Cities are under mounting pressure to manage an increasingly complex mobility landscape. Shared e-scooters, bikes and cars, on-demand delivery fleets, EV-charging needs, shifting commuter patterns, and new regulations have made urban transport harder to plan and optimise than ever. 

Operators are often left juggling siloed data, unpredictable demand, and costly manual decision-making, while city authorities struggle to design infrastructure that keeps pace with real behaviour on the ground. 

SWITCH (short for "Street Witch) is an Italian startup that provides agentic AI that can simulate, forecast, and act in real time, helping mobility and logistics stakeholders move from reactive operations to intelligent, data-driven systems that run efficiently and serve cities better. I spoke to SWITCH CMO Simone Ridolfi at the recent Bologna Gathering to learn more.

From the Rome car-sharing App to AI mobility intelligence

SWITCH was founded in February 2020. It originally started as a consumer app in Rome, to match demand and supply, enabling users to  "switch" cars with people.

Then COVID hit. And while everything stopped, the team used that time to listen to operators and pivot their app to cater to people eschewing public transport for car sharing and micromobility.  

Ridolfi says the turning point came when the company hired specialised talent — including a Chief AI Officer — and doubled down on solving operators' real-world problems with AI and data.

"We never stopped talking to operators. That's how we built what they actually needed," he says.

Inside SWITCH's AI toolkit

In response to industry needs, SWITCH has developed a suite of AI tech, including:

• Urbiverse, a simulation and synthetic-data engine for "what-if" modelling, fleet sizing, and infrastructure planning such as parking hubs and EV-charging networks.
• Urban CoPilot, an operations-optimisation platform that supports demand forecasting and fleet rebalancing;
• SWITCH AI Agent, which connects planning and operations through real-time forecasting, simulation, and autonomous or semi-autonomous decision-making.

The power of open data

Cities generate a significant amount of open public data, including street layouts, traffic flows and congestion, parking information, and event details.

"If you have a strong model to predict demand and use all this open data, the value becomes very interesting," contends Ridolfi.

The startup works with shared mobility operators, carpooling platforms and Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) services —primarily in micromobility, but also increasingly in car-sharing.

Currently almost all shared mobility providers use historical data models, but they're not very precise — or they rely on gut feeling. 

"For example, they think, 'Okay, let's put all the scooters in the city centre because a lot of people go there.' That might work for one day, but if you distribute scooters across the city based on predicted demand, you'll get more rides. We help them do that and calculate the impact. On average, we see a 25 per cent increase in operational efficiency," shared Ridolfi. 

"We help operators forecast future demand with much greater precision," Ridolfi explains.

"If you know what the next weeks or months will look like, you can plan and operate far more effectively."

Further, a car-rental operator might use their demand-forecasting module to decide how many vehicles to buy/position in different zones, when to offer discounts, and when to relocate vehicles. SWITCH also uses flight event data — arrivals and departures — to predict demand so providers know how many cars to position at airports.

Real-time data responsiveness 

SWITCH's AI agent that connects a company's data with external platforms and with its demand prediction and optimisation models. You can receive data in a minute, and two minutes later, you'll get suggestions on what to do.

"So you can ask it — like you do with ChatGPT — things such as: "What do I need to do next month to reach €1,000 more revenue?" or "Which areas will be affected by Sunday's strike?" The agent analyses everything and provides recommendations."

A shared mobility provider can use SWITCH's demand prediction to understand demand concentration in different city zones to know where to place scooters. Its rebalancing and forecast tools can guide them to proactively move vehicles to high-demand spots, avoiding oversupply/undersupply.

For a new mobility launch, that means knowing how many vehicles to deploy, how many rides to expect, and when you'll hit break-even.  Crucially, SWITCH can also help companies determine whether to enter a new market. For example, one micromobility company wanted to operate in a city in Norway.

According to Ridolfi, "there are tenders, but they didn't know if they would be profitable — how many competitors, how many rides, etc. 

"We built a dashboard to assess whether entering that market made sense. Ultimately, they decided not to enter. So we saved them money and risk because they knew in advance what could happen."

It would have been beneficial in Berlin, which at one point had seven different e-scooter and e-bike operators competing for the same streets. Although operators are reluctant to share vehicle utilisation data, research indicates a single shared e-scooter is often used fewer than three times per day, for trips averaging under 1.5 km. That means long periods of idle time and significant public-space clutter relative to actual mobility output.

Urbiverse powered a launch with shared mobility operator Wayla by modelling every key dimension of their rollout — from fleet size and vehicle placement to ride volume and profitability.

The simulation, built on real-world data and dynamic modelling, delivered 92 per cent accuracy when compared to actual launch outcomes. 

This level of precision enabled the operator to transition from guesswork to a data-driven strategy, significantly reducing risk and refining deployment decisions.

Data-Driven policy (and clarity) for cities and operators

Further, SWITCH's Urbiverse platform enables local governments to optimise shared mobility fleets, strategically place micromobility hubs and EV charging stations, and simulate policy impacts before implementation. 

By generating synthetic data when real-time data is unavailable, Urbiverse ensures officials can make informed decisions despite data gaps. Urban Copilot enhances Mobility-as-a-Service by predicting fleet availability so vehicles are in the right place at the right time.

Another point is policy. Ridolfi contends that "cities need time to understand the impact of micromobility — but often they don't have the tools to measure it."

Take London, where public e-scooters have been in trial phase since 2028 and are set to run until 2028. Yet mobility providers invest now, and then one day the city might say "No more scooters," like in Paris, leaving dozens of vehicles to be sold.

"With SWITCH tools, operators can also become part of the city's planning process. They can be proactive, not reactive," shared Ridolfi.

"For example, the city might say, 'No free-floating scooters," and instead require hubs. Using our tools, you can plan hub placement based on real demand.

In Turin, we worked with the city to study where bike hubs should be placed so that bikes don't interfere with traditional mobility and still satisfy citizens' needs."

SWITCH raised €600,000 from private investors in January, including EIT Mobility and Berkeley SkyDeck — the startup was part of Berkeley SkyDeck's first acceleration program in Milan — as well as around €400,000 in public grants since its inception. The startup is currently part of the NVIDIA Inception Program.

And, as its reach expands, the days of idle scooters, underused fleets and reactive policy may finally be numbered.

Lead image: Freepik.

Klarna has struck a deal to allow its customers to make recurring payments by a new payment method heralded as the latest iteration of open banking, which is looking to compete with direct debit payments.

The Swedish financial company is partnering with Sparkassen, Germany’s largest banking group, to launch Variable Recurring Payments, also known as VRPs, in Germany.

VRPs have long been touted as open banking’s hot new initiative to rival direct debit payments.

The deal with Sparkassen means that Klarna customers with an external Sparkassen bank account can set up an authorisation for Klarna to take recurring payments from their account, without needing to specify the value of the payment up front.

Recurring payments for varying amounts can be made, without the customer needing to sign off each one. VRPs are expected to be used to pay for utility bills, subscriptions and other regular payments in a more flexible way. The move comes as Klarna looks to take market share from card giants Visa and MasterCard.

Advocates of VRPs say its advantages over direct debit payments are that regular payments can be customised and are quicker and safer, with payments appearing immediately in accounts.

Nicole Defren, head of northern and central Europe at Klarna, said: “VRP sets a new benchmark for digital payments for millions of consumers.

"With Variable Recurring Payments, Klarna offers a modern, account-based alternative to traditional direct debits — secure, fast, convenient, and fully transparent. Together with the Sparkassen Finanzgruppe, Klarna continues to expand an innovative and future-ready payments network.”

Paris-based Upway, a platform for refurbished e-bikes, closed a $60 million Series C round led by A.P. Moller Holding, with participation from Galvanize, Ora Global, and renewed backing from Korelya Capital, Sequoia Capital, Exor Ventures, Transition, and Origins.

