Valencia’s Highlight Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of next-generation immunotherapies, has raised €15 million aimed at strengthening their position in the treatment of skin tumours and accelerating its clinical development plan.

The funds were raised in part by Buenavista Equity Partners, through its specialised fund BV Healthcare Growth Innvierte I (BHG I), created in collaboration with Columbus Venture Partners.

Marisol Quintero, CEO of Highlight Therapeutics, said: “Buenavista’s investment enables us to strengthen our team and consolidate our position as a leading company in the development of treatments for skin tumours.” 

Founded in 2013, Highlight Therapeutics is a BioTech company specialising in immuno-oncology, focused on developing innovative cancer therapies. Its investigational compound, BO-112, is a double-stranded RNA immunotherapy allegedly capable of powerfully activating the immune system and enhancing the response to tumours.

In collaboration with the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), the company is conducting clinical trials in various hospitals.

Buenavista’s investment will enable Highlight to advance its lead compound, BO-112, which is currently in a Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma – the most common cancer, with over six million cases across the EU and the US. The treatment has reportedly already demonstrated efficacy against aggressive melanoma tumours, and the current study will allow its use to be extended to other tumour types.

BO-112, a derivative of BO-110, is a compound discovered in 2009 by Marisol Soengas’s group at the CNIO and represents the institution’s first oncology candidate to reach clinical studies in patients. The compound works by mimicking a viral infection, activating the immune system to target tumour cells across various types of cancer, including those resistant to immunotherapy.

The company is also announcing the appointment of Abel Riera, who has extensive experience in Business Development and M&A, as Chief Business Officer as part of its strategy to reinforce its executive team, with plans of further additions in the near future.

Nuria Osés, Managing Partner of Healthcare Growth at Buenavista, commented: “Highlight’s strategy is fully aligned with BHG I’s vision of supporting therapies with high transformative potential, a strong scientific foundation, and a clear focus on specific medical needs. Its collaboration with leading institutions such as the CNIO and its commitment to developing accessible treatments further strengthen the project’s credentials. We are very excited to support them in this new phase.”

The transaction announced today marks the third investment by the BV Healthcare Growth Innvierte I fund, following its participation in Syngoi, a CDMO specialised in synthetic DNA manufacturing, and Quibim, a pioneer in transforming precision medicine through imaging biomarkers powered by artificial intelligence

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Enhanced Genomics, a British BioTech company innovating 3D multi-omics to rapidly identify high-confidence, genetically validated drug targets for common diseases, today announced it has completed a financing round, extending its total Series A funding to €16 million.

Investors in this latest funding are BGF, Parkwalk and Meltwind.

“Our Founders have led the field by developing technology to map 3D interactions on a whole-genome scale, and integrating these data with comprehensive multi-omics datasets. We now have the technological capabilities to decipher the causal biology that drives complex and common genetic diseases, with the potential to develop truly effective new blockbuster therapies.” said Dietrich A. Stephan, Ph.D., Chair, Enhanced Genomics.

Founded in 2020, Enhanced Genomics claims to be the only BioTech company able to define causal biology from disease-associated variants on a genome-wide scale, enabling the rapid identification of new, high-confidence, first-in-class therapeutic targets for common diseases, with blockbuster potential.

Unlocking decades worth of genetic data and providing unparalleled validation via its proprietary 3D multi-omics platform and data-rich human cell type-specific atlas, the Company is able to expedite drug discovery and precision medicine.

Enhanced’s 3D multi-omics platform is the only genome-wide, hypothesis-free technology able to translate massive amounts of disease-associated variant data into causal biology on a cell-type-specific basis. According to the company, this approach supports both target prioritisation, more than doubling the probability of success, and target identification, vastly increasing the number of novel disease targets that can be identified, more efficiently and in a fraction of the time previously possible.

It also allows the stratification of patients into responder groups to improve and accelerate clinical trials. 

“This puts us in a strong position to lead the next major shift in pharma. When developing a novel approach to drug discovery, clarity of thought and courage are required to build deep conviction, and we are proud to have built a team that embodies this. We thank our investors for continuing to support our vision,” added Stephan.

The funding will be used to expand Enhanced’s internal therapeutic pipeline in common diseases, including autoimmune conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. The latest investment will enable the Company to scale its output through strategic partnerships with pharma and biotech, leveraging novel target identification and asset-based opportunities to drive long-term growth.

By translating massive amounts of disease-associated data into actionable insights, Enhanced is identifying high confidence targets with strong genetic evidence of causality, increasing the probability of success in pharmaceutical development, and in a fraction of the time and cost previously possible.

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Workday, the enterprise AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sana, a Stockholm AI company building the next generation of enterprise knowledge tools. Since its founding in 2016, Sana has developed intuitive workplace tools that elevate humans with AI.

Sana’s core products, Sana Learn and Sana Agents, have already served over one million users across hundreds of enterprises. In addition to powering a new Workday experience, Sana will continue to develop Sana Learn and Sana Agents. As part of Workday, Sana will be able to accelerate its growth and deliver even more innovation to its customers at scale.

“Sana’s team, AI-native approach, and beautiful design perfectly align with our vision to reimagine the future of work,” said Gerrit Kazmaier, president, Product & Technology at Workday.  

“This will make Workday the new front door for work, delivering a proactive, personalised, and intelligent experience that unlocks unmatched AI capabilities for the workplace.”

“Our focus has always been on creating intuitive AI tools that improve how people learn and work,” said Joel Hellermark, founder and CEO of Sana.  

“I’m excited to bring these tools to 75 million Workday users and partner with Workday’s iconic team to launch a new era of superintelligence for work.”

With Sana, Workday will create the work experience of the future, where enterprise knowledge, data and actions converge into one. Leveraging Workday’s unique data and context around people and money — as well as a rich ecosystem of builders and partners — the employee experience will become personalised and proactive, better anticipating employee needs based on their role, team, and projects. 

For example, hiring managers will be able to generate tailored dashboards to monitor their live recruitment pipeline, automate the end-to-end performance review process, and receive proactive suggestions on onboarding new hires based on real-time performance data.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of Workday’s fiscal year 2026, ending January 31, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Early-stage investment firm Anthemis and Cambridge AI Venture Partners (CAIVP), as well as a team comprised of industry experts Sir Andy Hopper, Prof Rob Mullins, Dr Gavin Ferris and Mike Halsall, today announce the launch of CommonAI, a collaborative engineering and computing platform for AI-enabled start-ups, enterprises, engineers, academics and investors.

CommonAI combines the deep AI knowledge of CAIVP with the investment expertise of Anthemis to turbocharge the UK and European AI innovation ecosystem. 

It seeks to tackle the key challenges and barriers startups and enterprises face, allowing them to innovate safely and cost-effectively, reduce their reliance on Big Tech and secure the strategic investment critical to seizing the AI growth opportunity.

Through CommonAI membership, AI-enabled start-ups and enterprises will gain access to world-class IP, including models, weights, framework software, training data and hardware designs, while also gaining affordable access to critical GPU resources.

Together, these capabilities will allow UK and European businesses to develop AI-enabled propositions that can successfully compete at a global scale.

At the heart of the initiative is a non-profit engineering organisation – Common AI CIC – a UK community interest company that will co-develop foundational AI IP in partnership with its members.  The platform additionally provides access to CommonAI Compute Ltd – a facilitator of cost-effective GPU resource. 

Both entities will be underpinned by a shared Digital Commons repository, providing world-class resources to ecosystem members under time embargo.

