Nice-based Cosma, a DeepTech company specialising in mapping deep-sea ecosystems using autonomous vehicles, has announced a €2.5 million funding round to industrialise its drone fleet.

The round was led by WIND and Ternel, with backing from 50 Partners, Caisse d’Épargne Côte d’Azur, and IFREMER – the scientific institution that originally launched the project. The raise is complemented by significant non-dilutive public funding, including France 2030, which could potentially double the total amount secured.

“Cosma was born from the conviction that biological data should be just as accessible and reliable as physical measurements in marine projects. Our technology enables large-scale operations while placing biodiversity at the heart of decision-making,” said Frédéric Mittaine, CEO of Cosma.

Founded in 2022, Cosma is industrialising the inventory and monitoring of benthic ecosystems; striving to contribute to the preservation of ocean biodiversity. They deploy autonomous underwater robots that collect up to 100,000 images per hectare of seabed, paired with a 3D photogrammetry system and algorithms capable of recognising habitats and species.

Their cloud-native processing platform & AI toolbox generate photographic seabed models and locate protected species.

The resulting digital twin reportedly provides repeatable, reliable, and easy-to-interpret data – especially on benthic ecosystems.

“To date, only 25% of the ocean floor has been mapped with high precision (less than 100 m x 100 m), and less than 1% of marine species are known. The need for knowledge is immense, and COSMA opens up new perspectives to better observe, understand, and protect our ocean,” said Romain Charraudeau, Director of Technology Transfer at IFREMER.

Their results are useful for conducting scientific studies and also serve to help avoid sensitive species during offshore construction, ensure the integrity of critical underwater infrastructure, and better understand the role of seagrass meadows in coastal erosion.

“WIND was convinced by Cosma’s groundbreaking technology, its potential to become the ‘Google Maps’ of the seafloor, and its ability to protect both marine ecosystems and critical infrastructure,” added Olivier Mougenot, General Partner at WIND.

The company’s early clients already include RWE (a leader in renewable energy), EGIS (a leading engineering firm), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the French Navy (Marine Nationale).

“Cosma embodies exactly the kind of innovation we want to support: an exceptional team, a transformational project for the ocean, and a clear vision for impact. We’re proud to co-lead this round alongside WIND,” said Timothée Poulain, Partner at Ternel.

Cosma has benefited from strong scientific and technical support from IFREMER since its inception and is still hosted today within the institute’s underwater systems unit in La Seyne-sur-Mer.

This new funding will allow Cosma to:

• Industrialise its drone fleet to operate in deep-sea environments.
• Strengthen its software platform and AI-powered analysis tools needed to process
  large-scale datasets.
• Structure its operations to serve both public and private clients at a European level.

Cosma believes that their positioning as a provider of high-resolution, surface-level seafloor data responds to a growing demand from public and industrial players for reliable measurement technologies – in a context where security and biodiversity are becoming new standards in major maritime infrastructure projects.

The post French startup Cosma raises €2.5 million for underwater imaging technology for marine biodiversity appeared first on EU-Startups.

Ferovinum, a British FinTech startup specialising in funding and supply chain solutions for the global drinks industry, has closed a €468 million asset-backed securitisation programme.

The facility, involving credit investors such as Pollen Street Capital alongside investment banks, marks a significant milestone as the company accelerates its international expansion.

Mitchell Fowler, Co-founder and CEO, shared with EU-Startups: “Ferovinum’s USD 550 million asset-backed securitisation marks a transformative moment for the drinks industry. By unlocking access to a wider pool of private credit investors and global investment banks, we’re scaling up the working capital support available to producers, distributors and brand owners across the sector. What makes this especially exciting is that the funding is seamlessly embedded within our end-to-end supply chain solution – enabling our clients to achieve best-in-class efficiency in procurement and distribution across their sales channels.”

Founded in 2018 by Mitchel Fowler and Daniel Gibney, Ferovinum provides capital and logistics support tailored to the specific challenges of the drinks industry. The startup’s technology enables brands and distributors to reportedly unlock capital trapped in inventory, optimise procurement and simplify the often convoluted task of moving alcohol domestically and internationally.