Founded in 2021, Upway operates internationally and combines industrial expertise, proprietary technology, and a circular-economy approach. The company has refurbished and sold over 100,000 e-bikes and aims to return more than one million to the road by 2030. Its services also include financing, insurance, maintenance, and subscriptions. Its mission is to extend the life of e-bikes and make sustainable mobility widely accessible.

According to co-founders Stéphane Ficaja and Toussaint Wattinne, Upway was built on the belief that sustainable light mobility depends on a circular model:

We’ve built a strong industrial and technological foundation to give electric bikes a second life with the same quality and safety standards as new ones. We want to prove that performance, impact, and sustainable profitability can go hand in hand.

Upway buys used e-bikes, refurbishes them in-house to rigorous standards, and sells them online with a one-year warranty and home delivery. The catalogue spans more than 200 brands and 2,500 models, typically priced about 45 per cent below new, often saving buyers over €1,000 per bike, and each unit undergoes a 50-point inspection by trained mechanics.

Refurbished e-bikes can replace short car trips, helping reduce congestion and cut CO₂ emissions by up to 90 per cent per kilometre, while diverting thousands of bikes from landfill and supporting a circular economy. Regular e-bike use (around 15 km per day) is associated with a 40 per cent lower risk of heart attack and may help address obesity and air pollution.

With the new financing, Upway plans to accelerate its industrial and digital growth by opening additional UpCenters in Europe and North America.

The investment will also support the rollout of new digital services, including financing, insurance, maintenance, and subscription options, aimed at making electric biking simpler, more affordable, and more accessible to a wider audience.

I’m an ex-GM at Uber and am now building a startup in the UK, and I have one very painful question: Why is hiring for a startup in the UK so damn difficult?

Within our entrepreneurial network, we often see the repercussions of poor hiring. Dying from bad hires is faster and easier than from a bullet to the head. It’s always the same story: startups struggle to hire the best people, lower or alternate their standards, and onboard people who don’t fit. The project then starts to underperform, never meets its revenue goals, and dissatisfies investors. And that’s the end. All the while, these wrong hires just update their resumes and move on.

The real problem isn’t with these “resume-seekers” but with a lack of coherence: startups dream of growing into huge corporations and fail in hiring because they jump the gun and start hiring like one. This always happens subconsciously. The ambition to become huge fools people and leads them to make decisions that go against their will and mojo.

The Journeymen

So, why is closing any position in tech, finance, or operations such a challenge, especially when you are a well-funded, fast-growing, ambitious project that offers above-average salaries and an outstanding team?

My answer is precisely because you are a well-funded, fast-growing, ambitious project. The truth is, a lot of the people we interview are not really interested in disrupting an entire country’s economy, building a unicorn, or changing the lives of thousands of people. Instead, they are building their resumes, which is a completely separate task that has nothing in common with the future unicorn’s goals.

It’s worth noting that the UK’s work culture is currently shifting, in part due to Revolut. We’ve observed that people who have worked at Revolut are much more results-oriented than the average population. The numerous startups founded by Revolut alumni are only accelerating this trend.

To sort this out, I came up with a pretty elaborate system of green and red flags that worked well for my interviews. But then I delved into my past at Uber and saw that it worked in a pretty similar way. The same toolset for a startup and a huge corporation—that’s weird. It was only then that I saw the real pattern behind all of this.

Red flags

Let me explain this concept using the “green” and “red” flags I’ve mentioned.

For example, there are a number of things that trigger me during an audition.

A huge number of people say that exposure to founders is important to them. But this is something that happens automatically when you come up with and deliver cool projects. The most important quality to master for this is to get shit done, and that’s what we should actually be discussing.

Another trigger is when people worry about what their job title will be. This is fine, but it doesn’t align with what any startup aims to do: revolutionise an industry! What’s really important are the scope of your role and the opportunity to make an impact at scale, and obviously, the opportunity to earn good money when the company achieves its objectives. Think of the early role in the next Revolut as your last job you applied for with a CV.

An obvious trigger, but one that needs to be mentioned, is when the first thing a person asks, during an evening interview, “Do you always work this late?” In general, any questions about work-life balance are a trigger if they are discussed before responsibilities and tasks. It should be clear to everyone that working at a startup isn’t a 9-to-5 job, but it’s not an investment bank either.

I’m also triggered by memorised, rehearsed speeches. You want a bit of spontaneity and confidence. It’s very appealing when you communicate as equals.

Green flags

The main green flag is when a person independently, and without help, builds their own vision on top of what’s written in the job description and understands the bigger goal the startup is pursuing. You think, “Wow, we didn’t even tell you that.”

There is a percentage of candidates who, during the call, start saying “we” instead of “you” and quickly become part of the team. This happens unconsciously, but we are convinced every time that it’s a very good sign. These people quickly integrate into the team, get involved in tasks, and start working toward the common goal.

You also have to pay attention to how a person presents a case: what arguments they make and how grounded they are in reality. This shows how they will take initiative and complete tasks.

The ability to maintain a well-reasoned, intellectual conversation on a topic and think broadly in the area for which they will be responsible.

Pre-screening

During screening, we look for signs of excellence. We like to find rising stars early on and look for signs that they are amazing. Maybe they were first in their class at a good university. A fast career track at well-known companies, like the Big 3 or an audit firm, also works. You can grow fast there, but you have to be very talented. Unusual projects that a person took on with great responsibility are also a good sign.

Sports achievements can also be a good sign that a person is driven to be the best and is ready to invest a lot.

On the other hand, red flags are an obscure university, unclear career paths after that, and frequent job changes. I don’t want to be the first one to check whether this person is exceptional and test if the previous track record is just a mistake. We are not rejecting them; we are simply deprioritising them and thus lowering their chances of getting a job with us.

Hire them as your number-two employee

All of these rules aren’t about the fact that hiring in every startup must necessarily be done in accordance with them. They are about a startup’s need for a sense of homogeneity throughout its life. These rules are in place so that I can hire people with whom I am personally comfortable spending most of my life, which is dedicated to one thing: making huge changes in a specific industry. We just have to be aligned on the extent to which that big goal overshadows everything else.

These are my personal rules that help me maintain the same feeling, communication style, informality, hunger, and focus on the goal that my partners and I had when we were just the three of us brainstorming the project.

Surprisingly, I had the same feeling at Uber: the company was growing, but it was able to maintain the startup culture during hiring and only hired people who would fit an Uber-startup, not an Uber-corporation. Often, startups lose their authenticity as they grow and apply different hiring rules that are only suitable for corporations. 

Therefore, the question I ask myself when hiring the hundredth person for my team is: would I hire them if they were not person number one hundred, but number three?

The post The corporate delusion: How to sabotage your own hiring appeared first on EU-Startups.

Balnord, a Luxembourg-based early stage investor for the Baltic Sea Region, has announced this morning that it has oversubscribed its €70 million fund target and is well on its way to achieving a final close of €100 million by mid-2026.

LPs backing the fund include the European Investment Fund, PFR Ventures, and European family offices, founders, and private investors from around the world. Balnord counts LPs in three continents and 12 countries. Most prior-fund LPs have reinvested in Balnord Fund I; among new LPs, many are founders of its exited portfolio companies.

“We’re investing in the backbone of European industrialisation. We have already invested around €13 million in 10 companies. The first four of them raised €40 million in subsequent investment rounds, generating revenues of €35 million this year,” commented Marcin P. Kowalik, General Partner at Balnord.

Balnord’s oversubscribed first close situates it within a 2025 European funding landscape increasingly oriented towards industrial resilience, dual-use technology, and regionally anchored DeepTech ecosystems. Across Europe, several funds announced this year reflect similar strategic priorities:

• Suma Capital (Barcelona) closed a €210 million ClimateTech vehicle to back industrial decarbonisation ventures.