According to Dr Gavin Ferris, CEO, CommonAI CIC, increasingly, AI startups and SMEs find themselves unable to assemble the computing power, technology and strategic resources necessary to successfully compete on the world stage:

“CommonAI’s innovation platform, shared IP and industry expertise will play a critical role in levelling this playing field, unlocking new growth opportunities and protecting the long-term economic future of both the UK and Europe.

‘Structuring and governing our engineering organisation as an unconflicted Community Interest Company (CIC) ensures that the interests of our members are protected while encouraging collaboration and maximising the potential of the UK AI ecosystem.’

Sir Andy Hopper, Board Chair, CommonAI CIC contends that with Big Tech’s dominance over large-scale AI models and infrastructure, startups are being denied access to this burgeoning opportunity – and even larger enterprises face the challenge of balancing their innovation agenda with the resources required to power their core business:

“By enabling ‘Virtual BigCos’ and unleashing the latent power of our entrepreneurs – and working in partnership with leading engineering talent, research institutions and universities – businesses of all scales in our economy can access the capabilities and expertise they need to thrive on the global stage.”

Following the launch of the CommonAI platform, Anthemis intends to raise a “High Assurance AI” fund to invest in UK and European startups that are applying AI in highly regulated and complex industries such as financial services, healthcare, critical infrastructure and defence. 

This is the first in a planned series of CommonAI-branded funds that aim to extend the traditional VC offering by providing portfolio companies access not only to capital but also to the transformative technology support of the foundational CommonAI platform.

According to Anthemis Founder and Group CEO, Amy Nauiokas, the platform offers a space around which stakeholders can coalesce to deliver meaningful impact. 

“We are building an AI ecosystem to drive forward action – one that clears the barriers to accessing the opportunities presented by a new wave of innovation and combines deep expertise, cutting-edge technology, cheaper compute and access to smart, supportive capital.

Getting this right is critical to the UK and Europe’s economic future and we’re excited about the prospect of working alongside our partners and members to build the next generation of industry champions.’

Romanian-founded startup DRUID AI today announced it has secured $31 million in Series C financing to advance the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO, Joseph Kim. 

DRUID AI is an end-to-end enterprise agentic AI platform that enables rapid development and deployment of AI Agents to automate business processes and enhance access to enterprise knowledge.

DRUID Agents deliver personalised, secure, and omnichannel experiences while seamlessly integrating with existing systems, apps, and RPA technologies—empowering businesses to operate smarter, faster, and more efficiently. Founded in 2018, DRUID AI has powered over one billion conversations across more than 4,000 AI Agents and supports 300+ clients globally.

“This investment is both a testament to DRUID AI’s success and a catalyst to elevate businesses globally through the power of agentic AI,” said Kim. 

“Customer success is what it’s all about, and delivering real business outcomes requires understanding companies’ pain points and introducing innovations that help those customers address their complex challenges.

That’s the DRUID AI way, and now we’re bringing it to the world through this new phase of global growth.”

Cipio Partners led the investment, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures.

Roland Dennert, managing partner at Cipio Partners, explained:

“DRUID AI aligns perfectly with our investment strategy – offering a differentiated, AI-based product in a vast and rapidly growing market. 

Our investment will help accelerate DRUID AI’s expansion into the US and elsewhere, fuel further technological advancements, and strengthen its position as a global leader in enterprise AI solutions.” 

Kim has more than two decades of operating executive experience in application, infrastructure, and security industries. Most recently, he was CEO of Sumo Logic. He serves on the boards of directors of SmartBear and Andela. In addition, he was a senior operating partner at private equity firm Francisco Partners, CPTO at Citrix, SolarWinds, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and chief architect at GE.

DRUID AI is trusted by more than 300 global clients across banking, financial services, government, healthcare, higher education, manufacturing, retail, and telecommunications. Leading organisations such as AXA Insurance, Carrefour, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Georgia Southern University, Kmart Australia, Liberty Global Group, MatrixCare, National Health Service, and Orange Auchan have adopted DRUID AI to redefine the way they operate.

Genoskin, a Contract Research Organisation (CRO) developing ex vivo human skin platforms capable of testing injected drugs and implanted medical devices, today announces it has raised $8.7 million in its first funding round.

Genoskin provides a scalable and sustainable alternative to animal testing.

By leveraging donated human skin and its proprietary preservation technology, the company provides live immunocompetent *ex vivo *platforms that remain viable for up to seven days post-surgery, enabling more predictive, human-relevant testing than traditional animal or engineered models. 

The models generate large-scale datasets through multiomics approaches, which are further analysed using AI and advanced bioinformatics to deliver meaningful insights into the toxicity and efficacy of tested products in humans. 

Backed by a robust IP portfolio, an established tissue sourcing network and a proven scalable service model, Genoskin’s solutions deliver translational human-relevant insights that improve predictability and regulatory acceptance. 

This combination gives Genoskin a unique competitive advantage in supplying biopharma, cosmetics and cell and gene companies with models that reflect human physiology, especially for skin-related delivery routes such as injectables, including vaccines and topically administered therapeutics.

OCCTE (FPCI Occidev Impacts) led the investment round, alongside Captech Santé, GSO Innovation and CA Toulouse 31 Initiatives. It includes 5.4 million in equity investment and with $3.3 million (€3M) in non-dilutive financing in structured bank debt, provided by Bpifrance and local banking partners: BNP Paribas, Caisse d’Epargne Midi-Pyrénées and Crédit Agricole.

“As a company built on ethical innovation, we are proud to offer sustainable, human-relevant alternatives to animal testing. This investment validates our strategy and reinforces our position as a leader in predictive immunotoxicology using live human skin models,” said Pascal Descargues, Ph.D., CEO of Genoskin.  

“With the support of our investors, Genoskin is well-positioned to drive meaningful change in how biotherapies are developed, ultimately bringing safer treatments to patients worldwide.”

“We are proud to support Genoskin, a company that perfectly embodies our mission to invest in local innovators delivering sustainable solutions with global reach. Genoskin’s technology offers an ethical, scalable alternative to animal testing and pursues a growth strategy that aligns strongly with our values of economic resilience and scientific impact,” said Julien Gomis, managing partner at OCCTE. “

Captech Santé is pleased to contribute to the financing of Genoskin, a company capable of setting new global standards in the development of injectable drugs and that already counts most major global pharmaceutical companies among its clients,” added Alexandre Demailly, investor at Captech Santé. As part of this round, Genoskin welcomes to its Board of Directors: Julien Gomis (OCCTE), Alexandre Demailly (Captech Santé), Emmanuelle Ostiari (OCCTE), and Anaïs Raluy (GSO/CAT31i).

The financing will drive Genoskin’s next phase of growth and support further staff recruitment, with a view to doubling the size of the company within the next three years and to expanding Genoskin’s commercial presence in key global markets. This will include new strategic hires in Europe and Asia by 2026.

Genoskin plans to launch new immune-centric service offerings by 2027 and strengthen its scientific and regulatory leadership with the development of biosimulation platforms and novel human immune models to reduce reliance on animal testing.

Genoskin will also scale up operations through industrial automation and increased production capacity in both the US and France, by moving into its two updated and expanded facilities - in Salem, MA, in 2026 and in Toulouse, France, in 2027. This will double the production of skin models and launch the production of fresh human primary mast cells for next-day delivery in the US.

Lead image: Freepik.

Bucharest-based DRUID AI today announced it has secured €26 million in Series C financing to advance the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO, Joseph Kim.

The strategic investment – which will advance DRUID AI’s mission to empower companies to create, manage, and orchestrate conversational AI agents – was led by Cipio Partners, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures.