Through their platform, businesses can manage working capital and scale operations across multiple markets.

The new debt facility will allow Ferovinum to extend its services beyond its home market in the United Kingdom to key territories across the United States, European Union and Australia.

Central to the expansion is the ability to offer enhanced liquidity and storage capabilities across major US logistics hubs, including California, Florida, New Jersey and Texas. This move signals a strategic focus on supporting US-based operators and export-driven businesses with flexible working capital solutions integrated into Ferovinum’s supply chain platform.

Daniel Gibney, Co-founder and CFO, added: “By introducing the first securitisation of its kind for the drinks industry, we reinforce our commitment by providing an avenue for wholesale capital markets to support an important segment within food and beverage – an industry we are deeply passionate about and honoured to serve. We could not be more excited about partnering with Pollen Street Capital and what it means for the industry.”

Ferovinum’s model is gaining traction as the global drinks market continues to grapple with supply chain disruptions and volatile economic conditions. The company’s flexible funding approach enables clients to react quickly to shifting demands, secure new markets and prioritise growth without being constrained by capital flow.

Fowler reiterated the urgency of modernising the sector’s infrastructure: “The drinks industry is currently navigating some of the most volatile trading conditions it has faced in the last 30 years. In order to thrive and take advantage of the opportunities this opens up in the space, businesses need access to flexible and capital-efficient funding solutions and an efficient global supply chain. 

“This deal helps support our objective to help the industry operate a more capital efficient supply-chain that allows them to focus resources on their core activities and improve margins and profitability across the value chain.”

From an investment perspective, Pollen Street Capital recognises the value of Ferovinum’s integrated platform.

Connor Marshall-Mckie, Investment Director at Pollen Street, commented: “We’re delighted to partner with Ferovinum as they enter an exciting new chapter of growth. The Ferovinum team have impressed us with their deep knowledge of the drinks industry and a clear understanding of the needs of their customers. The Ferovinum product is a great example of innovation in asset-backed finance, and is a perfect fit for our asset backed credit strategy. We look forward to supporting their continued success and working closely together on this journey.”

With this new facility and expansion underway, Ferovinum is aiming to become a critical enabler of growth and resilience for drinks businesses navigating a complex global market.

The post London-based Ferovinum bottles €468 million to expand global funding for the drinks trade appeared first on EU-Startups.

Swedish fintech Trustly today said nearly £5bn worth of payments were processed to the UK tax authority in a tax deadline month via its card alternative system, marking a major increase from 2024.

Trustly said in January 2025, it processed 1.3m HMRC payments, totalling £4.7bn in value, via pay-by-bank, a 32 per cent increase on 2024, in the run-up to the self-assessment tax deadline.

The disclosure came today as the Swedish unicorn, backed by Nordic Capital and BlackRock, published selective financial figures for the year ending 2024.

Trustly, which leverages open banking technology to allow its customers to pay directly from their bank account without needing to use a card or app, snapped up UK open banking outfit Ecospend in 2023. 

The UK government department, HMRC, appointed Ecospend in 2021, marking the first time an open banking payment method had been embedded within a government system.

Trustly, which is seen as a strong IPO candidate, said that overall revenues grew by 32 per cent to $239m in the year ending 2024, helped by growth in the US and Europe.

It said adjusted EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization) grew by 50 per cent to  $73.2m

Adjusted EBITDA is a profitability metric that removes non-recurring, irregular, or one-off costs, such as restructuring costs, or acquisition expenses.

Trustly, which is understood to be profitable, did not publish a pre-tax profit figure, which is widely seen as the common indicator of a company's profitability.

Elsewhere in its financials, Trustly highlighted growth across the US and Europe, citing partnerships in the US such as those with Coinbase as helping growth.

In Europe, it said its performance had been ”driven by rising transaction volumes, continued innovation, and a growing merchant base across all verticals”. Client wins in Europe include Lenovo and ITV.