• Keen Venture Partners (Amsterdam/London) launched a €40 million DefenseTech fund aligned with Europe’s strategic-sovereignty goals.

• Iron Wolf Capital (Vilnius) unveiled a €100 million DeepTech fund for early-stage founders across the Baltics.

• IDC Ventures (Copenhagen) established a €150 million fund-of-funds investing in future-growth sectors.

• C4 Ventures (Paris) introduced a €100 million fund supporting AI, robotics, and quantum innovation.

Balnord’s positioning – backing frontier and dual-use technologies across the Baltic Sea Region  – aligns closely with these themes, particularly the Baltic-region DeepTech focus seen at Iron Wolf Capital.

Its inclusion of the EIF as a limited partner further mirrors institutional activity supporting strategic sectors; notably, the EIF also backs Suma Capital’s ClimateTech vehicle.

As EU-Startups recently observed in its broader review of policy-driven capital flows, the European VC landscape is shifting “from climate to resilience,” with new instruments reinforcing security, defence, and industrial innovation priorities (EU-Startups, Oct 2025). Within this context, Balnord’s fund contributes to a continental movement directing capital toward Europe’s re-industrialisation and technological sovereignty — areas now drawing sustained investor and public-sector attention.

“There has never been a stronger time for Europe to build resilient and enduring tech companies. We’ve never seen a more significant and liquid opportunity to create and build technologies that will shape the modern world in the coming decade,” added Kowalik.

Founded in 2024 and focused primarily on founders from the Baltic Sea Region (Nordics, Baltics, Poland, Germany), Balnord backs companies that are laying the foundation for Europe’s re-industrialisation in the real economy across sectors such as space, healthcare, industrial resilience, and more.

According to the firm, Europe is undergoing the most significant wave of industrialisation in decades, and European frontier-tech dual-use technology companies are poised to define the next generation of winners. It is estimated that €1 trillion is ready to be invested annually across the continent, solving the most complex problems and tackling reindustrialisation – Balnord believes that the next wave of unicorns will emerge in this space.

The new fund will invest in at least 22 companies and can make significant follow-on investments. Initial investments will range from €500k to €3 million, with follow-on investments up to €12 million per company.

“As a team, we’ve been working together for nine years already, putting together a like-minded group of mission-driven investors and operators with the sole intention of helping founders with their toughest challenges.

“We’re backing resilient entrepreneurs who are raising the bar on ambition, aiming to build billion-dollar companies across the Baltic Sea Region – where we can make a GDP-level impact. We’re not just investing in companies – we back founders and help them build movements,” added Aleksander Dobrzyniecki, General Partner at Balnord.

The Balnord team includes General Partners Marcin P. Kowalik and Aleksander Dobrzyniecki, as well as Operating Partners Jarosław Pilarczyk, Wojciech Drewczyński, Hubert Szczołek, and Gabriele Poteliunaite. Balnord’s team is split between Gdansk, Luxembourg, and Berlin.

Balnord has also created a founders board to support its investments, which includes Peter Bialo, co-founder of DocPlanner, the first Polish company to be valued over $1 billion, and Davis Siksnans, former founder & CEO of Printful, the first Latvian unicorn, and now CEO of Mapon, a leading B2B telematics company.

“This fund will help drive innovation in key sectors such as defence and space, directly supporting the EU’s commitment to addressing pressing challenges. Investing in Balnord enables us to further contribute to the EU’s strategic objectives, ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of technological innovation and capable of meeting future demands,” said Marjut Falkstedt, EIF Chief Executive.

Balnord Fund I has already invested in 10 companies, including:

• Astrolight: A space-to-ground laser communication provider that recently demonstrated an undetectable laser link between NATO ships at sea, ensuring communications when radio is jammed or denied (as reported by EU-Startups)

• ATMOS Space Cargo: Enabling access to microgravity through reusable reentry capsules using advanced inflatable heat shield technology. Atmos is allegedly the fastest-moving private space logistics company in Europe to conduct an orbital return mission.

• VitVio: Leveraging AI, computer vision, and ambient sensing technologies to digitise operating rooms in 3D, in real-time, to understand surgical workflows.

Other frontier tech and dual-use investments include companies working across space, industrial resilience, and tech bio.

Sebastian Klaus, CEO of ATMOS Space Cargo, said, “Working with Balnord feels like having a partner who truly gets it. Their team’s entrepreneurial experience means they understand the ups and downs of building a company. They’re not just investors – they’re company builders and supporters.”

To date, Balnord has co-invested alongside leading DeepTech funds, including Expansion, Matterwave, APEX Ventures, Seraphim, OTB, Inventure, Voima Ventures, and Bek Ventures (formerly Earlybird Digital East).

“Balnord is already putting its raised capital to work, supporting entrepreneurs. Among them are the Polish founders of Microamp, a DeepTech project focused on 5G connectivity that previously took part in NATO’s DIANA accelerator, and SATIM, which has recently established partnerships with ICEYE and local armaments companies.

“We’re also seeing the fund’s strong commitment to fostering the regional DeepTech ecosystem, going well beyond its investment activity. I believe that founders will truly benefit from this approach, and it’s one of the reasons we felt confident allocating our capital to Balnord Fund I,” says Rozalia Urbanek, Board Member of PFR Ventures

The post Balnord closes €70 million first round to back frontier and dual-use tech across the Baltic Sea Region appeared first on EU-Startups.

Balnord, an early-stage investor focused on the Baltic Sea region, announced it has exceeded its €70 million fund target and is on track for a final close of €100 million by mid-2026. The firm targets companies advancing Europe’s technological reindustrialisation, investing in frontier and dual-use technologies with emphasis on space, healthcare, and industrial resilience.

Europe is undergoing a significant reindustrialisation, with frontier-tech and dual-use companies likely to play an important role. Annual investment across the continent is estimated at around €1 trillion to address complex challenges and support this shift. Balnord anticipates that high-growth companies will emerge in this segment.

We’re investing in the backbone of European industrialisation. We have already invested around €13M in 10 companies. The first four of them raised €40M in subsequent investment rounds, generating revenues of €35M this year, 

commented Marcin P. Kowalik, General Partner at Balnord. 

Balnord’s strategy is to support Europe’s technological autonomy and reindustrialisation across sectors, including space, healthcare, and industrial resilience. Drawing on its founders’ experience as entrepreneurs and operators, the firm plans to support teams from the first round through exit. The fund plans to invest in at least 22 companies, with initial investments ranging from €500,000 to €3 million, with follow-on investments of up to €12 million per company.

Aleksander Dobrzyniecki, General Partner at Balnord, noted that the team has been collaborating for nine years, bringing together a group of mission-driven investors and operators united by a shared goal of supporting founders in overcoming their most difficult challenges.

We’re backing resilient entrepreneurs who are raising the bar on ambition, aiming to build billion-dollar companies across the Baltic Sea Region—where we can make a GDP-level impact. We’re not just investing in companies - we back founders and help them build movements.

Balnord has invested in 10 companies to date, seven of which are currently public, including ATMOS Space Cargo (Germany), Vitvio (Poland), Astrolight (Lithuania), Microamp (Poland), Port.app (UK) and Satim (Poland).

The firm has co-invested with funds such as Expansion, Matterwave, APEX Ventures, Seraphim, OTB, Inventure, Voima Ventures, and Bek Ventures (formerly Earlybird Digital East). Limited partners include the European Investment Fund, PFR Ventures, and European family offices, founders, and private investors.

French gaming app Hoora announced a €1.1 million ($1.3 million) fundraising round to blend social-media mechanics with instant-access gameplay – marking a key step in its ambition to become the “TikTok for gaming.”