“This investment is both a testament to DRUID AI’s success and a catalyst to elevate businesses globally through the power of agentic AI,” said Joseph Kim. “Customer success is what it’s all about, and delivering real business outcomes requires understanding companies’ pain points and introducing innovations that help those customers address their complex challenges. That’s the DRUID AI way, and now we’re bringing it to the world through this new phase of global growth.”

Founded in 2018, DRUID AI is an end-to-end enterprise agentic AI platform that enables rapid development and deployment of AI Agents to automate business processes and enhance access to enterprise knowledge. It has reportedly powered over one billion conversations across more than 4,000 AI Agents and supports 300+ clients globally.

With expertise in banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), DRUID AI serves industry leaders such as Liberty Global, AXA, Auchan, Muller Medien, and BCR – Erste Group.

In parallel, DRUID AI delivers solutions across education, healthcare, higher education, retail, and telecom for global brands including Carrefour, NHS, Orange, and Kmart Australia.

Roland Dennert, managing partner at Cipio Partners, a premier global venture capital fund, explained: “At Cipio Partners, we focus on supporting growth-stage technology companies that have achieved product-market fit and are ready to scale. DRUID AI aligns perfectly with our investment strategy – offering a differentiated, AI-based product in a vast and rapidly growing market.

“Our investment will help accelerate DRUID AI’s expansion into the U.S. and elsewhere, fuel further technological advancements, and strengthen its position as a global leader in enterprise AI solutions. We are excited to partner with DRUID AI on its journey and look forward to supporting the company in shaping the future of enterprise AI-driven interactions.”

The appointment of Kim as CEO and the new funding come on the heels of DRUID AI earning a Challenger spot in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Conversational AI Platforms for 2025.

In 2024, DRUID AI grew ARR 2.7x year-over-year. Its platform has powered morethan 1 billion conversations across thousands of agents. In addition, the DRUID AI global partner ecosystem has attracted industry giants Microsoft, Genpact, Cognizant, and Accenture.

DRUID AI Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Andreea Plesea, who had been interim CEO, commented: “I am delighted Joseph is taking the reins as CEO to drive our next level of growth. His commitment to customer success and developing the exact solutions customers need is in total sync with the approach that has fueled our progress and positioned us to raise new funds. Joseph and the Series C set up DRUID AI and our clients for expanded innovation and impact.”

Powered by advanced agentic AI and driven by the DRUID Conductor, its core orchestration engine, the DRUID platform aims to enable businesses to deploy AI agents and intelligent apps that streamline processes, integrate with existing systems, and fulfil complex requests efficiently. DRUID AI’s end-to-end platform allegedly delivers 98% first response accuracy.

“At Georgia Southern, we recognised that to truly meet the needs of today’s digital native students, we needed to offer dynamic and accurate real-time support that would solve their issues on the spot,” said Ashlea Anderson, CIO at Georgia Southern University. “By leveraging DRUID AI’s platform, we’ve created personalised and intuitive experiences to support students throughout their academic journeys, increasing enrollment and student retention. The result is a more efficient, connected campus where students feel supported, engaged, and better positioned to succeed.”

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SEON, a Hungarian-American software provider focused on fraud prevention and AML compliance, has announced the close of its $80 million Series C round. The investment was led by Sixth Street Growth with participation from existing investors IVP, Creandum and Firebolt, and new investors including Hearst.

This round brings SEON’s total funding to $187 million and accelerates adoption in North America alongside further global expansion. SEON will advance its AI-powered product development and support strategic talent acquisition.

SEON’s fraud prevention solution analyses customer interactions daily for key fraud indicators. SEON’s platform enables customer onboarding, scalable compliance and advanced fraud prevention via its API.

"Our mission has always been clear: to enable companies to prevent fraud without impeding legitimate growth," said Tamas Kadar, Co-founder and CEO at SEON. "This investment allows us to continue serving the critical market need for fraud prevention and AML solutions that can scale at the speed of modern digital commerce. With global fraud losses exceeding billions annually, we are tackling a fundamental challenge facing businesses worldwide."

The startup's customers include Revolut, Plaid, Nubank, Afterpay, Spotify and Entain. As part of the investment, Michael Bauer, Managing Director, Sixth Street Growth, will join SEON's Board of Directors and Claire Zhang, Principal, Sixth Street Growth, will serve as a Board Observer.

"Fraud is growing at an unprecedented pace in the age of AI, and businesses need better defenses. SEON has built a command center for fraud prevention and AML compliance that empowers organisations to combat bad actors without impeding real customer transactions," said Bauer.

As fraud tactics become increasingly sophisticated and regulatory requirements intensify globally, there is a rising enterprise demand for unified solutions.

German-based BIOWEG, a company developing high-performance, biodegradable ingredients to replace intentionally added acrylic polymer based microplastics, has closed a €16 million Series A round.

The round was led by Axeleo Capital - Green Tech Industry Fund, joined by the EIC Fund, NBank Capital, BonVenture, and seed investor Dr.-Ing. Frank Jenner.

To date, BIOWEG has raised €22 million to accelerate market entry and expand its footprint across Europe.

Founded in 2019 by Dr. Prateek Mahalwar and Srinivas Karuturi, BIOWEG utilises precision fermentation to convert food-industry byproducts into bacterial cellulose, which is refined using green chemistry into drop-in alternatives to fossil-based polymers. The company operates a pilot production facility in Quakenbrück with a capacity of up to six tonnes, alongside a material science, formulation, and applications lab on Bayer Crop Science’s campus in Monheim.

As Europe phases out intentionally added fossil-based microplastics, supply chains in the personal care, home care, pharmaceutical, and agricultural sectors are undergoing rapid change. Companies now require compliant, high-performance ingredients manufactured at scale within the EU, a demand BIOWEG is uniquely positioned to meet while enabling straightforward reformulation.

To support this transition, BIOWEG is designing a new plant that will scale from its current 6,000-litre fermentation capacity to large-volume production. Co-located with a major sugar producer in Germany, the facility will leverage feedstock synergies and reduce operating costs. Meanwhile, the company will upgrade its Quakenbrück pilot line to serve near-term customer orders during construction and expand its commercial, regulatory, and production teams to accelerate growth across the European market.

Dr Prateek Mahalwar, Co-founder and CEO of BIOWEG, shared:

Today’s funding allows us to move decisively into industrial manufacturing and to support customers as they transition away from microplastics. Our focus is on matching and expanding polymer-level performance with bio-based, biodegradable ingredients produced at European scale.

The newly secured funding will drive scale-up, commercialisation, and the construction of BIOWEG’s first-of-its-kind bacterial cellulose plant in Germany. This step marks the transition from pilot to industrial production and positions the company to meet rising demand from industrial customers for sustainable, microplastics-free ingredients.

Sympower, a Dutch independent flexibility services provider, has secured €19 million in funding to further roll out its battery storage (BESS) optimisation solutions and purse additional M&As – this is an extension of Sympower’s Series B1 funding, bringing the total round to €42 million.

This investment comes from pension investor PGGM, investing on behalf of PFZW, the Dutch healthcare pension scheme. Sympower is also supported by other impact investors, including A&G Energy Transition Tech Fund, Activate Capital, Rubio Impact Ventures, PDENH, and Expon Capital.

“This strategic investment allows us to unlock the next phase of our BESS vision and unlock new acquisition opportunities to strengthen our offering,” explained Simon Bushell, Founder and CEO of Sympower. “Having PGGM on board is a powerful vote of confidence from one of Europe’s most respected institutional investors. Their long-term, impact-driven investment approach is deeply aligned with our mission to build a more sustainable and resilient energy system.”

Sympower aims to accelerate Europe’s transition towards a climate-neutral future by helping to build smarter, cleaner, renewable energy systems. The company’s platform, built from the ground up, reportedly balances the supply and demand of electricity across European energy networks.

