international expansion, with Class II FDA approval in the United States targeted by the end of 2027. Lead image: Dr Yola Jones (L) and Dr Scott Black (R), co-founders of Seluna.

German cleantech startup everwave, known for its AI-driven approach to river waste collection, has secured new growth financing to scale its international operations, particularly in Southeast Asia, and deepen its impact in global waterway cleanup and plastic recovery. The Aachen-based company announced participation from Viessmann Generations Group as a strategic investor in the latest round, alongside KSK-Wagniskapital, existing shareholder SistaAct, and the European Social Innovation and Impact Fund. Early supporters capacura and NRW.BANK also remain on board. “This is the biggest round we ever did and will enable us to scale our operations globally. This is exactly what we need, because waste in rivers is not waiting for us,” said Clemens Feigl, CEO & Co-founder of everwave. Founded in 2018, everwave has developed a hybrid model of physical and digital infrastructure for cleaning waterways: waste collection boats, barrier systems, and manual teams, all supported by artificial intelligence for detecting, analysing, and mapping trash in rivers before it reaches the ocean. To date, everwave claims to have removed over two million kilograms of waste from rivers across Thailand, Cambodia, and Albania. The company not only focuses on extraction, but also on building local recycling infrastructure and raising awareness through education and employment, working directly with communities on the ground. “We are proud to welcome the Viessmann Generations Group and KSK-Wagniskapital GmbH as renowned investors in everwave,” said Feigl. “This is an important signal to the market right now, as sustainability is at risk of falling out of focus in many places. There is a need for more impact companies that develop concrete solutions for global challenges. This funding will enable us to significantly expand our international activities.” At the heart of everwave’s model is a certified plastic credit system, where each euro finances the removal of one kilogram of waste. This mechanism offers businesses a transparent and measurable way to reduce their plastic footprint, appealing to corporates under increasing pressure to meet ESG goals. The company is positioning itself within the growing market for impact-driven climate solutions, particularly in the intersection of waste management, circular economy, and water quality—sectors expected to see significant capital inflows over the next decade as governments and investors push for sustainable infrastructure. “Our investment in everwave is another milestone in our efforts to promote pioneering solutions with real ecological added value,” said Max Viessmann, CEO and President of Viessmann Generations Group. “Their practical and measurable approach to water purification not only reduces plastic waste, but also protects one of our most important resources: clean water. Together, we are transforming responsibility into concrete action and shaping living spaces for future generations.” With the new funding, everwave plans to launch further operations in Southeast Asia, a region where rivers like the Mekong and Chao Phraya are among the top contributors to ocean plastic pollution. The company also aims to solidify its leadership in Europe’s impact-tech ecosystem, as more startups pursue scalable solutions to climate and environmental challenges. The partnership with Viessmann is not just financial; it also aims to foster collaboration in scalable infrastructure and sustainable technology development, echoing a wider trend of industrial family offices entering the impact investment space.

Swedish board performance company BoardClic today announced that it has raised €1.65 million (SEK 19 million) through a new share issue.  By applying advanced analysis and algorithms, BoardClic helps boards maximise their effectiveness and increase company value over time. The platform is used today by more than 7,000 chairs and directors across 600 boards of regulated organisations, financial institutions, and investment firms in over 50 countries.  The company operates in the private equity sector, serves advisers and consultants, and works directly towards boards.  The round is led by Tom Nyman Holding AB and is backed by Hartung Capital and Subvenio Invest.  In connection with the capital raise, Christoffer Hartung has been appointed the new Chief Executive, and Tom Nyman has taken on the role of Chairman. “BoardClic is already changing how boards evaluate their work, and AI is the next natural step,” says Christoffer Hartung, Chief Executive Officer at BoardClic.    “AI models can provide boards with better decision support, smarter agendas and stronger board composition, increasing company value and creating real impact from AI.  Our technology is particularly valuable for the private equity sector, where the need to improve performance across several portfolio companies is crucial to maximising value creation.” “In a rapidly changing world, a board’s composition, dynamics, competence and ability to analyse and make decisions based on data are critical to corporate success. As a new investor, I am pleased to be part of developing the next‑generation platform which, with the help of AI, will take board performance to a completely new level,” says Tom Nyman. BoardClic expects to reach revenue and annual recurring revenue (ARR) of €2,7 million (SEK 30 million) in 2025, with half of the income coming from the United Kingdom, and to become profitable in the first half of 2026. The funding will support the continued development of BoardClic’s products, utilising AI, as well as the company’s overall growth. Lead image: Chair Tom Nyman, CEO Christoffer Hartung, and majority owner Monica Lagercrantz. Photo: uncredited. 

Cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike has announced its intent to acquire Onum, a Madrid-based telemetry pipeline platform based on proprietary in-memory architecture. The deal is designed to accelerate the development of Falcon Next-Gen SIEM, CrowdStrike’s AI-powered security information, by eliminating key data integration bottlenecks and enabling in-stream threat detection. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, but the acquisition reflects CrowdStrike’s ongoing strategy to build what it calls “the operating system of cybersecurity”—a platform-first approach that integrates endpoint security, identity protection, threat intelligence, and now, high-speed telemetry. “Our Next-Gen SIEM is the engine that powers the modern SOC, and data is the fuel that makes the engine run,” said George Kurtz, CEO and founder of CrowdStrike. “Onum is both a pipeline and a filter, which will stream high-quality, filtered data directly into the platform to drive autonomous cybersecurity at scale. This is how we stop breaches at the speed of AI while giving customers complete control over their entire data ecosystem – well beyond cybersecurity.” CrowdStrike’s Next-Gen SIEM—launched to take on legacy incumbents such as Splunk, IBM QRadar, and ArcSight—is already positioned as a foundational layer for enterprises aiming to adopt AI-driven Security Operations Centers (SOCs). However, one of the main adoption barriers has been the complexity of ingesting, filtering, and processing telemetry data at scale, especially across multi-cloud and hybrid environments. Onum has developed a stateless, in-memory telemetry architecture designed to ingest and analyse massive volumes of data in real time. “Onum was founded on the belief that pipelines should do more than transport data, they should transform data into real-time intelligence,” said Pedro Castillo, founder and CEO of Onum. “By joining CrowdStrike, we can deliver this vision at unprecedented scale to accelerate SOC transformation on a global scale.” By embedding detection mechanisms directly into the data pipeline, Onum allows threats to be identified before the data even enters the Falcon platform. CrowdStrike’s acquisition of Onum comes amid a larger shift in the security software landscape as enterprise buyers increasingly look for scalable, cloud-native SIEM solutions that can deliver results in real time. CrowdStrike, already a dominant force in endpoint protection and threat intelligence, has been pushing aggressively into this space with its Falcon platform, aiming to unify multiple security disciplines under one roof.

Multinational asset finance provider PEAC Solutions has announced the acquisition of Berlin-based fintech topi. Founded in 2021, topi offers a fully digital subscription and rental platform that enables retailers and manufacturers to offer IT hardware—such as laptops and smartphones—on flexible terms to business customers. The startup's API-driven tools are designed to integrate at the point of sale in e-commerce, telesales, or physical retail environments. By acquiring topi, PEAC Solutions aims to accelerate its digital transformation strategy while expanding its HaaS footprint, a segment gaining momentum as businesses increasingly opt for subscription models over traditional capital expenditures. "The continued transformation of our industry towards ‘as a service’ based subscription models is undeniable,” said William Stephenson, Global CEO of PEAC Solutions. “We are confident that this strategic acquisition of topi will be a massive differentiator for PEAC Solutions. It will allow us to deliver an innovative solution to our partners and customers, and it will play an integral role in the ambitious growth strategy that we have for the technology sector and other target markets.” While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, PEAC confirmed that topi will continue to operate from its Berlin headquarters, maintaining service to its existing customer base in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The company will now function as a subsidiary of PEAC Solutions. “We are excited to join the PEAC Solutions family,” said Charlotte Pallua, CEO and co-founder of topi. “By combining topi’s innovative and easy to use tools with PEAC Solution’s financial strength, specialized market knowledge and network, I am confident that we will deliver even more value to OEMs, resellers and business customers.” The acquisition comes amid growing interest in HaaS models, which allow companies to lease IT equipment with service and support bundled in—an appealing proposition in a business environment where flexibility, cost control, and technology refresh cycles are paramount. For PEAC Solutions, which operates across North America, Europe, and the UK, this acquisition adds another layer to its portfolio of financial products tailored to equipment manufacturers, resellers, and distributors. The company has been active in expanding its online financing suite and has signaled that tech-focused markets are a priority for future growth. The integration of topi’s technology is expected to enable PEAC to deliver embedded finance solutions at the point of sale, a growing trend as fintech and traditional finance converge. PEAC has indicated it will collaborate closely with OEMs and channel partners to roll out these tools globally. While topi will retain operational independence in the short term, the partnership provides the startup with access to PEAC’s global network and capital, potentially accelerating its growth beyond DACH and Benelux regions. Founded by Charlotte Pallua and Estelle Merle, topi has been part of a broader wave of European fintechs addressing inefficiencies in B2B financing, particularly in the SME and mid-market segments.