The project has attracted investors including Kima Ventures, Mathias Salanon (ex-Voodoo, Ubisoft), Nicolas Steegmann (Stupeflix exit to GoPro), Jean-Guillaume Kleis (Keleops), as well as experts in influence and Gen Z such as Arthur Kannas and Sophie Noël (Heaven exit to Hopscotch), Guillaume and Maxime Doki-Thonon (Reech exit to Dekuple). Along with influencers such as Charles Philip and Dany Graells Lehoucq aka Unchained, and Johan Lelièvre aka Jojol. Finally, founder Romain Mussault, together with long-time investors Owen Simonin and Hector Sohier (Initial Agency), is also strengthening his position in this round.

“Our technology allows us to offer an experience that matches mobile habits: fast, smooth, and frictionless,” explains Flavien Marianacci, co-founder and CTO of Hoora. “We designed Hoora so that each game launches instantly, redefining how people play on mobile.”

This fundraising by Hoora sits within a restrained but still active European gaming-startup landscape.

Larger rounds such as Ultra’s €10.8 million in Estonia and VOYA Games’ €4.4 million in Germany show sustained investor confidence in the broader European gaming ecosystem. Smaller but conceptually adjacent rounds such as TILKI’s €1.8 million for AI-assisted game creation and PlaySafe ID’s €1 million for gaming safety indicate diversified funding themes spanning production, platforms, and player protection. Notably, Reality Games (UK) also secured €4.3 million to expand its real-world-mapping game platform

Within this context, Hoora’s French round represents an early-stage push toward new modes of mobile game discovery and engagement, complementing a year in which the European gaming sector has remained active across both content and technology layers.

“Hoora is not just a gaming app; it’s a new entertainment format – one for a generation that scrolls more than it downloads,” emphasises Romain Mussault, founder and CEO of Hoora. “This fundraising allows us to accelerate our development and strengthen our growth in Europe before tackling the U.S. market, where our initial tests are already very promising.”

Founded in 2023, Hoora is a mobile platform inspired by social media mechanics – it allows users to instantly discover thousands of games without downloading, through a fluid, fast, and social experience. In just a few months, the app has surpassed 100,000 downloads.

The company was founded by Romain Mussault, who launched his first successful app – generating over €100k in profits in a single month – before creating two influencer and digital acquisition agencies generating more than €10 million in revenue. Alongside him, Nicolas Marchal (COO), who has been part of the journey since the beginning, and Flavien Marianacci (CTO) form the founding core of the project.

Hoora offers a unique experience: a mobile app where users simply scroll to instantly discover thousands of games – no downloads, no waiting. With a single gesture, users access a continuous feed of games designed for a fast, smooth, and accessible experience, capable of entertaining anywhere, anytime.

In a global mobile gaming market estimated at over $90 billion, Hoora stands out as an alternative to the traditional download model. By combining instant access, diversity, and continuous discovery, the platform looks to bring mobile gaming into a new era.

Deployed in test mode across several European markets – France, the UK, Belgium, and Switzerland – the app reportedly shows record performance, with a user acquisition cost well below market standards.

In the long term, Hoora aims to build a sustainable economic model inspired by Spotify, where developers can publish their games and generate revenue. This approach seeks to create a virtuous ecosystem, beneficial for both creators and players, while rethinking mobile game monetisation.

The post Paris-based Hoora raises €1.1 million to build the “TikTok for gaming” and reshape mobile game discovery appeared first on EU-Startups.

Devengo, a Spanish FinTech specialising in account-to-account (A2A) payment infrastructure, has closed a pre-Series A funding round worth €2 million, combining debt and equity, to offer multi-sector infrastructure for instant payments.

The round features participation from Bankinter, Demium, and Banco Sabadell as lead investors, alongside continued support from existing partners such as TheVentureCity, Wayra – the corporate venture capital division of Telefónica – and Business Angels.

“The entry of banks into Devengo’s capital structure is a clear signal of the strength of our value proposition and reinforces the solidity of our capital structure,” explains Fernando Cabello-Astolfi, CEO and co-founder of Devengo.

This funding round comes amid a broader wave of European activity in account-to-account and payment infrastructure ventures.

In early 2025, Open Payments (Sweden) raised €3 million to expand its B2B integration platform, while Payrails (Germany) closed €27.7 million to accelerate product innovation and commercial growth across EMEA. In the same period, Two (Norway) secured €13 million to scale its B2B payments offering, and UK-based players Navro and Yaspa attracted €36 million and €10.1 million respectively for global and regulated-sector payments solutions.

While Devengo’s round is comparatively modest, it highlights the emergence of Spain-based players in a segment largely dominated by Northern European FinTechs.

With the EU Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) fostering regulatory momentum for real-time euro transfers, the company’s focus on direct Iberpay connectivity and API-first design positions it within a Europe-wide trend of modernising payment infrastructure and enabling instant, programmable transactions across the SEPA zone.

Andrés Dancausa, General Partner at TheVentureCity, added: “Devengo has everything it takes to lead instant account-to-account payments​in the SEPA zone and become a key player in the modernisation of European payment infrastructure.”

Founded in 2020, DEVENGO is focused on account-to-account (A2A) payment infrastructure, offering instant payment solutions for multiple sectors. With its direct connection to Iberpay and API-first architecture, Devengo enables automatic, instant, programmable, and intelligent payments for companies looking to optimise their payment processes, reduce operational costs, and improve their value proposition.

The FinTech says they stand out for their pioneering model of direct technical connection with the Iberpay clearing house, reportedly eliminating dependence on traditional banking intermediaries and offering greater efficiency and control over payment operations.

Its direct access to the national payment system, combined with specialised regulatory knowledge, enables a differentiated value proposition in terms of speed, security, and scalability.

“Their API-first approach, their understanding of modern businesses’ needs, and their execution capabilities position them as a natural partner to build the future of instant payments,” added Dancausa.

The funding will allow Devengo to accelerate its geographic expansion across the SEPA zone (Single European Payments Area) and strengthen its position amid growing demand for instant payments in Europe.

Additionally, the company plans to incorporate next-generation payment protocols early on, such as Request to Pay and instant international transfers, anticipating regulatory and technological trends in the European payments ecosystem.

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arcoris bio, a Swiss life science research tools and in vitro diagnostics company, has secured €6.7 million (CHF 6.3 million) in an oversubscribed Seed financing round to advance the development and commercialisation of its breakthrough MUSE biomarker detection platform.

The round was co-led by Ventura Ace and ZEISS Ventures, with participation from Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) and both existing and new private investors.

“Attracting two lead investors with deep industry expertise is a strong validation of our technical and business strategy. This support empowers us in our mission of transforming biomarker detection and digital pathology,” commented Simon Restrepo, co-founder and CSO arcoris bio.

In 2025, European startups developing life-science research tools, diagnostics, and biomarker-detection technologies have continued to attract early-stage investment.

• In Sweden, Epigenica AB secured €1.8 million to expand its high-throughput epigenetic screening tools and accelerate international commercialisation.

• In France, MSInsight closed a €1.6 million Seed round to advance MSIcare, its AI-powered diagnostic software for detecting microsatellite instability cancers.

• In the UK, Sava Technologies raised €16.6 million (Series A) to accelerate approval and launch of its wearable molecular biosensor platform capable of real-time multi-biomarker monitoring.

Against this backdrop, arcoris bio’s €6.7 million Seed financing positions the Swiss firm within a broader European movement to industrialise and scale next-generation biomarker and diagnostic technologies.

Its MUSE platform, focusing on multiplex biomarker detection and digital pathology, reflects a shared trend toward enabling higher-sensitivity, data-rich diagnostic solutions.

While comparable rounds in Sweden and France remain smaller, the company’s Swiss base and strong venture backing place it among the more substantial early-stage players in this fast-developing European diagnostics tools landscape.

Matyas Vegh, CEO arcoris bio, added: “Securing this financing marks a major milestone for arcoris bio. In a challenging market, we are grateful for the trust our investors have placed in our vision. Their support empowers us to bring our innovations to market faster, strengthen our operations, and scale to meet growing industry demand.”