Founded in 2015, Sympower has over 200 employees active in more than ten countries and manages over 2.7 GW of flexible distributed energy assets. The company counts with a portfolio of over 170 industrial and commercial customers, who operate in a wide range of energy-intensive industries, including paper and pulp, greenhouse, data centres and wood mills, allowing us to unlock the flexibility of electrical assets and processes.

This latest investment marks a pivotal step in scaling the company’s presence in BESS, expanding its acquisition pipeline, and advancing its pan-European growth. The funding will enable Sympower to build on its track record with grid-scale battery projects in Sweden and Finland and extend its capabilities to play a central role in Europe’s evolving flexibility ecosystem.

Sympower currently manages over 0.5GW of battery energy storage assets in the Nordics, and has recently announced the rollout of its BESS optimisation services in Greece.

”Sympower has a highly skilled team that has built a leading flexibility platform. Our investment will contribute to the next phase of the company’s growth and into new markets. This investment in Sympower fits very well with the Climate and Energy Transition Solutions (CETS) mandate given to us by Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW),” said Tim van den Brule, investment director at PGGM Infrastructure.

He added: “We expect Sympower to contribute to good returns for the benefit of PFZW participants and enable further incorporation of renewable resources in the electricity mix.”

PGGM will join Sympower’s Supervisory Board to help steer the company’s long-term strategic growth and strengthen its governance.

“The next chapter for Sympower is all about scale: strategic M&A, deeper BESS integration, and new markets,” added Bushell. “This round gives us the capital and the confidence to accelerate, and with PGGM by our side, we’re better positioned than ever to help Europe build a cleaner, smarter energy system.”

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Designed as a high-impact business hub, Innovation Park at ISE 2025 offered startups strategic exposure, investor access, and critical visibility on the global stage. Located in the heart of Congress Square, Innovation Park featured 80 promotional pods for startups to present their ideas, offering a way for new businesses to establish a presence at ISE. Following an application process, selected startups were chosen based on their adherence to relevant criteria for attendance at ISE.

It served as a crucial catalyst for future business growth by providing direct access to investors, partners, and industry experts. In addition to the promotional pods, Innovation Park featured a dedicated Pitching Stage, Matchmaking Area, and an exclusive Investor Forum. This dynamic setting offered a unique opportunity for startups to present their solutions, secure funding opportunities, and build long-term relationships with a high-calibre audience.

Following its success, Innovation Park will return to ISE 2026, taking place in Barcelona from 3–6 February. With an expanded floor plan, it will offer even more startups the chance to present and promote their innovations to experts, investors, and business professionals. Click here to register.

Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, said: “The enthusiasm on the floor and the quality of the partnerships demonstrated this platform’s importance in shaping our industry’s future. The diverse solutions, from acoustic simulation and spatial audio to digital signage and intuitive UI tools, addressed real-world problems effectively. The market response showed readiness to embrace these next-generation AV pioneers.”

For Innovation Park’s return to the show floor, the criteria to exhibit has been broadened to include any first-time ISE exhibitors or companies returning after three or more years away.

At the same time, the number of stands has increased to 144. Of these, 80 are Pioneer Pods (3 sqm, exclusively for startups), while the other 64 are Breakthrough Pods (6 sqm). Once again, Innovation Park will feature a Pitching Stage, programmed by startup incubator Plug and Play, and will be supported by the Investor Forum on the first day of ISE 2026.

Success Showcases 

The diverse range of exhibitors at Innovation Park was a testament to ISE’s ability to bring together brilliant minds from across all sectors.

Treble Technologies – Iceland: A pioneer in next-generation acoustic simulation and spatial audio software, used its presence at Innovation Park to demonstrate the power of its advanced sound modelling tools. The company’s solutions enable engineers and designers to simulate and analyse how sound behaves in any environment with exceptional precision.

“Innovation Park was a fantastic opportunity for Treble Technologies to showcase our groundbreaking advancements in acoustic simulation and spatial audio. One of our standout moments was participating in the Investor Forum panel, where we shared insights on navigating growth – from initial concept to acquisition – highlighting the pivotal challenges and strategic decisions that have shaped our success,” said Guillaume Demerliac, Senior Marketing Specialist with Treble Technologies.

Losonnante – France: A unique, multisensory sound experience through bone conduction technology. Their “Whisper Box” lets users listen by touch, transmitting sound through the body rather than the air. The result is a memorable, emotion-driven experience that promotes attention, curiosity, and engagement.

“ISE marked a significant step for Losonnante. Over the four days, we had the opportunity to meet with producers, integrators, and distributors to discuss potential new applications for our bone conduction sound device and to develop strategic partnerships,” said Gaëlle Dubois from Losonnante in France

Hive Streaming – Sweden: They equip organisations to deliver seamless, high-impact live video events by ensuring stable video infrastructure, maximising video experiences and providing insights that drive strategic impact.

“During ISE, we connected with 21 partners, 12+ clients and prospects from eight different countries, making it an incredibly valuable event for us. It was by far our most successful trade fair,” said Igor Murphy from Hive Streaming.

Be a part of the Innovation Park at ISE 2026 and get the opportunity to pitch, shine and grow. Click here to register and join a unique, innovative and entrepreneurial environment at ISE 2026!

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Italian startup Pack has closed a €3.5 million funding round to strengthen its product, add new AI-driven features, and expand its team.

The round was led by Rialto VC, the Italian venture capital fund which combines strategic expertise in corporate governance, digital innovation, and scaling technology companies. The round was also supported by the team led by Giulia Bianchi Frangipane of Bonelli Erede, with senior associate Enrico Goitre assisting Pack in the legal structuring of the transaction.

Pack is an HR tech startup that helps companies develop and enhance human capital through its all-in-one platform. Founded in 2022 by Pietro Maria Picogna and Giacomo Gentili, it already partners with more than 80 multinationals.

Pack was created to address the growing complexity of people development by mapping skills, fostering agile and aware teams, and preparing organisations for future challenges. Its platform integrates skill mapping, digital assessments, and personalized growth paths, including coaching, mentoring, and targeted training, supported by an AI-driven monitoring system that continuously measures progress and business impact.

Its mission is to empower organizations to grow by building more agile, aware, and future-ready teams.

Giacomo Gentili, Pack’s co-founder, noted that companies everywhere are confronting, or soon will confront, the complex challenge of managing human capital, and what they need is not just a supplier but a genuine partner to support them through this transformation.

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Like many people worldwide, I have worked remotely for over a decade, so I'm always interested to learn about software that makes my life easier. 

Native Teams is a global platform that makes it easy to handle work payments and employment. It's built to support both companies and the people behind them.

More than just an Employer of Record (EOR), Native Teams offers end-to-end tools for hiring worldwide, expanding into new markets, and managing multi-currency payments for employees and freelancers — while staying fully compliant.

With Native Teams, businesses can get more out of every dollar and cut down on admin work thanks to simple, scalable solutions. Already trusted by 3000+ companies in over 85 countries, Native Teams makes global employment straightforward, compliant, and people-first.

Today Native Teams launches Entity Management – the all-in-one solution that enables businesses to set up, manage, and control multiple entities from a single dashboard. It also helps significantly cut expansion costs and simplify compliance workflows across markets. 

I spoke to Jack Thorogood, founder and CEO of Native Teams, to learn about the biggest shifts, challenges, and opportunities in remote work.

Skills outweigh geography in remote work era

Since its founding in 2020, Thorogood has observed three levels at which changes have been most significant: the employee level, the employer level, and even the country level. From an employee perspective, the barriers to good remote jobs have come down a lot. People can now work from anywhere and still expect to find high-quality jobs. 