Data analysis has a problem. Most data today is presented through static charts and dashboards, but these often fall short when it comes to engaging audiences or guiding them toward clear insights. Complex datasets can overwhelm viewers and users without technical backgrounds, while disconnected visuals make it difficult to follow the story behind the numbers. Founded in Hungary, Vizzu aims to create tools that help people analyse data without needing spreadsheets or pivot tables — instead, they can “fiddle with charts” to understand what’s going on, and then build presentations to share. It’s designed to help teams (e.g., product, finance, strategy) present data clearly and persuasively in live settings, such as board meetings or investor updates. I spoke to co-founder and CEO Péter Vidos to learn more. Vizzu turns your data into a guided, animated story. According to Vidos, the old data paradigm is that you make a chart when you already know what you want to show. “You don’t visualise raw data — you visualise pre-aggregated, pivoted tables. Tools like Canva, Infogram, Flourish, or even Excel and Google Sheets are great for that. But with Vizzu, you drop in raw data, and then pivot, analyse, and explore it directly in the chart. Without animation, you lose track of what changed. That’s why we built our own visualisation engine — no existing library supported this." Vizzu co-founders András Kangyal and László Simon developed a general theory of chart morphing and built the engine that put this theory into practice. "In our world, every chart is essentially the same, just configured differently. That’s why you can smoothly animate between chart types,” explained Vidos. Image: Vizzu on screen. 13,000 signups, but retention challenges push Vizzu to rethink As a company, Vizzu has had an interesting journey, with some valuable lessons for early founders. After its first funding round in 2021, Vizzu built open-source coding interfaces around the engine — a JavaScript charting library and a Python wrapper. Using Vizzu, users could switch chart types, stack or unstack data, and vary the filter. For example, a user can upload a 10,000-row dataset of global sales. They can select “quantity sold” and see it aggregated by year. If they add “quarter,” they get quarterly data. “You’re exploring and combining data visually — and the tool saves every chart you generate. That becomes your presentation. Once you’re done, you just remove the irrelevant bits, and you’re ready to present, ” explained Vidos. Data scientists began using it to present their findings to non-technical audiences, which earned the founders speaking invitations at conferences. The open-source phase also attracted investor attention, leading to a $1.5 million round led by Interactive Venture Partners with participation from Two Sigma. The funding provided the resources to build a browser-based tool for non-technical users. However, the team released a free beta in 2024, and while it had over 13,000 registrations, Vidos admits that retention was lower than expected. “People found the paradigm shift — analysing raw data directly — harder than we thought. Some said, “I wish I had the data to use this,” even though they did. So we realised we needed to lower the barrier even further.” In response, Vizzu added GenAI features to automatically generate insights, highlight key points in charts, and enable users to generate charts from written prompts , as well as introduce templates. Vidos detailed: “For example, you can export your Uber history as a CSV, drop it in, and Vizzu automatically generates a story of your rides and spending. You can then filter by city, year, or month. It’s a UX-first approach: making it super easy for anyone to get immediate value.” Vizzu chooses transparency and trust in tough times Like all startups, Vizzu is not immune to the challenges of fundraising. Vidos admits that the company learned that traction alone isn’t enough — investors want revenue. “We couldn’t raise a new round under current conditions, so we had to shift. Some developers moved to part-time, and a few left, but we actually made more progress in refining UX in the past months than before. We’re now focusing on professional services — building custom data stories and presentations for clients — and pursuing OEM partnerships to integrate Vizzu into other platforms.” In turn, its investors provided support. Angels provided bridge funding, and US-based investors helped the team to secure paid projects. Vidos asserts, “The goal is to prove business value and generate revenue quickly, without being dependent on external funding.” Ultimately, transparency has been paramount during this process, with management displaying a level of integrity not always present in early-stage founders. Vidos explained: “We’ve always told the team openly about our runway, investor reactions, and challenges. That created trust and community — even ex-employees still come to company gatherings. We also refused an investor's demand to do sudden, harsh cuts without warning. We’d rather go down with integrity than compromise on values. It’s about respecting people and building long-term relationships.” Vidos admits that many founders treat themselves differently from their teams, but he sees all team members “in the same boat.” “If someone has to leave for personal reasons, like family, we part on good terms. For me, that’s more important than squeezing a few more months of work from someone without pay.” The challenge of building world-changing innovation from Eastern Europe Ultimately, Vizzu isn’t just incremental innovation. It’s a paradigm shift in how people work with data. Vidos believes this is harder to build from Eastern Europe, where ecosystems tend to favour incremental B2B efficiency tools. “But we believe we have a world-changing innovation at the core. Sometimes we’ve had to “hide” the groundbreaking nature behind simpler narratives — like “this is a storytelling tool for data scientists” — because that’s easier for investors to grasp. However, the potential is much greater, and we firmly believe in this approach, as do our investors and community. With the right support, Vizzu can fundamentally change how people explore, analyse, and communicate with data.”

Bristol-based biotechnology startup EnsiliTech has raised its second oversubscribed funding round, securing £4.5 million in seed funding to improve the way life-saving medicines are stored and transported globally. Today’s biopharmaceuticals depend on a 50-year-old global ‘cold chain’, an expensive, energy-intensive system of refrigeration and freezing for transport and storage. Failures in this system cost the pharmaceutical industry an estimated £26 billion each year. In developing countries, the WHO estimates that up to 50 per cent of vaccines are lost to cold chain breakdowns, leaving millions without access to essential treatments. EnsiliTech’s mission is to make therapeutics and biologics stable at room temperature, ensuring broader access, simplifying logistics, and reducing environmental impact. Its patented Ensilication technology preserves the integrity of vaccines, antibodies, and other biopharmaceuticals without the need for cold-chain storage, allowing medicines to withstand temperatures up to 50°C. This enables life-saving treatments to reach every corner of the globe, particularly underserved regions where reliable refrigeration remains a barrier to healthcare. Dr.Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech, explained:  Our mission is to ensure that life-saving medicines and vaccines reach everyone, everywhere, regardless of infrastructure or geography. By eliminating the need for refrigeration, our technology significantly reduces supply-chain costs and drug waste, while also lowering the environmental impact of pharmaceutical distribution. This investment is a major step forward for the team, and we’re thrilled to have the backing of partners who share our vision for a more equitable and sustainable future in global healthcare. Using Ensilication, tiny layers of an inorganic material are applied to the biological material, rendering it stable outside the fridge or freezer. The technology utilises silica, the material from which sand is made, to create an individual, tailored protective coat around the active ingredient. These cages keep the biological material intact, meaning its properties won’t change regardless of variations in outside temperature or humidity. Silica is biocompatible, inert and cheap. When the vaccine or other biological material is ready to be administered, the silica cage cracks open and falls away, leaving the active ingredient in its pure, fully functional form. The round was led by Eos Advisory and followed on by Calculus Capital with participation from Empirical Ventures, Fink Family Office, QantX, Angel Investors Bristol (AIB), HERmesa, Penn Park Capital, chANGELS, and other individual angel investors. Anne Muir, Director of Portfolio at Eos, said: EnsiliTech has the technology to transform how vaccines and other therapeutics are transported and stored. Reducing wastage, reducing cost and vastly improving health outcomes across the globe, this kind of science and this scale of potential sits at the core of our investment thesis at Eos. Elizabeth Klein-Edmonds, Investment Director at Calculus, expressed excitement about backing EnsiliTech at this key stage of growth, noting that the company’s patented and highly differentiated platform is already showing strong commercial momentum. She added: The potential applications for vaccines and antibody treatments are transformative, with the ability to improve accessibility and enhance patient care across global health systems. We look forward to collaborating with Asel and her talented team, whose deep market understanding, and