Founded in 2022 by Simon Restrepo and Scott E. Fraser, together with entrepreneur H. Kaspar Binz, arcoris bio develops tech for biomarker detection in research and diagnostics. Its flagship MUSE platform provides universal, programmable signal amplification to enable highly sensitive and multiplex assays and advance digital pathology.

MUSE enables researchers to detect multiple biomarkers simultaneously with “unprecedented” ease and sensitivity. By allowing the measurement of several difficult-to-detect biomarkers within a single sample at higher throughput.

Andreas Jenne, Investment Director at Ventura Ace, said: “We have been impressed by the arcoris bio team’s vision and early traction with industry partners. We believe MUSE represents a truly enabling technology for digital pathology.”

The financing will enable arcoris bio to industrialise MUSE and expand strategic partnerships and launch new products.

“arcoris bio’s MUSE technology fills a critical gap in the market to enable better diagnostics and applications like drug discovery or precision medicine. Its universal applicability is particularly exciting – MUSE acts like a molecular GPU, amplifying the capabilities of existing biomarker platforms and opening new paths for innovation,” highlighted Benedikt Klaes, Senior Investment Manager at ZEISS Ventures.

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Cambridge Photon Technology (CPT), a deeptech spin-out from the University of Cambridge, has raised £1,556,000 in new funding to accelerate the commercialisation of its photon-multiplier technology. 

As global solar demand accelerates and silicon PV nears its theoretical efficiency ceiling (around 28 per cent), new solutions that enhance output power without redesigning the solar panels are urgently needed. 

CPT has developed a patented photon-multiplier technology that enables existing silicon solar panels to generate more power by converting wasted sunlight into usable light. 

By converting each high-energy photon, normally lost as heat, into 2 infrared photons that silicon can absorb, CPT’s innovation can boost energy output by up to 15 per cent while remaining fully compatible with existing solar infrastructure. It represents the first demonstration of this photon-multiplication effect at scale.

The drop-in solution fits into standard solar modules without any redesign or capital-intensive manufacturing changes, offering one of the most practical routes yet to increasing global solar efficiency.

The £926,000 equity investment round attracted international backing from Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Spectrum Impact, Tybourne Capital, Providence Investment Company and SourceSquared. A £630,000 Clean Energy and Climate Technologies grant from the UKRI Innovate UK Investor Partnerships was also awarded, enabled by the participation of Cambridge Enterprise in the investment round.

According to Dr Claudio Marinelli, CEO of Cambridge Photon Technology, the investment demonstrates strong private-sector confidence in CPT’s technology and vision:

“Attracting backing from leading investors across the UK, India, and Asia underlines the global relevance of our approach and its potential to transform solar efficiency at scale.

The Innovate UK programme provides a powerful layer of support, helping us bridge the gap between early-stage development and commercial readiness.”

Chris Gibbs, Investment Director at Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, said:

“Cambridge Photon Technology exemplifies the kind of transformative innovation needed to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy and address climate challenges.”

With this funding, CPT will expand its R&D operation in Cambridge, accelerate material testing with global industry partners, and prepare for a larger Series A raise ahead of pilot deployment. The company aims to bring its first product to market by 2028.

Lead image: Cambridge Photon Technology.

We all know that artificial intelligence has moved beyond the hype phase and is now reshaping nearly every industry, from healthcare and finance to logistics, retail, and defence. Across Europe, this technology is here to stay, with billions flowing into platforms, applications, and infrastructure that power the next wave of intelligent systems.

Initiatives such as the EU AI Act and national strategies continue to promote ethical innovation, balancing technological progress with a commitment to trust, transparency, and safety. According to a recent study by Dealroom, Paris ranked as the world’s third most important hub for AI in 2025, behind only the Bay Area and New York. This marks a major milestone for Europe’s innovation landscape.

On that note, we have curated a list of 10 standout European startups that raised the largest AI funding rounds in 2025. From frontier model developers and AI cloud infrastructure providers to defence, biotech, and creative tech pioneers, these companies are defining the continent’s AI future while setting new records in investment and ambition.

First place

Based in Paris, Mistral AI develops large language models and generative AI solutions for enterprise use. Founded in 2023, the company focuses on creating open-weight models that can be easily adapted by developers and organisations, offering flexibility and transparency in deployment. Mistral’s technology powers applications ranging from automated content creation to research and customer service, positioning it as Europe’s leading foundational model developer.

In September 2025, Mistral AI raised a record-breaking €1.7 billion in a Series C round — one of the largest ever for a European startup! The capital will fuel model development, cloud infrastructure expansion, and enterprise adoption, reinforcing Europe’s global AI competitiveness.

Second place

Based in London, Nscale provides a full-stack AI cloud platform designed for enterprise-scale workloads. Its modular infrastructure integrates compute, storage, and orchestration tools, enabling companies to train, deploy, and manage large-scale AI systems efficiently and securely.

In September 2025, Nscale raised €958 million in a Series B round to enhance its data centre footprint, expand globally, and accelerate the development of its high-performance AI cloud services. The round marked one of the largest European investments in cloud infrastructure to date.

Third place

Based in Berlin, Helsing is pioneering AI-powered defence software to support democratic nations. Its technology enhances situational awareness and decision-making for military and security operations through advanced data analytics, automation, and drone integration.

In June 2025, Helsing raised €600 million in a Series D round to expand product development and European collaborations. The investment will accelerate deployment across defence systems and reinforce the company’s leadership in ethical, dual-use AI technologies.

Fourth place

Based in London, Isomorphic Labs applies AI to transform drug discovery and development. Spun out from DeepMind, it uses machine learning to model biological processes and predict molecular interactions, helping pharmaceutical partners design new therapies faster and more accurately.

In March 2025, Isomorphic Labs raised €523 million in a venture round to advance its AI platform and expand strategic partnerships. The funding underlines growing investor confidence in AI’s potential to revolutionise biotechnology and precision medicine.

Fifth place

London-based Nscale appears again in this year’s AI funding leaderboard with a €377 million Series C round, just one month after its record-breaking Series B. The company continues to attract investor confidence as it scales its full-stack AI infrastructure and strengthens Europe’s role in the global cloud computing race.

This new round will support further product refinement, expansion into new European markets, and the hiring of top-tier talent to drive innovation in AI system deployment and orchestration.

Sixth place

Based in Milan, Bending Spoons is a digital product company behind some of Europe’s most popular consumer and productivity apps. While not exclusively an AI company, it has increasingly integrated artificial intelligence into its product ecosystem, using it to enhance the user experience, optimise content creation, and support innovative app features for millions of users worldwide.

In October 2025, the company secured around €235 million ($270 million) in primary capital plus $440 million in secondary capital to accelerate its AI initiatives and expand its portfolio of intelligent software products.

Seventh place

Based in San Sebastián, Multiverse Computing combines quantum computing and artificial intelligence to solve complex optimisation and simulation challenges across finance, logistics, and energy. Its technology enables enterprises to harness hybrid quantum-AI capabilities for real-world impact.

In June 2025, Multiverse Computing raised €189 million in a Series B round to strengthen commercial rollout and international partnerships. The funds will also advance R&D in quantum machine learning applications.

Eighth place

Based in Stockholm, Lovable provides an AI-powered platform that allows users to build software applications without extensive coding knowledge. In July 2025, it raised €174 million ($200 million) in a Series A round — a remarkable figure for an early-stage company.

Based in London, Synthesia enables users to create videos from text using realistic AI avatars and voice synthesis. In October 2025, it secured €174 million ($200 million) in a Series D round to improve avatar realism and expand enterprise integrations.

Ninth place

Based in Berlin, n8n provides a workflow automation platform that integrates artificial intelligence with business process automation. Its open-source approach allows users to connect tools, data, and AI models to streamline operations and decision-making. In October 2025, the company raised around €156.3 million ($180 million) in a Series C round to expand its platform capabilities and grow its global community of developers and enterprise users.