"Before, there was more of a trade-off between location and the quality of jobs available. The pandemic really accelerated that shift,” he shared.

From the employer's perspective, there is now a much greater understanding that location matters far less than it used to. 

He admits, “You still see the occasional story about a big company forcing people back into the office, but generally employers recognise that if the internet connection is stable and communication skills are strong, location is irrelevant."

"Even time zones are less of a barrier than before. For example, my co-founder recently spent a month working from Vietnam — starting her day on the beach, then working seamlessly with the rest of the team.”

At the country level, Thorogood has seen a narrowing of pay gaps over the last 15 years. While salaries are still not the same everywhere, the gap has decreased, especially for certain roles and levels of responsibility. Location is increasingly disconnected from salary. I remember the first time I visited Ukraine — a developer picked me up in a Maserati because he was being paid US wages. That's no longer the case; wages have evened out.

According to Thorogood, the same has happened in India. 

“It’s one of the biggest benefits of distributed teams and gig work — it has improved quality of life and increased tax receipts in many countries.

If you look at the world through the lens of the greatest good for the greatest number, and people’s lives are improving, then this shift is hugely positive.”

According to Thorogood, these changes couldn't have happened without the rise of software to support them. “It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation: the demand for better tools drove developers to build them, and the existence of those tools made remote work easier. Many of the categories of tools have been around for years, just under different names. Today we use Slack, Google Workspace, and Asana."

"Back when I started, we were using ICQ, then Skype, and Basecamp instead of Asana. The point is, as long as the tools are cloud-based, they enable remote work.”

Thorogood contends that the limitations usually come from companies that are still tied to on-premises software. 

“That creates friction: either it slows their transition to distributed work, or it makes remote workers feel like second-class citizens because they can’t access certain systems unless they’re physically in the office.”

He believes that looking ahead, AI will play a big role in making remote work smoother. 

“One of the biggest challenges is collaboration, and AI can help with better note-taking, automated action points, and smarter prompts after meetings.

These kinds of tools will make collaboration more seamless and remove some of the remaining frictions in distributed work.”

Addressing a common market gap

Workers today have more options and mobility than ever before. Freelancers want flexibility, and companies need to adapt. With this in mind, tax and employment classifications have always been a priority for Native Teams, according to Thorogood, “because the rules are always changing."

Freelancers who aren't on top of this risk falling foul of new regulations, and employers can run into issues too. Employers want flexible labour — and freelancers want flexibility.

"But neither side wants a freelancer to suddenly be reclassified as a full-time employee.”

This becomes even more challenging as companies scale. 

As global hiring and company operations become standard practice, many companies struggle with the costly and complex challenge of managing admin and compliance across multiple countries. 

Native Teams Entity Management gives much greater flexibility for global payments and operations, including setting up new legal entities and onboarding existing ones to the platform. This brings centralised management to international work payments, compliance and workflows, and also provides full control over businesses' global infrastructures. 

Key Entity Management features

• New entity setup with full administrative and legal support.
• Onboarding existing entities into one streamlined and consistent dashboard.
• Centralised management of work payments, contracts, and compliance.
• Local advisory support for country-specific laws and regular monthly obligations.
• Benefits for global businesses.
• Owned employment structure in hiring countries.
• Greater visibility and control over the global workforce.
• Reduced long-term operational costs.
• Minimised legal risks.

According to Thorogood, Entity Management helps organisations as they scale, and their priorities shift towards more cost efficiency and operational control.

“Entity Management is purpose-built to support that evolution. We aim to be the right partner at the right time, helping our clients transition from fast, flexible solutions to more permanent, scalable setups as their needs change.

Our goal is to give our clients the right solution, and help them grow. When clients come to us asking for the most effective way to employ and pay their teams across borders, we're able to provide a much broader range of answers."

Solving the two sides of payments: movement of money and documentation

Years ago, most freelancers and remote workers relied on platforms like  PayPal and lost money through conversions and fees. Native Teams offers a multi-currency wallet and payments system that lets businesses and freelancers easily send, receive, and manage money across borders. Users can hold and convert different currencies in one wallet, fund it via bank transfer, card, PayPal, or Payoneer, and pay employees or contractors worldwide — even in batches.

The platform provides IBAN/SWIFT accounts for seamless transfers, supports physical and virtual payment cards, and includes expense tracking with full transparency on fees, taxes, and salaries. This makes global payroll, contractor payments, and cross-border expenses simple, compliant, and efficient. Thorogood explained that payments really have two sides:

“First there physical movement of money. We focus on making that as smooth as possible, because it can still be a point of friction. Services like Wise and Revolut cover a lot of ground here, but we approached this from an employee-first perspective.”

He recalled that when Native Teams started in the Balkans, they saw how poorly smaller countries and currencies were served:

“Imagine you’re a Macedonian developer with a bank account in denars. With Native Teams, they can invoice in USD, convert with zero or minimal commission (depending on their plan), and receive the funds in local currency. That removes a lot of friction."

The second side is documentation. In many countries, an employee’s bank requires paperwork that explains where the money came from and in the right format.  If the documentation isn’t provided, the money sits in limbo until the bank approves it. So localised documentation is just as important as the underlying payment rails. Without it, the payment can’t be completed.

The new digital divide

In the past, we talked about the “digital divide” — people who could manage technology versus those who couldn’t. Now there’s another divide: people who can thrive in remote work versus those who struggle. 

Today many people start their careers as remote workers. However, Thorogood contends that not everyone has the skills to succeed in a remote environment:

“It’s not about technical ability — it’s about communication, self-management, and being able to pick up nuance over video calls," he shared. 

“Some people simply aren’t equipped for that, and it becomes obvious when they join a distributed team. I’ve never seen a course that truly prepares people for remote work expectations.

That’s something education systems should consider.”

From 15 to 300: How Native Teams scaled culture with intentionality

Another issue for remote teams is culture. If a company isn’t remote-first, people working outside the head office often become second-class citizens. 

Thorogood raises an important point: the difference between a “remote team” and a “distributed team” is important. In a distributed setup, everyone’s in the same boat, with no single headquarters. Companies that succeed with distributed teams make deliberate efforts to build inclusion and collaboration.

According to Thorogood, at Native Teams, intentionality has been critical. 

“We started during lockdown with about 15 people, and now we’re over 300. To keep culture strong, we’ve run virtual social calls, in-person retreats in Greece, and regular check-ins.

At first, some of these initiatives — like video calls where everyone introduced their pets or shared something personal — felt awkward. But they built camaraderie and trust."

Every year, Native Teams brings teams together in small groups. It’s not cheap, but the benefits far outweigh the cost. 

“People get to know each other as individuals, and collaboration improves afterwards.”

Culture also comes from the founders.  “A lot of our DNA as a company reflects how my co-founder and I work. If you don’t shape culture deliberately, subcultures form on their own, and not always in ways you want,” contends Thorogood.

As the lines between geography, skills, and opportunity continue to blur, companies that prioritise flexibility and compliance will gain the edge. Native Teams’ growth shows that making global work simple isn’t just about payroll or paperwork — it’s about enabling people to thrive wherever they are. 

Lead image: Jack Thorogood, founder and CEO of Native Teams. Photo: uncredited. 

“Nik comes in waves", depending on how passionate he is about a project, says one of Nik’s key lieutenants. The Nik in question is Nik Storonsky, the co-founder and CEO of Revolut, Europe’s most valuable startup.

The key lieutenant is James Gibson, general manager, Revolut Business.