expertise position them for exceptional success. According to Johnathan Matlock, Co-founder of Empirical Ventures, EnsiliTech reflects their evidence-based approach, having advanced from academic publication to licensing talks in just three years while steadily reducing technical, regulatory, and commercial risks. He shared: We believe EnsiliTech has the potential to become the category leader in biologics thermostabilisation, unlocking new global markets for vaccines, mRNA therapies, and antibodies. Our conviction is grounded in data: demonstrated technical efficacy, early in vivo safety validation, and live commercial negotiations with billion-euro pharma partners. This is an investment where we see the opportunity for both strong financial returns and significant global health impact. The funding will speed up proof-of-concept adoption for both existing and new biopharmaceuticals by expanding capacity through new hires and upgraded infrastructure. It will also fund critical validation studies needed to embed Ensilication into pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. EnsiliTech is led by a predominantly female leadership and R&D team, underscoring its commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and scientific excellence. This strong female-led approach also attracted investment from HERmesa, an investor focused exclusively on backing female-led businesses.

A London-based startup, which claims to have developed AI-powered tech which can forecast world events, has come out of stealth, following a $4m pre-seed funding.Called Mantic, the startup’s pre-seed funding round was led by London-based early stage VC Episode 1, with participation from VC tech investor DRW and several angel investors.Mantic was founded by former Google DeepMind researcher Toby Shevlane and Ben Day, who holds a machine learning PHD from Cambridge University.Mantic claims its tech can undertake what it is calling “judgmental forecasting”. It says its tech can rival elite superforecasters, individuals who are adept at using statistics to predict events.“Mantic are building a cutting-edge AI system that can predict the complex world of human affairs,” the startup says.The press release talks about its tech being helpful to business and political leaders, helping forecast events like supply chain disruptions, geopolitical shocks to predicting competitor moves.Mantic says: "In the past, purely data-driven approaches to prediction in human affairs have not worked because both flexible reasoning and research are required to provide the most accurate prediction of the future.  “Mantic is building a cutting-edge AI system that can predict the complex world of human affairs. Delivering these predictions at industrial scale will transform the quality of decision-making across business and policy.”Mantic appears to be tapping into the popularity of prediction market players like Polymarket and Kalshi, which it mentions in its blog post.

Fueled by a growing startup scene, targeted government support, and increasing international visibility, the country is carving out its role in the European tech landscape. In 2024, the European Innovation Scoreboard ranked Slovakia as an “Emerging Innovator,” placing 28th overall with a score equal to 65 per cent of the EU average. The country shows particular strength in tech exports and innovation-driven sales, although it continues to face challenges in R&D investment and design-driven innovation. According to the Global Innovation Index 2024, Slovakia ranks 46th globally, performing better in innovation outputs (44th) than inputs (52nd). Its globally competitive high-tech manufacturing and export sectors remain key pillars of its innovation performance. Bratislava and Košice are emerging as regional tech hubs, home to a new wave of startups in AI, fintech, gaming, and automation. With increased attention from investors and support from both public and private stakeholders, Slovakia is well-positioned to strengthen its presence on the European tech map. These Slovak tech companies are ones to follow in 2025. Amount raised in 2024: $28M CloudTalk is an AI-powered cloud communication platform designed to help sales and support teams deliver smarter, more efficient customer interactions. Founded in 2016 in Bratislava, the company offers advanced features such as smart dialers, speech recognition, call summarisation, automated note-taking, and sentiment analysis. CloudTalk serves over 4,000 customer-facing teams in more than 100 countries and has powered over 400 million customer conversations. It's flexible, scalable software integrates seamlessly with CRMs and business tools, making it a go-to solution for modern contact centres and remote teams worldwide. In 2024, CloudTalk raised $28 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to $36.7 million. Amount raised in 2024: $12M Brightpick is an AI robotics company revolutionising warehouse