Johan Tjärnberg, CEO of Trustly, said: "The increase in the total value of payments processed by Trustly and the rise in net revenue reflect the growing demand for customer-centric pay-by-bank solutions. The jump in adjusted EBITDA demonstrates the strength of our business model and operational scalability. 

 “Strategic partnerships have been critical for Trustly. In Europe, our ongoing collaboration with HMRC strengthens our public sector leadership. In North America, expanded engagements with financial institutions and gaming providers highlight the strength and adaptability of our risk engine."

Ioannina-based FinTech scale-up Natech Banking Solutions, a banking technology platform, today announced the successful completion of its Series B capital increase, securing over €28.1 million in growth funding.

The round comprises €22.1 million in equity and €5.9 million in long-term, low-interest debt, furthering Natech’s ambition to be a key enabler of modern banking across Europe. The funds were committed ahead of the public launch of Snappi Bank; a joint venture between Natech and Piraeus Financial Holdings.

“This round is a strong vote of confidence in our team, our partners, and the vision we share with our customers,” said Thanasis Navrozoglou, CEO & Chairman at Natech. “Over the years, we’ve grown side-by-side with banks and FinTechs, often working through real-world challenges together. I’m deeply grateful for the trust placed in Natech, and excited to deliver unlimited opportunities for our clients, our people, and Europe’s next wave of digital innovation. After all, we are not just investing in great technology, but in the relationships and the future we’re building together.”

Founded in 2003, Natech Banking Solutions is empowering financial institutions to compete and grow alongside established competitors. With a modular, API-driven ecosystem, Natech enables institutions to rapidly launch financial products, modernise operations, and scale efficiently.

The company reports to maintain a 100% customer retention rate and is behind Snappi Bank, a digital-only bank driving innovation in Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS).

Natech powers multiple financial institutions across Europe, its end-to-end, cloud-native platform enables banks and FinTechs to deliver customer-centric financial products with speed and cost efficiency.

Dimitrios Navrozoglou, CFO & Vice Chairman, commented: “This funding round represents a defining moment for Natech and for me personally. The significance of this raise goes far beyond the capital itself, being a clear endorsement of our strategy and Natech’s long-term business plan. It empowers us to accelerate, strengthen our foundations, and invest in areas that will deliver sustainable value for years to come.

“I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and even more excited about what’s ahead for our company, our people, and our partners.”

This new funding enables Natech to:

• Expand and scale its go-to-market and delivery capabilities to meet surging demand.
• Accelerate R&D focused on AI, BaaS, and composable banking solutions.
• Strengthen its position in the fast-growing embedded finance market, projected to surpass €5.9 trillion globally by 2030.
• Deepen its presence across key European markets, including Germany, Italy, and Central Eastern Europe.

Mathias Schütz, Chief Revenue Officer & Deputy CEO, said, “This funding milestone demonstrates Natech’s clear, well-designed growth trajectory. Our upcoming Series C round is a natural next step in this plan, providing the capital needed to drive Natech’s international expansion and capture the full opportunity of Europe’s embedded finance revolution. We’re not just scaling Natech – we’re helping reshape the future of banking across Europe.”

In line with its roadmap, Natech is actively preparing for the next funding round to further fuel the company’s AI-enabled technology and to increase international market penetration. The upcoming Series C is expected to further accelerate the company’s BaaS initiatives and support its vision of powering the next generation of financial services.

The post Greek banking technology platform Natech Banking Solutions secures over €28.1 million appeared first on EU-Startups.

Irish digital marketing agency Core Optimisation has today announced the acquisition of international PR agency, ClearStory. The acquisition forms part of a broader €500,000 investment in expanding its operations to North America and the United Arab Emirates. 

Founded in 2015 by Caroline Dunlea and David Brett, Core Optimisation began its international expansion with the UK market and is now positioning itself to expand into North America and MENA markets. The acquisition of ClearStory International will accelerate this growth by integrating ClearStory’s tech, finance, defence and hospitality-focused PR client base and expanding Core's capabilities as a truly integrated digital marketing and PR consultancy agency.