For many people, Revolut is the bullet train UK retail neobank, launching products left, right and centre, sticking two fingers up at banking conventions, orchestrated by the Pied Piper-like figure of Storonsky.

But the $75bn-valued Revolut is also a business bank, with hundreds of thousands of business customers, from startups to big businesses and, says Gibson, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Revolut Business could be bigger than its retail banking arm in the future.

Pouring cold water on Tech.eu's suggestion that Revolut’s retail arm will always remain supreme, Gibson points out: “For a lot of banks globally, the business banking arm is much bigger than the retail banking arm.”

Gibson, a former management consultant who joined Revolut in 2017, is in a chipper mood, speaking over video, enthusing about recent and future product launches and account wins, rhapsodising about the potentially “huge” US market, while telling Tech.eu that Revolut has preserved its startup culture despite its 10,000-plus-sized global workforce.

Furthermore, Gibson’s mood is likely buoyed by Revolut moving into new glitzy London headquarters.

Some facts and figures

Revolut Business, as it’s called, launched in 2017 (two years after the launch of Revolut) and now accounts for between a growing 15 and 20 per cent of Revolut’s £3bn plus annual revenues.

Over 500,000 businesses are using Revolut Business, which, at its core, offers local and international money payments, FX, and spend management features- though the product offering is tailored to different markets.

For example, in the UK, the focus is balanced between payments, FX and spend management, while in the US, Revolut is more focused on payments and FX.

Revolut, which has over 60 million customers, says Revolut Business is ripping, adding more than 20,000 companies on average a month.

Global operations

Revolut Business operates in the UK, across the EU, the US, Singapore and Australia, with its biggest markets being the UK, Ireland, France and Italy. Its customers include Aer Lingus, Deel and CreditSpring.

In its early days, Revolut Business’s customer base swayed towards startups, says Gibson, but it's attracting bigger businesses as well.

Being a retail-business combo bank is a definite plus, adds Gibson, saying a “significant chunk” of its business customers are existing retail customers.

Another plus is that, unlike in retail banking, where opening up multiple accounts is largely hassle-free, opening up multiple business accounts is hassle-filled, a chore which, Gibson says, means that more than 50 per cent of Revolut’s business customers are primary account holders, helping boost deposits.

European differences

One of the biggest challenges facing Revolut Business is local market integration, says Gibson, an articulate Oxford University graduate, who estimates that Revolut’s product teams spend between 60 and 70 per cent of their time on this.

This includes, for example, making tax payments in specific countries, account integrations with specific local platforms, or launching different treasury products in different markets.

Earlier this year, Revolut, which has a Lithuanian banking licence, which it passports across the EU, said it was applying for a French banking licence, which Gibson said will “strengthen its presence in France”, but will not lead to a “massive change” in product direction.

US plans

Judging by the lack of Revolut press releases touting its US exploits, it could be argued that the US has hitherto not been a priority for Revolut.

However, reports have recently emerged that Revolut is ramping up its presence in the US, and it recently announced it is investing over $500 million in the US over the next three to five years.

Observers point out the likelihood is, though, for Revolut to achieve success in the US, which is heavily credit-based, it would likley need a US banking licence, either getting one itself or getting one via an acquisition. Revolut has previously tested the waters on getting its own US banking licence, but has not applied for one.

Gibson, who has previously worked for Revolut in the US in its New York office and served as Revolut’s business development manager, said: “The US could be huge. We are by no means dominating there yet, but it remains a priority for us.”

UK banking licence

Most business banks make their money through offering credit products but Revolut has yet not offered any pureplay credit products in Europe.

“Our customers who need credit are going elsewhere, such as high street banks,” says Gibson, when asked if not having a UK credit offering was damaging.

The UK, which is Revolut Business’s biggest market, would be an obvious bet, should it successfully exit the mobilisation stage of its UK banking licence application.

Gibson says: “We are aware that it is something we want to get into in the longer term. 

“In the longer term, we want to move to offering credit, and milestones like achieving a banking licence will definitely help us achieve that in the longer term.”

Hardware

While online banking remains Revolut’s bread and butter, Revolut has made gentle steps into payment hardware, as it looks to take on the likes of SumUp and Square.

It has launched payment terminals for larger businesses and retailers.

Over 100 of the quick-to-set-up terminals were deployed at the Primavera European music festival, and the tech meant that festival goers could make payments irrespective of the quality of the festival's WiFi.

Revolut has also launched card readers for shops and restaurants which means customers can make card payments via the reader and use services such as chip & pin, contactless, Google Pay and Apple Pay.

Relationshp with co-founders

Gibson, who is 35, says that one of the triumphs of Revolut is that its co-founders, Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko are still “ very hands on” with the business, giving it “continuity”, in contrast to say the founders Monzo and Starling who have left.

He says: “Nik, you know, comes in waves. Sometimes when he is particularly interested or passionate about a project, he is a bit more hands-on, and at other times a bit more hands-off off and we get on with it.

“They are still very much involved. I speak to them regularly. I am speaking to Nik in an hour about giving him an update about what we have been up to.

“Nik is someone who pushes us all a lot to achieve a lot. The core of the company culture has stayed broadly similar. But we have definitely matured as an organisation over that time.”

Combating fraud

Fraud is an ongoing issue faced by banks of all stripes. A BBC Panorama programme last year named Revoluts in more fraud complaints than any other major UK bank, naming it in nearly 10,000 fraud complaints in one year.

One customer, who had £165,000 stolen from his Revolut business account, said Revolut's security measures failed to stop the theft after finding there was no helpline to call and having to wait more than 20 minutes for support via a chat function in the app.

Revolut says it invests a lot of money trying to combat fraud, estimating that in 2024 it saved customers £600m worth of fraud.

Gibson said: “I can tell you personally I spend a lot of time working with our teams in ways we can help our customers spot fraud early and make sure they don’t fall victim to it.”

New products

Recent launches and wins include new European marketing campaigns, several airlines using Revolut Pay, and Audio F1 using Revolut Business as part of a big sponsorship tie-up.

Famed for its rapid NPD, Gibson, who, during the interview, is fair game and doesn't swerve questions, said there will be more Revolut Business product launches coming soon.

France-based Temelion, an AI platform that optimises pre-construction workflows, has closed a €3.2 million seed round to accelerate its go-to-market and strengthen its position among French engineering consultancies. The round was led by 360Capital, with participation from ISAI Build Venture, SE Ventures and Kima Ventures.

Temelion’s platform automates repetitive work for building design engineers and keeps requirements, documents and deliverables in sync. It speeds bid/no-bid decisions, produces precise technical documentation and streamlines contractor evaluations. Trade-specific workflows for Mechanical (HVAC), Electrical and Plumbing are on the way, building a comprehensive toolkit to help engineers deliver faster, more accurate, higher-quality results.

Founded in 2025 by Jérôme Joaug, Rodolphe Héliot and Sébastien Gilles, Temelion is led by serial entrepreneurs with decades of experience operating and investing in high-growth companies.

Its vision is to free engineers from repetitive work so they can deliver faster, error-free outputs, reducing costs and raising quality across the built environment.

Jérôme Joaug, Co-founder and CPO of Temelion, shared:

When we first spoke with engineers, we expected resistance to AI. What we found instead was universal frustration with the hours spent crunching documents — work that none of them signed up for, yet dominates their daily lives.

The new funding will enable the company to expand its engineering team to refine the product across workflows, accelerate its commercial rollout in France (with a focus on building engineering firms), and invest in customer onboarding, support and integrations with industry-standard tools.

Google has pledged a £5bn AI investment into the UK, one of a string of expected major AI investments by US tech giants this week into the UK coinciding with the visit of President Trump to the country.