automation with its Autopicker, the world’s first commercially available autonomous mobile picking robot. Founded in 2021 in Bratislava, Brightpick develops multi-purpose AI robots that automate virtually every aspect of order fulfilment, from picking and buffering to sorting and dispatch, operating 24/7 without fixed infrastructure. At the core of the system is Brightpick Intuition, a sophisticated AI orchestrator that creates a real-time digital twin of warehouse operations. It intelligently plans robot paths, optimises inventory placement, and provides live performance insights, all delivered via intuitive dashboards. In 2024, Brightpick raised $12 million in a mix of equity and debt. Amount raised in 2024: €7.5M Powerful Medical is transforming medical diagnostics through its AI-powered solutions, with a focus on enhancing the detection of cardiovascular diseases. Its certified PMcardio platform delivers fast, accurate diagnostics to support better clinical decision-making. Designed for instant ECG interpretation, PMcardio identifies over 40 cardiac conditions, including hidden heart attacks (STEMI equivalents) and left ventricular ejection fraction declines, via smartphone-scanned or uploaded 12-lead ECG images. Clinicians benefit from explainability heatmaps, rapid assessments, and second opinion support, enhancing diagnostic confidence at the point of care. The company is committed to reducing the global burden of heart disease and raising the standard of patient care worldwide. In 2024, Powerful Medical secured €7.5 million in EIC funding to support its mission of transforming heart attack diagnostics. Amount raised in 2024: $1.2M SuperScale is a game business analytics company that empowers studios to manage their entire operations from a single, integrated platform. Their flagship product, SuperPlatform, consolidates data from over 40 sources, including marketing, product, and finance, into a unified, AI-powered dashboard, providing real-time, trustworthy business insights. Launched in August 2024, SuperPlatform has already gained traction, with 60 studios relying on it to streamline decision-making across their organisations. A standout feature, the Command Center, enables gaming executives and investors to simulate strategy shifts and implement them confidently, from indie studios optimising short-term cash flow to larger publishers aiming to boost first-year profits. SuperScale raised $1.2 million in 2024 to support the launch of SuperPlatform. Amount raised in 2024: €1M CloseRocket is an AI-powered B2B sales platform. It enables companies to build and manage global sales teams by connecting them with top sales talent, streamlining onboarding, and providing AI-enhanced tools for strategy and reporting. The platform currently supports businesses with monthly revenue streams and has expanded sales operations efficiently across markets. CloseRocket closed a €1 million seed round in early 2024 to support its continued growth and platform development. Amount raised in 2024: €500K Elv.ai is a startup specialising in AI-powered content moderation. Born out of a communications agency’s response to hybrid warfare and rising misinformation, Elv.ai employs a blend of artificial intelligence and human oversight to monitor social media, swiftly detect signifiers of hate speech, fake profiles, and disinformation, and ensure cleaner digital discourse. Since its launch in March 2022, the platform has screened millions of comments, effectively flagging and addressing harmful content for media outlets and public institutions in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Elv.ai raised €500,000 in a seed round, enabling its expansion into other European markets.

ChatGPT developer OpenAI has launched an online centralised hub for startups, as it ramps up its offering for early-stage businesses in Europe and beyond. The hub effectively puts under one roof OpenAI’s offering to startups.Marc Manara, head of startups, OpenAI, said: “OpenAI for startups has a new home. Tons of great resources for startups building with OpenAI APIs and more coming.”The hub includes details of how OpenAI partners with founders, the resources it offers them, as well as being a hub where founders can buy ChatGPT credits, so they can potentially get access to advanced features and tools. Startups can also sign up for a dedicated newsletter and get details of OpenAI events from the hub.Resources include live virtual sessions covering the APIs and models founders use most and "reinforcement fine-tuning"; "cookbooks", which include “open-source how-tos” and prompting guides; and guides on areas such as building agents.European businesses which work with OpenAI, which earlier this month said it was on track to hit 700m weekly active users, include Klarna, Legora and Photoroom. Laura Modiano, head of startups, EMEA, has previously spoken about how OpenAI works with Euroepean startups.