Again on the list, Synthesia secured another major investment earlier in the year. In January 2025, the London-based AI video company raised around €156.3 million ($180 million) in a separate Series D round to advance its generative video technology and expand its enterprise solutions. This earlier raise highlights the company’s strong momentum and continued investor confidence in its global growth strategy.

10th place 

Based in London, Quantexa provides AI-driven contextual intelligence solutions that help organisations detect fraud, manage risk, and make data-informed decisions. Its platform connects vast data sets to uncover hidden relationships between people, places, and transactions, supporting sectors such as banking, insurance, and government.

In March 2025, Quantexa raised around €152 million ($175 million) in a Series F round to accelerate global expansion and further develop its decision intelligence platform. The funding will also support increased investment in AI innovation, enabling the company to deliver deeper insights and stronger risk management capabilities to enterprise clients worldwide.

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Traveltech is one of the industries that quietly shapes how the European technology ecosystem operates. Behind every itinerary is software that simplifies trips, from policy-compliant bookings and automated approvals to organised expense tracking, allowing travellers to focus on the journey rather than administration.

In the background of every stay, digital hospitality platforms keep things running smoothly: property-management systems connect reservations, housekeeping, maintenance, and payments, while real-time revenue tools adjust prices to keep rooms full and margins healthy. Together, all of this forms a resilient ecosystem, gradually redefining how travel is planned, booked, and experienced.

The following are the ten largest funding rounds in the European traveltech industry during the first half of 2025.

Amount raised in H1 2025: $200M Perk (formerly TravelPerk) is a cloud-based platform that brings together travel booking, expense management and invoice payment into a single intelligent suite. It empowers teams to book and manage flights, trains, accommodation and cars, process expenses and invoices with AI automation, and gain real-time control and visibility over company spend and travel policy compliance. In January, the company completed its Series E funding round, raising $200 million and nearly doubling its valuation to $2.7 billion.

Amount raised in H1 2025: $75M Mews Systems is a cloud-native hospitality management platform designed to streamline and elevate hotel operations. Its integrated suite includes property management (PMS), revenue management (RMS), point-of-sale (POS), guest tools like digital keys and virtual concierge, and full payment capabilities. The system is trusted by over 12,500 properties worldwide, helping them automate manual tasks, personalise guest experiences, and grow revenue, all via a single intuitive platform. In March, Mews raised $75 million to support its expansion in the US and DACH regions, accelerate platform innovation through AI-powered revenue management capabilities, and drive strategic acquisitions and R&D initiatives.

Amount raised in H1 2025: $75M RoomPriceGenie is a dynamic, automated revenue-management platform tailored for independent hotels, B&Bs and small chains. It uses advanced algorithms and competitor/data-driven insights to set optimal room pricing every day, allowing hoteliers to boost revenue while maintaining full control and transparency. In February, RoomPriceGenie raised $75 million to support its global expansion and develop a new generation of API integrations designed to streamline revenue management for independent hotels worldwide.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €46M Holidu is a Munich-based tech company that operates a vacation-rental search and booking platform across Europe, offering travellers access to thousands of privately managed holiday homes with secure booking and comparison features. At the same time, Holidu supports property owners and managers with tools to list, manage and optimise their rentals, enabling visibility across multiple booking portals and simplifying operations. In June, Holidu raised €46 million in a growth financing round to accelerate its AI development roadmap, expand its Property Management Software (PMS) business, and drive further growth in key strategic markets.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €30M Roadsurfer is a global camper-van and RV rental company offering fully-equipped vehicles for road-trip adventures across Europe and North America. With flexible bookings, unlimited mileage in many locations, and a range of vehicle classes, from compact camper vans to larger motorhomes, the platform caters to both first-time campers and seasoned van-life enthusiasts. In February, Roadsurfer secured €30 million through an asset-backed financing round to cover all planned fleet investments for 2025, enabling further expansion of its vehicle fleet across existing markets in Europe and North America.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €25M Exoticca is a Barcelona-based online tour operator, founded in 2013, that designs and sells all-inclusive vacation packages, including flights, hotels, transfers and guided or self-guided tours, to destinations around the world. With a strong emphasis on value, technology and convenience, Exoticca offers carefully crafted itineraries at competitive prices by combining destination experts with its proprietary booking ecosystem. In February, Exoticca secured a €25 million venture debt facility from BBVA Spark to strengthen its market position and support ongoing development initiatives.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €21M HolaCamp is a Barcelona-based outdoor hospitality company operating a network of modern campsites and glamping destinations across the Iberian Peninsula. They blend nature and comfort by offering thoughtfully designed accommodations under the banner “#CampStories,” coupled with digital booking and guest-experience tools. In addition to running its own sites, HolaCamp provides centralised services to third-party campsite owners, such as revenue management, quality control and customer service, to elevate operations within the traditionally fragmented camping market. In June, HolaCamp secured €21 million in debt financing from Banco Santander’s Smart Fund, which supports high-growth initiatives that are sustainable, innovative, digital, and foster job creation.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €20M Naboo is an all-in-one platform for planning corporate retreats and events, letting teams book venues, catering, activities, and transport in just a few clicks. It connects companies with curated locations and providers, streamlining off-sites, seminars, and team-building across Europe and North America. In January, Naboo raised €20 million to meet growing demand in the UK market throughout 2025, and to further expand its European presence across Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €10M Gaiarooms is a hospitality platform that operates a network of hotels, hostels and apartments across Spain, offering fully-digitalised accommodations with automated check-in/out, 24/7 online reception and smart-lock technology. It also provides property owners with operational and revenue-management services to transform their assets into modern, efficient rental units. Gaiarooms closed a €10 million round in March to revolutionise digital hotel management.

Amount raised in H1 2025: €5.5M Hotiday is a travel-tech startup offering a unique “Room Collection” concept, partnering with hotels to curate distinctive rooms tailored for modern travellers. It not only addresses the challenge of unsold inventory but also equips hotels with powerful tools, including a proprietary revenue management system and advanced data analytics, to optimise pricing strategies and maximise profitability. In May, Hotiday raised €5.5 million to launch new locations in major European resorts and cities, enhance its service offerings for partner hoteliers, and grow its team.

This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, we sit down with Rebecka Löthman Rydå, General Partner at Norrsken Evolve, a €57M oversubscribed pre-seed fund backing founders who are building Europe’s resilient and sustainable future. Born out of Norrsken Accelerator, which has supported over 80 startups since 2021.

Evolve combines capital, community, and world-class mentorship to help early-stage founders tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. With €250K upfront plus follow-on funding, an intensive in-person sprint, and a top-tier advisory network, it’s redefining how impact-driven startups scale across the continent.

Rebecka describes herself as a nerd at heart, passionate about supporting early-stage founders who are building transformative companies that address meaningful problems. She’s an investor in over 30 companies, including Truecaller (through Zenith, IPO $2B), Funnel (Series C, $66M), TrusTrace (Series B, $25M), Formulate (exit to Relex), and Zound Industries (now Marshall, exit at $1B).

In this episode, we dig into Europe’s “defining moment” and the courage founders need now; what Evolve looks for at pre-seed (problem obsession, resilience, honesty); why storytelling and direct feedback beat vanity metrics on day zero; hiring truths (why a Founder’s Associate or Chief of Staff early on can 10x output); and much more!

Video version of episode 143:

Audio version of episode 143:

Key Takeaways 

• Pre-seed is courage + clarity: narratives matter more than noisy metrics.
• Back problem-obsession, not just credentials.
• Resilience = real-world stress-tests, not buzzwords.
• Hiring a Founder’s Associate early saves the CEO from context collapse.
• Direct, fast feedback compounds founder learning.

The post EU-Startups Podcast | Episode 143: Rebecka Löthman Rydå, General Partner at Norrsken Evolve appeared first on EU-Startups.