ClearStory International was founded by James McCann in 2017 as an international PR agency specialising in reputation building for emerging and scaling brands. The agency has since expanded its client base across the tech, finance and defence sectors to include Techstars, the Asian Development Bank, Dynasafe, CoinDesk, and Riskline. 

Core Optimisation currently provides digital marketing services including SEO, PPC, paid social, data analytics and digital strategic consultancy. With more than 70 clients spanning a wide range of industries,

According to Caroline Dunlea, co-founder of Core Optimisation, the acquisition strengthens the company's global capabilities and enhances its ability to offer a fully integrated digital marketing and PR service.

“As we are in the AI era, brands need cohesive, data-led narratives across every channel, and our clients are increasingly seeking partners who can anticipate and respond to their evolving needs.

By combining ClearStory's strategic communications expertise with our digital performance capabilities, we're positioning ourselves closer to our clients' strategic objectives by delivering integrated, insight-driven campaigns that drive meaningful growth and truly move the needle.”

Commenting on the acquisition, the CEO of ClearStory International, James McCann, said:

“Over the past eight years, we’ve had the privilege of working with more than 200 clients across 25 countries, helping them navigate some of the world’s most complex media markets.

We’re now excited to bring our deep expertise in international storytelling and reputation building to Core Optimisation, as we pursue a shared ambition to build a world-renowned, Irish-owned agency.”

Stockholm-based Tandem Health, a HealthTech startup transforming how clinicians manage administrative tasks through AI-powered documentation, has announced a €42.6 million Series A funding round to accelerate its product development and expand across Europe.

The investment was led by Kinnevik, with participation from Northzone, Amino Collective, and Visionaries Club. The round marks a significant milestone in Tandem’s mission to free up clinicians from the burden of documentation, giving them back the time to focus on patient care.

Georgi Ganev, CEO at Kinnevik: “At Kinnevik, we’ve spent over a decade investing in healthcare across Europe and the US and few teams have impressed us like Tandem. Their clarity of vision, execution speed, and product intuition are world-class. It is especially exciting for us to partner with a company from the Nordics that is pioneering the next generation of healthcare infrastructure in Europe. We are proud to join Tandem on this journey.”

Founded in 2023, Tandem offers an AI assistant that generates medical notes during patient consultations, enabling real-time, accurate, and compliant clinical documentation.

The company was launched with the goal of supporting clinicians rather than replacing them. Tandem has recruited over 20 experienced doctors and psychologists to help design a platform that fits within existing clinical environments.

Its AI-powered solutions currently serve healthcare providers in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and beyond.

“We don’t believe in replacing clinicians. We believe in removing friction, quietly and respectfully, so their attention can go where it’s needed most,” said the Tandem Team.

The tool is reprotedly already used by tens of thousands of healthcare professionals across Europe and, thanks to a partnership with UK-based communications platform Accurx, over 200,000 NHS staff now have access to Tandem’s technology.

The fresh funding will allow Tandem to expand its product from documentation to a broader AI-native operating system that captures clinical codes, supports decision-making, and coordinates care – all while keeping the clinician in control.

“This funding helps us support more of that work. We’re grateful to those who believe in the vision, and even more grateful to the clinicians putting Tandem to use every day,” they added.

As healthcare systems across Europe face burnout and administrative overload, Tandem’s human-centric approach to AI offers a compelling alternative.

With new capital and a growing presence across key European markets, Tandem is positioning itself as a vital part of the future of healthcare – one where technology supports empathy, rather than replacing it.

The post Swedish startup Tandem Health secures €42.6 million to reduce admin burden on clinicians appeared first on EU-Startups.

Eindhoven-based Tibo Energy, a developer of a next-generation Energy Management System (EMS) for industrial and commercial energy sites, has raised €6 million in Seed funding to help businesses unlock additional energy capacity from their existing infrastructure.