Google’s £5bn investment will be ploughed into infrastructure and scientific research over the next two years, including “pioneering” AI research in science and healthcare through its Google DeepMind operation.

Google, which is owned by parent company Alphabet, says the investment would help the UK boost its AI economy, open new doors for job opportunities and fortify cybersecurity.

Google, which is a significant player in AI and is behind the Gemini AI bot, said its investment is projected to create 8,250 jobs every year for UK businesses. The US tech giant is to officially open a £735m data centre in Hertfordshire today, alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves. 

Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer, Alphabet and Google, said: "Google’s investment in technical infrastructure, expanded energy capacity and job-ready AI skills will help ensure everyone in Broxbourne and across the whole of the UK stays at the cutting-edge of global tech opportunities.” 

Porat told the BBC that the government’s AI Opportunities Action plan was helping the investment but said “there’s still work to be done to land that”.

Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO, Google DeepMind, added: “We founded DeepMind in London because we knew the UK had the potential and talent to be a global hub for pioneering AI. The UK has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology - from Lovelace to Babbage to Turing - so it’s fitting that we’re continuing that legacy by investing in the next wave of innovation and scientific discovery in the UK." 

Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:  “Google’s £5bn investment is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK economy and the strength of our partnership with the US, creating jobs and economic growth for years to come. This government is reversing decades of underinvestment that has held us back for too long, by slashing burdensome red tape, delivering bold reforms of the planning system and investing in better tech to unlock better jobs and opportunities. Through our Plan for Change we are building an economy that works for, and rewards, working people.”

The investment from Google comes amid expected investment announcements from OpenAI and Nvidia, to coincide with the visit by President Trump. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang are accompanying Trump on the visit.

The two firms are expected to announce a deal to support new data centres in the UK, which would be worth billions of dollars. It is expected that OpenAI will provide access to AI tools and tech and Nvidia the chips to power the AI models, with the UK government supporting the projects.

Prague’s Aspire11 has announced the launch of its inaugural €500 million pension-backed fund, led by Pavel Mucha, long-term VC investor in the CEE region to open new pathways for European pension funds to increase their exposure to VC funds and growth companies.

Aspire11 launches with a barbell approach consisting of two strategies, named Tribes and Eternals. Mucha is joined by Rentea and LP The Partners Group, as well as Tülin Tokatli as a partner to build and curate the Tribes portfolio, drawing on her track record in evaluating VC investors as a former investor at the European Investment Fund (EIF).

Pavel Mucha, Founder of Aspire11, said: “Awakening dormant pension capital and connecting it efficiently to VC investors and lifelong builders has turned into a mission for me. Thanks to broader shifts in EU pension and long-term investment rules, pension capital can now engage with the private and venture markets.”

Founded in 2025, Aspire11 is an investment platform for pension capital with plans to deploy funds over the next five years into growth-stage generational companies and VC investors worldwide. The mission of Aspire11 is to activate and connect dormant capital – with an investment horizon of 20 to 30 years – to global private (non-public) markets, enabling pension funds to participate in the growth stories of generational companies beyond the reach of public markets.

Mucha founded KAYA VC, one of CEE’s first venture firms, co-founded the venture debt firm Orbit Capital, and has backed some of the region’s most successful venture stories, including Rohlik Group, Mews, Booksy, and DocPlanner. He has also been an LP in numerous exceptional Seed VC funds behind companies such as Revolut, PhotoRoom, Incident and Yoco.

The platform focuses on growth companies with “strong products, entrepreneurial DNA, and outstanding execution, as well as on exceptional early-stage VC investors who invest with conviction in breakthrough technologies, demographic shifts, and who share the belief in a world of abundance“.

First pension savers will gain access through Rentea, the pension company under the Czech financial group Partners.

Aspire11 is inspired by the Canadian Maple Model. According to the platform, only 0.02% of assets flow into high-growth startups, leading to globally uncompetitive returns for Europe’s retirees. Aspire11 aims to break this cycle.

“For years, the pattern has been the same. European private markets have not been deep enough, and their progress has been painfully slow. Entrepreneurs across the continent have been scrambling for patient, long-term capital inside Europe so they can build at scale, while VC investors have been forced to seek liquidity overseas. The contrast with the depth of North American markets has been obvious and has long screamed for change,” said Mucha.

By removing the pressure of short-term exits and cap table disruptions, Aspire11 empowers entrepreneurs and VC investors to focus on building enduring, industry-defining businesses. The fund operates with a long-term horizon, focuses on private (non-public) markets, prioritises fee efficiency and active participation, with the mission of making pensions stronger.

With Tribes, it invests into a new generation of early-stage VC investors, growing ‘tribes’ of ambitious Founders specialising in emerging technologies and demographic shift-driven opportunities. With Eternals, Aspire11 fuels a fund that can hold for 20 years plus, supporting companies with a long-term vision for generational value with quality execution.

Mucha added: “We designed Aspire11 to back both lifelong business builders and frontier VC investors. With Tribes, we commit ourselves to the next wave of high-conviction VC pickers. Through Eternals, we are ready to support companies not just for years, but decades, to buy them time to win.”

With pension company Rentea, which is part of Czech financial organisation The Partners Group (a major LP of Aspire11), the fund aims to demonstrate that once pension capital is placed in the hands of outstanding VC investors and entrepreneurs, it benefits everybody and drives lasting prosperity.

Czech company The Partners Group has €7 billion AUM in investments, pensions, and deposits. With operations across four European countries and serving two million clients, The Partners Group is ideally positioned for collaboration with Aspire11. They share a mutual vision for the future role of European pension funds.

“Aspire11 invites entrepreneurs and VC investors to join in growing this vision. With a horizon measured in decades, our goal is to turn dormant pension funds into a force that works for the people who have built and served the country, ensuring that life after work is not only secure but also rich in quality and possibility,” said Mucha.

Analysis by Aspire11 found that redirecting just 1% of European pension funds’ AUM would unlock an estimated €87 billion – which represents less than a quarter of their average annual yield – without undermining societal stability or welfare. Aspire11’s calculations indicate that an annual investment of as little as 1% of European pension funds’ AUM into the continent’s economy over the next decade would unlock a sum exceeding €1.1 trillion. This is due to the benefits of increasing valuations and decades of compounding interest.

The platform believes that Europe’s efforts to build a new economy remain significantly undercapitalised and dependent on overseas capital. According to the European Central Bank, EU pension funds allocate just 0.02% of total assets to venture capital, compared with almost 2% for US pension funds.

Aspire11 plans to gradually grow its global footprint in the years to come, while always keeping Europe high on its agenda.

The post Czech VC Aspire11 launches inaugural €500 million global fund to bring venture-style returns to European pensioners appeared first on EU-Startups.

London-based Nothing closed $200 million in a Series C round at a $1.3 billion valuation. The round was led by Tiger Global, with significant support from existing shareholders GV, Highland Europe, EQT, Latitude, I2BF and Tapestry, alongside new strategic backing from Nikhil Kamath and Qualcomm Ventures.

Nothing is a consumer technology company building an AI-native platform where hardware and software converge into a single, intelligent system. Starting with smartphones, audio products, and smartwatches, and designed to extend across future form factors like smart glasses, robotics, and EVs, Nothing leverages the smartphone’s last-mile distribution and rich contextual signals to deliver deeply personalised, context-aware experiences.

Underpinned by an end-to-end value chain for speed, scale, and quality, the company pairs award-winning design with a global manufacturing and supply network.