Swiss-based Motley has raised a $1.5 million pre-seed round and launched its business reporting platform. The round was led by Seedcamp, with participation from Tiny VC, Kima Ventures, RTP Global, Founders AS, and several angels.

Motley is an AI-powered platform that transforms how teams create business reports. By connecting directly to existing systems such as CRMs, BI tools, databases, and spreadsheets, it automatically sources data, builds report-ready documents, and surfaces relevant business context.

Teams move from weeks of manual compilation to minutes of output, shifting focus to insights and decision-making. The platform retains historical context, analyses sentiment, and provides recommendations to make reports more useful.

Designed for recurring business reviews, customer updates, and performance reports, Motley helps organisations streamline reporting, improve collaboration, and turn information into action.

The company was founded by Egor Kraev (formerly Head of AI at Wise), Artemy Belousov (engineer at Yandex), and Yann Ranchere (former CFO and Partner at Anthemis), who have firsthand experience of reporting burdens on decision-makers. Early design partners and customers include Gigs, Evalart, and Impactpilot.

At Motley, we believe reporting should empower strategic discussions, not dilute those. Today’s business teams spend billions of hours pulling data and preparing documents. Motley is here to turn that into a process measured in minutes, freeing companies to focus on impact,

said Yann Ranchere, CEO of Motley.

With the new funding, Motley will accelerate product development, broaden integrations, and scale go-to-market efforts with its early partners and customers.

Amsterdam-based startup Struck has raised €2 million in a seed round led by Value Factory Ventures, with participation from Antler and several industry angels from the construction and real estate sectors.

The investment will be used to expand Struck’s AI-driven compliance platform and accelerate its rollout across Europe.

Founded in 2024, Struck has developed an artificial intelligence platform that helps architects, developers and municipalities navigate complex building regulations. The software provides instant insights into the rules applicable to each project and will soon automatically verify whether designs meet all legal and environmental standards. By digitising and automating compliance checks, the platform aims to speed up permitting, cut costs and promote sustainable construction.

“Building regulations are becoming increasingly complex, while the need for faster and more sustainable construction is greater than ever,” said Max van Riel, co-founder of Struck. “Therefore, it's essential to find solutions to accelerate and simplify this process.”

Since its launch, Struck has become a leading platform for building regulation compliance in the Netherlands, serving thousands of users, including municipalities, builders, developers and architects. Its tools include an extensive AI library of building codes and an automated permit-exemption checker.

Johan van Heusden, Managing Partner at Value Factory Ventures, commented: “The construction sector is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions, yet we urgently need to build millions of new homes. Solving this paradox means building smarter, not slower.”

Struck plans to expand beyond the Netherlands into other European markets where regulatory complexity continues to slow development.

Dublin-based climatetech Proveye has been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to complete the development and deployment of ProvVari, a precision fertiliser solution designed to improve productivity, reduce costs, and minimise the environmental impact of grassland farming across Europe.

Founded in Dublin and headquartered at NovaUCD, Proveye combines AI-driven remote sensing with satellite, aerial and field data to help farmers boost profitability while reducing emissions and restoring ecosystems.

The project is supported under ESA’s Spark Funding initiative and aims to help farmers apply fertiliser more efficiently using space-based technology.

Built on Proveye’s existing ProvGrass platform, ProvVari integrates satellite data from ESA’s Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 missions with drone imagery, GNSS guidance, and soil and weather data. The platform will generate variable rate application maps that optimise fertiliser use while protecting water quality and supporting EU climate and biodiversity goals.

“ProvVari has already drawn strong engagement from agri-advisors, machinery manufacturers, and seed and fertiliser companies, as well as a growing community of progressive Irish farmers,” said Jerome O’Connell, CEO of Proveye.

“At Proveye, we see little trade-off between farming and nature, our technologies are designed to enable both to thrive, and this ESA contract is a major step forward in our mission to align agricultural productivity with environmental stewardship, biodiversity protection, food security and climate resilience.”

Proveye plans to launch ProvVari in Ireland in early 2026 before expanding into international markets. Alongside supporting farmers, the platform will provide policymakers and regulators with new tools to manage fertiliser use sustainably, contributing to healthier soils, cleaner water systems and more resilient rural landscapes.

Munich autonomous robotics systems startup Circus SE today announces that Circus Defence has signed a framework agreement with BRAVE1, the Ukrainian government’s defence technology platform. 

Ths is the first deployment under the newly formed Circus Defence entity and the world’s first use in active defence operations – starting in Ukraine.

The  deployment will provide Ukrainian partners with an operational logistics and efficiency  advantage through fully autonomous nutrition systems.

Designed for field mission deployment, the company's CA-M delivers a frontline-ready, fully autonomous food preparation system that removes the need for human involvement and significantly reduces operational complexity. Its containerised design enables rapid transport, setup, and deployment — even in remote or temporary locations — ensuring 24/7 access to fresh, high-quality, nutritious meals without requiring permanent staff or kitchen infrastructure.

Built for energy resilience and equipped with smart sensors and vision-based controls to maintain HACCP-level hygiene and food safety, the CA-M provides consistent, reliable nourishment wherever it’s needed most.

Circus Defence SE is part of Circus SE, a developer of autonomous AI robotics and dual-use infrastructure systems. The company develops modular, AI-driven autonomous infrastructure solutions for mission-critical environments, building on Circus’s patented technologies and proven expertise in meal supply robotics.

The program, initiated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation,  Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Military Innovation Technology  Solutions (MITS), aims to integrate and scale next-generation defence technologies in  Ukraine. 

The agreement establishes a collaboration to deploy autonomous ground infrastructure systems, starting with Circus AI robotics and nutrition supply systems at BRAVE1 facilities, with deployments set to begin immediately. 

Circus Defence will also utilise the government-owned program’s expertise to expand its AI robotics product portfolio, moving beyond meal supply to next-generation autonomous defence systems. 

The delivery to Ukraine marks Circus Defence’s operational market expansion, where the company will leverage its global mass-production capabilities and the upcoming start of  European high-volume production. 

Neutral atom quantum computing company Pasqal, today gains an equity investment from LG Electronics, a significant step toward advancing quantum computing to real-world industrial applications. 

Founded in 2019, Pasqal constructs quantum processors using ordered neutral atoms in 2D and 3D arrays, enabling practical quantum advantages for its customers and addressing real-world problems. 

As part of the partnership, Pasqal and LG Electronics will co-develop quantum algorithms to address some of LG’s most complex business challenges, including multiphysics simulation, optimisation, and material discovery.

These efforts aim to unlock new efficiencies, accelerate innovation, and enable breakthroughs in product design and performance. 

The two companies will also jointly explore collaboration opportunities in enabling technologies across the quantum computing value chain, such as optical and electronic components and modules that form the backbone of neutral atom quantum computing infrastructure.

Neutral atom quantum computers use individual atoms trapped by laser light as quantum bits, operating at room temperature. 

This collaboration will accelerate the industrialisation of quantum hardware and strengthen the global supply chain for critical quantum technologies. 

According to  Loïc Henriet, CEO of Pasqal, the partnership with LG Electronics represents a powerful convergence of quantum science and industrial expertise:

“Together, we will accelerate the deployment of industry-ready applications and bring quantum computing closer to solving real-world problems at scale.” 

“At LG Electronics, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to deliver transformative technologies. By investing in and collaborating with Pasqal, we are positioning ourselves at the forefront of quantum computing,” said Seong-Hyok Sean Kim, Senior Research Fellow (VP) of LG Electronics. 

The strategic partnership is expected to accelerate product development and industrialisation of quantum computers, while also paving the way for industry-ready applications that will benefit multiple sectors. 