The round was led by KOMPAS VC with participation from Hitachi Ventures and WEPA Ventures, alongside existing investors SET Ventures and Speedinvest. Tibo Energy and WEPA Group entered into a broader industry cooperation to explore innovative industrial energy solutions.

“Infrastructure limitations shouldn’t hold back the energy transition,” said Remco Eikhout, CEO and Co-founder of Tibo Energy. “With our AI engine Alice at the core, Tibo enables industrial players to leverage unused capacity, predict risks, and optimise in near real-time, whether managing a single battery or a full EnergyHub. This funding helps us bring that flexibility and resilience to more European customers.”

Founded in 2022 by Remco Eikhout, Jeroen Althusius, Josh Mengerink, Linda Zandt-Sloot, and Bram Cappers, Tibo Energy develops AI-driven software to simulate and control decentralised energy grids. Based at Eindhoven University with a team of 30, Tibo helps industrial and commercial customers unlock greater capacity, optimise energy use, and accelerate the energy transition.

Since launching its platform in late 2023, Tibo Energy has reportedly delivered measurable results for clients across Europe – enabling more flexible energy use, faster decarbonisation, and smarter infrastructure planning.

Sebastian Peck, Partner at KOMPAS VC, added: “Tibo gives industrial customers the tools to actively manage their energy use, even in constrained environments. With the rise of grid congestion and decentralisation, this kind of intelligence is no longer optional – it’s essential.”

Grid congestion is already limiting business growth in the Netherlands, where companies face multi-year delays for grid upgrades, mounting penalties for peak loads, and stalled expansion plans. Tibo Energy claims to offer a way out: software that unlocks extra capacity by steering local energy assets in real time – without requiring a grid upgrade.

Early signs from Germany and Spain suggest this challenge is spreading fast.

Tibo’s platform combines a drag-and-drop Energy System Simulator with a real-time EMS powered by “Alice,” the company’s proprietary optimisation algorithm. Alice updates control schedules every five minutes and adjusts energy flows dynamically, based on live data, forecasted prices, and contract constraints.

The system is hardware-agnostic and designed to scale across different asset types and configurations, including solar, batteries and EV charging. This gives users control over energy use at a strategic level, not just by reacting to what happens, but by anticipating it. The system steers assets based on predicted prices, grid limits and CO₂ intensity, so energy “always goes where it delivers the most value.”

Since launching, Tibo has deployed its EMS on more than 30 industrial sites. Projects include multi-site implementations with Montea and active EMS control at locations such as Intratuin.

Customers use the system to coordinate local production and consumption, monitor energy use, and automate decisions that previously required manual input – reportedly achieving tangible results such as avoiding peak load penalties, optimising solar generation, and cutting operational costs.

Partners such as Unica, Hoppenbrouwers and Stantec are actively working with Tibo to implement EMS projects across logistics, retail and light industry. “Thanks to Tibo Energy, we help customers facing grid congestion or maximum contracted capacity to achieve their sustainability goals,” said Geert Oerlemans, Innovation Manager System Integrations & Energy at Hoppenbrouwers.​

The new funding will be used to expand into Germany and Belgium, and to double Tibo’s team over the next 12 months, with hires across engineering, sales and product.

On the product side, Tibo will expand its EMS with plug-and-play modules for new use cases, including fleet charging coordination, e-boiler control, and advanced visualisation via PowerBI.

The post Dutch startup Tibo Energy raises €6 million to scale its AI-driven energy management platform appeared first on EU-Startups.

British HealthTech startup Laverock Therapeutics, a gene control company focused on the development of disease-responsive advanced therapies, announced the expansion of its Seed funding round, taking the total raised to more than €23.3 million.

The investment was led by Calculus Capital, with participation from existing investors Eli Lilly and Company, Mercia Ventures, Eos Advisory and Maven Capital Partners, and new investors Norcliffe Capital.