In four years, Nothing has shipped millions of devices and crossed $1 billion in cumulative sales at the start of 2025, growing 150 per cent in 2024. Its community-driven model and go-to-market operations enable it to launch and support new hardware worldwide within months, without the constraints typical of incumbents.

With this milestone, the company is moving beyond a unique independent smartphone origin to building an AI-native platform that unifies hardware and software into a single intelligent system.

The next chapter focuses on integrating AI across devices to reinvent how technology anticipates intent and acts on users’ behalf. Alongside the Series C, the company is preparing to launch a new community round, giving supporters another opportunity to join Nothing’s journey.

Aspire11 has announced the launch of its inaugural €500 million pension-backed fund, led by Pavel Mucha, a long-term VC investor in the CEE region. Aspire11 is designed to connect world-class innovation with long-term capital intended to support companies for decades.

Aspire11's goal is to open new pathways for European pension funds to increase their exposure to VC funds and growth companies. It is inspired by the Canadian Maple Model. Currently, only 0.02 per cent of assets flow into high-growth startups, leading to globally uncompetitive returns for Europe’s retirees. Aspire11 aims to break this cycle.

Pavel Mucha founded KAYA VC, one of CEE’s first venture firms, co-founded the venture debt firm Orbit Capital, and has backed some of the region’s most successful venture stories, including Rohlik Group, Mews, Booksy, and DocPlanner.  He has also been an LP in numerous exceptional seed VC funds behind companies such as Revolut, PhotoRoom, Incident and Yoco. 

With more than 15 years of experience in private (non-public) markets and venture capital, Mucha brings this track record to Aspire11’s mission of reshaping and growing pension capital as a generational force fuelling the future economy.

Removing the pressure of short-term exits and cap table disruptions

The fund invests directly into VC investors and entrepreneurs, without intermediaries. By removing the pressure of short-term exits and cap table disruptions, Aspire11 empowers entrepreneurs and VC investors to focus on building enduring, industry-defining businesses. The fund operates with a long-term horizon, focusing on private (non-public) markets, prioritising fee efficiency and active participation, and has a mission to strengthen pensions.

Aspire11 launches with a barbell approach consisting of two strategies, named  Tribes and Eternals. With Tribes, it invests into a new generation of early-stage VC investors, growing tribes of ambitious founders specialising in emerging technologies and demographic shift-driven opportunities. With Eternals, Aspire11 fuels a fund that can hold for 20 years or more, supporting companies with a long-term vision for generational value through quality execution.

Mucha is joined by Tülin Tokatli as a partner to build and curate the Tribes portfolio, drawing on her track record in evaluating VC investors as a former investor at the European Investment Fund (EIF).  

With pension company Rentea, which is part of Czech financial organisation The Partners Group, a major LP of Aspire11, the fund aims to demonstrate that once pension capital is placed in the hands of outstanding VC investors and entrepreneurs, it benefits everybody and drives lasting prosperity.

Europe is undercapitalised and dependent on overseas capital. 

Analysis by Aspire11 found that redirecting just 1 per cent of European pension funds’ assets under management (AUM) would unlock an estimated €87 billion — which represents less than a quarter of their average annual yield — without undermining societal stability or welfare.

Aspire11's calculations indicate that an annual investment of as little as 1 per cent of European pension funds' AUM into the continent's economy over the next decade would unlock a sum exceeding €1.1 trillion. This is due to the benefits of increasing valuations and decades of compounding interest.

According to the European Central Bank, EU pension funds allocate just 0.02 per cent of total assets to venture capital, compared with almost 2 per cent for US pension funds.

Aspire11 plans to gradually grow its global footprint in the years to come, while always keeping Europe high on its agenda.

For Pavel Mucha, founder of Aspire11, awakening dormant pension capital and connecting it efficiently to VC investors and lifelong builders has turned into a mission:

"Thanks to broader shifts in EU pension and long-term investment rules, pension capital can now engage with the private and venture markets.

For years, the pattern has been the same. European private markets have not been deep enough, and their progress has been painfully slow. Entrepreneurs across the continent have been scrambling for patient, long-term capital inside Europe so they can build at scale, while VC investors have been forced to seek liquidity overseas.

The contrast with the depth of North American markets has been obvious and has long screamed for change."

Aspire11 will back both lifelong business builders and frontier VC investors. Mucha explains, 

"With Tribes, we commit ourselves to the next wave of high-conviction VC pickers. Through Eternals, we are ready to support companies not just for years, but decades, to buy them time to win. “Aspire11 invites entrepreneurs and VC investors to join in growing this vision.

With a horizon measured in decades, our goal is to turn dormant pension funds into a force that works for the people who have built and served the country, ensuring that life after work is not only secure but also rich in quality and possibility.”

As Aspire11’s international team expands, it will gradually extend its global reach.

According to Jan Hammer, Partner at Index Ventures, European tech is entering a new era of entrepreneurship. 

“The ambition to create European-born $50bn and $100bn companies has shifted from aspiration to reality. Each success paves the way for the next, delivering value for employees, investors, and the economy at large.

This momentum presents a significant opportunity for European pension funds — most of which have yet to allocate capital to venture—to share in the growth and prosperity.” 

Kai Hansen, founder of Lieferando/Takeaway and angel investor, shared:

“Having built and backed companies myself, I know that the businesses which truly change industries and deliver outstanding returns are created by founders who stay focused over decades, not quarters. 

To back such founders, we need a new kind of venture investor — one free from the short-term cycles that define traditional VC."

Aspire11 now aims to bring European pensions into the mix to make them work for stronger returns and contribute to future economy and prosperity.

Ghent-based OnTracx has secured €1.2 million in seed funding to develop technology that helps runners and health professionals better understand the body’s response to running.

The funding round included imec.istart fund, PMV, KBC, and a group of business angels combining sports medicine expertise with entrepreneurial experience from Belgium and the Netherlands, complemented by a VLAIO innovation grant.

OnTracx is a Ghent University spin-off founded in 2023, which brings science-based innovation to the global running and sports-medicine market. Its smart sensor platform serves individual runners, especially those prone to overuse injuries, as well as physical therapists, podiatrists, athletic trainers, and running coaches. By turning award-winning research into scalable products, the company enables data-driven training, injury prevention, and rehabilitation in a market of more than 110 million runners worldwide.

Rather than promising to eliminate injuries, OnTracx makes hidden biomechanical load visible, with a distinctive focus on cumulative load over time, widely recognised as critical to better outcomes. A lightweight sensor worn on the lower leg measures load on tendons, muscles, and joints, targeting the lower-extremity overuse injuries most runners face. It can support screening, yet the emphasis remains on understanding how load accumulates to guide smarter training and rehab decisions.

OnTracx captures everyday running and training, offering a clear view of load and capacity without oversimplifying human movement. The platform supports safer ongoing training and more informed return-to-run after injury, combining objective sensor data with runner-reported inputs such as symptoms.

By bridging the needs of runners, therapists, and coaches, and with growing ecosystem support, OnTracx is closing the long-standing gap between care, training, and performance.

Senne Bonnaerens, CEO and Co-founder of OnTracx, shared:

Our goal is to give athletes and caregivers a clearer understanding of loading patterns so they can make informed choices. Most runners just want to keep running – whether for health, performance, or enjoyment – and understanding hidden loads is an important step toward that.

With 110 million runners worldwide, and many struggling with overload injuries, OnTracx helps runners and clinicians collaborate on safer, more sustainable training. As the industry shifts toward load-based insights, the company is shaping that transition, creating opportunities for runners, professionals, and partners to help define the next wave of training and rehab.

The new funding will refine OnTracx’s wearable sensor and digital platform, scale commercialisation, and prepare for market entry in Europe and the US.