Breaking into new renewable energy markets is notoriously slow and expensive. Developers, investors, and suppliers often spend weeks — and thousands of euros — hiring consultants just to answer basic questions: Who are the active players? What projects are underway? Which regulations or funding schemes apply?  In a sector where opportunities move fast and competition is global, relying on outdated reports and manual research leaves companies at a disadvantage. Launched publicly in May 2025, Greenvi AI is a Ukrainian startup developing an AI-powered SaaS platform that provides renewable energy professionals with instant, tailored market intelligence, research, and project assessments across Europe and the US. It aims to eliminate the need for consultants by helping companies discover relevant projects, partners, or customers on demand.  Designed for developers, investors, EPCs, and suppliers, it delivers insights on solar, wind, hydrogen, biofuels, storage, regulations, and funding opportunities in minutes instead of weeks.  I spoke to CEO Stanislav Masevych to learn more.  How a career in solar and wind led to building Greenvi AI Masevych has worked in the energy and tech industries for about 10 years, collaborating with a range of international companies building solar and wind power plants, as well as working on energy-focused AI technologies. His last role was with a US company that engineered solar, wind, and battery energy storage systems worldwide. While doing that, he felt the pain point of trying to access market insights in new geographies.  “Let’s say a US company wants to understand what’s happening in the Spanish solar energy market in real time. Normally, they’d have to hire a consultant, pay high costs, and wait weeks to get a basic overview—like recent projects, market players, regulations, pricing, and so on. I experienced this first-hand. These manual routines were time-consuming and costly. That’s what led me to the idea behind Greenvi AI.” The value of customer research  But before building anything, the team interviewed around 25 potential customers to validate the idea. This not only validated the business idea but expanded the startup’s potential customer base.  “We wanted to know: is this something people actually need? We consistently heard, ‘Yes — it would be incredibly helpful to have easy access to new renewable energy markets, especially with real-time updates, ’” shared Masevych. "People wanted to be able to say, 'What’s new in Spain, the UK, Portugal? '— and then reach out to those projects, whether for engineering services, equipment sales, investment opportunities, or partnerships. That became our starting point.” Fast gaining traction with a competitive advantage Greenvi AI launched publicly at the beginning of May this year. The company has early-paying clients in the US, EU, and Ukraine, and offers subscription plans starting around $45/month.  In terms of competitors, while BloombergNEF is widely used, its media-based platform produces good analytics and reports, but not personalised or interactive experiences. By comparison, Aurora Energy Research offers PDF-based reports and data tools, but again, not with the AI-powered personalisation Greenevi is building. “We want to offer something more dynamic, contextual, and workflow-integrated — driven by actual user needs,” said Masevych.  Right now, Greenvi AI is targeting small to medium-sized renewable energy companies. But as it builds more advanced features — especially things like AI-driven business model generation — it will expand toward enterprise customers who are willing to pay higher subscription fees. Masevych recounts, “That’s part of our plan: start lean, validate demand, and scale toward higher-value contracts.” Making renewable projects discoverable The platform works with publicly available web data, using customised LLM agents and workflows to parse and structure the data intelligently. However, the next step is enabling customers to upload their own documents — such as PDF portfolios, project plans, or investment decks. Users will be able to choose whether to keep this information private or share it publicly.  For instance, an early-stage developer in Portugal could upload a solar project plan and make it visible to potential investors. A US firm searching the platform for early-stage solar projects in Europe would then discover it. The system would analyse the submission, highlight it to relevant users, and provide context along with contact options. “We’re a small team now, but with funding, we can scale that capability. Thanks to modern AI tools, even small teams can now build products that would’ve taken 50 developers three years ago. It’s a great time to be building.” It's a great opportunity for the European energy ecosystem. According to Masevych, US clients are actively tracking projects in Spain, Portugal, and Italy through our platform. Others are interested in Central and Eastern Europe for battery storage. The company is establishing a presence in the UK and aims to form partnerships with national renewable energy associations in each country, enabling it to reach hundreds of companies quickly. The company has raised €25,000 through a non-dilutive grant from the EU's "Seeds of Bravery" program, which supports Ukrainian founders. The startup has also won another grant program, with results expected to be announced soon.