Europe’s startup ecosystem moves fast. Our education systems don’t. Over the past two decades, working across startups and education, we have seen this gap grow wider: while founders push to innovate at speed, talent pipelines are too slow and rigid to keep up. If we want to compete in this globalised world, we must treat learning as infrastructure and upgrade it with AI-driven adaptive systems.

Startups evolve quarterly, yet Europe’s education remains standardised and slow. Roles shift, new tools emerge, and what was cutting-edge knowledge yesterday quickly becomes obsolete. The answer is not more lectures; it is a system where learning adapts to the learner. This is part of the broader future of work challenge Europe faces

What adaptive learning is

AI-powered adaptive learning personalises training in real time:

• Diagnose strengths and gaps per learner.
• Adjusts content and pacing on the fly.
• Provides targeted practice and instant feedback.
• Produces live skills maps for leaders.

It is like giving every employee their own personal tutor: scalable, consistent, and available every day, at any time. This is digital transformation in education at work: from rigid courses to continuous learning cultures where teams grow alongside technology.

Why it matters for startups and investors

• Learning velocity. Adaptive systems reduce time-to-proficiency from months to weeks. In a startup, that can make the difference between shipping on time and missing the market.
• Talent moat. When hiring slows, reskilling becomes the engine of growth. Adaptive learning lets you redeploy team members into new roles without waiting for external hires.
• Execution at scale. Instead of relying on gut feeling, managers get dashboards showing skill gaps, readiness, and ROI of training efforts.
• Investor signal. A team that compounds capability is a more scalable and less risky bet. Continuous learning is an operating system for human capital.

Core benefits

1. Personalised Pathways: Role- and stack-specific journeys. No filler, only relevant skills.
2. Learning Velocity: Skip what’s already mastered, focus on what matters. Momentum stays high.
3. Data-Driven Insights: Spot hidden talent, measure ROI, and intervene earlier.
4. Scalable Reskilling: Deploy to 5 or 5,000 people with equal effectiveness.

Proof from the field

Education pilots and corporate use cases already show impact:

• Students reduce anxiety and build confidence when lessons adapt to them.
• Workers benefit from instant feedback that prevents misunderstandings from sticking.
• Teachers and managers spend less time repeating basics and more time coaching.
• Learning continues beyond classrooms or offices—support is always on.

From Arizona State University’s AI tutors to Europe’s own edtech platforms, the pattern is clear: adaptive learning delivers personalisation at scale, and shifts educators into the role of coaches and mentors rather than content distributors. This is how AI in higher education and corporate training converge to create better outcomes.

The European imperative

Europe lags behind the US and China in AI adoption. At the same time, the EU targets demand nearly doubling the number of ICT specialists by 2030. Without radical reskilling, millions risk being left behind as AI reshapes work. For startups, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. If your team learns faster than competitors, you can out-innovate and adapt quickly, even with fewer resources.

Having co-founded and scaled companies here, I know Europe often has less capital and talent mobility than Silicon Valley. But scarcity can be turned into strength if we make adaptability our edge.

When I was building N26, I witnessed this gap firsthand. We were scaling at lightning speed, launching in new markets, integrating new regulations, and rolling out features at a pace that outstripped our team’s existing skills. Traditional training formats simply couldn’t keep up. We needed product managers who could think in compliance terms, engineers who could pivot between architectures, and customer support who could operate with a startup mindset across borders. Hiring externally was slow, so our only real edge came from how quickly our people could learn on the job. That lesson stayed with me: in fast-moving environments, adaptability is not a “nice-to-have”—it’s survival.

Playbook for founders

1. Tie learning to business goals. Start with your roadmap: what skills unlock your next release or compliance milestone?
2. Map roles, skills and assessments. Define must-haves and mastery levels for each role.
3. Pick one adaptive core platform. Use it as the intelligence layer and integrate existing content.
4. Instrument everything. Track skill progress, error patterns, and speed to proficiency.
5. Coach the coaches. Train team leads to use dashboards and run targeted sprints.
6. Start small, scale fast. Pilot with one team, measure before/after, expand from there.

Guardrails: ethics, privacy, and equity

• Protect data. Encrypt, minimise collection, and use role-based access.
• Bias checks. Monitor recommendations across demographics.
• Human in the loop. Keep critical evaluations and promotions reviewed by people.
• Equitable access. Tools must work across languages, devices, and time zones.

The next generation of European winners won’t just have the best product, they will have the best learners. Adaptive learning should not be treated as a side project in HR, but as a core workforce training solution for your company. Embedding a continuous learning culture is the most reliable way to future-proof your business.

The post Adaptive learning powered by AI: the next frontier in education personalisation appeared first on EU-Startups.

Swiss battery start-up BTRY AG has raised €4.9 million in an oversubscribed Seed round for its ultra-thin solid-state batteries reportedly capable of combining fast charging, extreme temperature stability, and intrinsic safety within an extremely thin format.

The round was led by Redstone VC, with participation from Bloomhaus Ventures, Linear Capital, Kickfund, Kick Foundation, and the CustomCells founders Leopold König and Torge Thönnessen as new investors. Existing investors HTGF (High-Tech Gründerfonds) and Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) renewed their commitment.

“The oversubscribed round confirms strong investor confidence from experienced DeepTech and industrial backers. Working closely with this international consortium will enable us to transform world-class research into a scalable product,” said Dr Moritz Futscher, CEO and co-founder of BTRY AG.

“Potential customers are ready with their next-generation solutions, like active badges in logistics. What they need is a small, powerful, and safe battery – exactly what BTRY offers. We believe the company has not only the potential but the proof to set a new standard for high-performance energy storage and are excited to support its journey toward industrial scale,” said Mohamed Foulser, Investment Director at Redstone VC.

Founded in 2023, BTRY AG is a DeepTech spin-off from Empa and ETH Zurich developing ultra-thin solid-state lithium-ion batteries that allegedly operate safely at high temperatures, enable ultra-fast charging, and feature an exceptionally thin form factor for next-generation devices.

The company has grown into a 14-person team combining deep battery expertise, industrial scale-up experience, and strong business acumen.

BTRY’s mission is to electrify applications previously limited by the battery such as active logistics tags, high-temperature industrial sensors, MedTech applications, and light consumer electronics.

They power next-generation devices such as connected labels, wireless sensors, and wearables – applications where conventional batteries could not fit or endure.

“BTRY is a perfect example of Swiss DeepTech at its best – science-driven, bold, and globally relevant. The founding team combines deep scientific expertise with entrepreneurial grit. Their combination of material innovation and industrial scalability makes them a frontrunner in Europe’s next generation of battery companies,” said Pascal Stürchler, CEO at Bloomhaus Ventures.

By applying solid-state technology from semiconductor production to battery manufacturing, BTRY says their technology represents a leap in the global trend toward thinner, safer, and longer-lasting batteries that enable more reliable, compact, and connected devices.

According to the company, the batteries operate safely at temperatures up to 150 °C, where conventional cells fail, swell, or catch fire. Starting at just 0.1 mm thickness, they charge within one minute, directly powering wireless transmissions without additional capacitors.

Unlike large-scale energy storage for electric vehicles and grids, BTRY powers next-generation solutions such as smart connected labels, high-temperature industrial sensors, and light consumer electronics. For these high-value applications, miniaturisation and longevity of the power supply matter most.

BTRY’s manufacturing approach also achieves high sustainability standards with its solvent-free production and low material waste.

“Asia has been leading the way in battery manufacturing for decades, but innovations like BTRY’s show that Europe can compete through advanced materials and precision processes. We see strong potential for collaboration between Asian manufacturing expertise and BTRY’s pioneering solid-state technology,” said Tianyi Zhou, Principal at Linear Capital.

BTRY will use the funds to scale production to industrial roll-to-roll manufacturing, transforming its thin-film batteries into market-ready products. The company is now focusing on establishing its production set-up, advancing industrial processes, and securing offtake agreements for integration in next-generation devices.

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