David Venables, CEO of Laverock, said: “The Laverock team has been busy over recent months, continuing to validate our technology platforms but also generating functional data for our therapeutic programmes. This new funding will enable us to continue this development, as well as forming partnerships and collaborations to integrate our technologies into partners’ therapeutic pipelines. I’d like to thank all our existing and new investors for their continued support.”

Founded in 2021, Laverock Therapeutics is innovating the development of disease-responsive advanced therapies through their programmable gene control technology. Their platform harnesses the cell’s natural regulatory mechanisms to deliver programmable and tunable gene control through recoded miRNAs. This reportedly enables the development of highly effective medicines with enhanced precision and improved safety profiles.

They are working to develop the next-generation of advanced therapies, both through their own pipeline – targeting oncology and genetic medicine – and through partnerships.

Laverock’s leadership team brings together experience in biotechnology, pharma, and academia.

The company has recently achieved platform development and validation and is transitioning to lead product selection, reporting positive functional data for both its primary T-cell and Macrophage programmes, demonstrating enhanced tumour control in haematological and solid tumour cancer models.

Laverock’s platform technologies provide the potential to transform the efficacy, precision and safety of advanced therapies, through implementation of its programmable, tunable and multiplex gene silencing approach.

Elizabeth Klein, Investment Director at Calculus, added: “We are delighted to continue our support for Laverock’s progress in pioneering a new era of programmable advanced therapies. This new data and expanded funding demonstrate the potential of Laverock’s technologies. We look forward to continuing our work with David and the team as they drive forward product development opportunities, as well as delivering value for our investors.”

To reflect Laverock’s recent progress, the company has updated its corporate identity, including the launch of a new website, to demonstrate the expansion of its platform technologies and facilitate an enhanced focus on partnering and outlicensing activities.

The post London-based startup Laverock Therapeutics raises over €23.3 million for its gene control tech appeared first on EU-Startups.

French deeptech company Cosma, specialising in mapping deep-sea ecosystems using autonomous vehicles, has raised €2.5 million.

Cosma has developed swarms of autonomous underwater robots that collect up to 100,000 images per hectare of seabed, paired with a 3D photogrammetry system and algorithms capable of recognising habitats and species. 

The resulting digital twin provides repeatable, reliable, and easily interpretable data, particularly for benthic ecosystems. 

These results are essential for conducting robust scientific studies and also serve to help avoid sensitive species during offshore construction, ensure the integrity of critical underwater infrastructure, and better understand the role of seagrass meadows in coastal erosion. 

“Cosma was born from the conviction that biological data should be just as accessible and reliable as physical measurements in marine projects. Our technology enables large-scale operations while placing biodiversity at the heart of decision-making,” said Frédéric Mittaine, CEO of Cosma. 

Founded in 2022, Cosma has benefited from strong scientific and technical support from IFREMER —  the scientific institution that originally launched the project — and is still hosted today within the institute’s underwater systems unit in La Seyne-sur-Mer. 

Cosma’s early clients already include RWE (a leader in renewable energy), EGIS (a leading engineering firm), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the French Navy (Marine Nationale). 

WIND and Ternel led the round, which was also backed by 50 Partners, Caisse d’Épargne Côte d’Azur, and IFREMER. The raise is complemented by significant non-dilutive public funding, which could potentially double the total amount secured. 

“WIND was convinced by Cosma’s groundbreaking technology, its potential to become the ‘Google Maps’ of the seafloor, and its ability to protect both marine ecosystems and critical infrastructure,” said Olivier Mougenot, General Partner at WIND. 

. According to Romain Charraudeau, Director of Technology Transfer at IFREMER, to date, only 25 per cent of the ocean floor has been mapped with high precision (less than 100 m x 100 m), and less than 1 per cent of marine species are known. 

“The need for knowledge is immense, and COSMA opens up new perspectives to better observe, understand, and protect our ocean.” 

This new funding will allow Cosma to industrialise its drone fleet, strengthen its software platform and AI-powered analysis tools, and structure its operations to serve both public and private clients at a European level. 

Lead image: Cosma. Photo: uncredited. 

Stockholm-based Epigenica AB, an innovator in high-throughput epigenetic screening tools and solutions, announced today that it has closed a €1.8 million round to fuel its growth and commercial expansion across key markets.

This round was led by Voima Ventures, a Nordic early-stage investor that specialises in supporting science-based solutions. DeepTech investor Navigare Ventures, social impact-focused Leksell Social Ventures, and current shareholder Almi Invest, also participated in the round.

“Since Epigenica’s founding, we’ve refined our technology into a broad portfolio of products serving a diverse range of epigenetics applications. We anticipate a number of significant product launches in the coming year that will enable our customers to improve and expand their research,” said Epigenica CEO Mohamad Takwa. “I’m thrilled to welcome Voima Ventures, Navigare Ventures and Leksell Social Ventures, and proud of the ongoing confidence and trust expressed by our current shareholders. This funding is a strong validation of our scientific and commercial progress.”

Founded in 2020, Epigenica is a life sciences technology company advancing high-throughput epigenetic solutions for research, diagnostics, and drug development. The company’s proprietary EpiFinder platform reportedly enables simultaneous analysis of multiple epigenetic markers across many samples with high resolution, efficiency, and affordability.

Epigenica offers a broad product portfolio to support diverse applications in oncology, pharmaceutical development, and longevity. Powered by Epigenica’s patented high – throughput, multiplex, quantitative ChIP-seq technology (hmqChIP), the platform claims to provide scalable, cost-effective epigene nomic profiling using various starting materials.

Epigenica’s mission is to help customers generate actionable insights to advance multi-omics and translational research, enable biomarker discovery, and accelerate next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications to improve human health.

With new tools, data generation from RNA, proteins and metabolites has given rise to multi-omics approaches that offer a more complete picture of biology. Epigenetics is aims to become the next essential layer in this framework, adding unique insights into how lifestyle and external factors impact how genes are turned on and off in the body, ultimately determining optimal treatment of diseases.

“The field of epigenetics, which studies how our lifestyle and environment impact the way our genes work, holds transformative potential in areas like oncology, longevity and drug development,” said Stina Wallmark, Voima Ventures’ Investment Director. “Epigenica enables fast, scalable and affordable analysis of epigenetic biomarkers, helping researchers fully unlock the potential of multi-omics in the search for new diagnostics and therapies.”

This funding will accelerate the development and commercialisation of Epigenica’s flagship products, including the already available EpiFinder Genome and upcoming EpiFinder Global and EpiFinder cNUC kits. It will also support the build-out of the company’s service offering and data infrastructure, as well as its expansion into the U.S. market. ​

The post Swedish HealthTech startup Epigenica raises €1.8 million to study changes in gene expression appeared first on EU-Startups.

Paris-based Skynopy, a NewSpace startup providing ground station services for low Earth orbit satellites, has completed a €15 million fundraising round less than 18 months after its founding to deploy a global network of high-throughput ground stations, enabling real-time satellite data downlink services.

The round was led by Alven and saw participation from funds Expansion, Omnes and CNES via the SpaceFounders programme. Heartcore, the European fund historically leading Skynopy’s investments, also participated in this round.

“This fundraising marks a turning point. In less than 18 months, we have demonstrated that an agile, interoperable, and CAPEX-free model can compete with industry giants. Thanks to our investors’ confidence, we will now deploy a large-scale network capable of meeting the growing needs of satellite operators, ensuring both performance and ease of use,” concluded Pierre Bertrand, Co-founder and CEO of Skynopy .

Founded 2023 by Pierre Bertrand (CEO) and Antonin Hirsch (CTO), both former executives at Loft Orbital, Skynopy offers turnkey, high-speed ground station services (antennas) for satellites that are rapidly deployable and require no heavy upfront investment. Within less than a year, it has added more than 15 antennas to its network, combining third-party ground station integrations and strategic partnerships (AWS, Kinéis) with deployments of its own antennas.

Its ambition is to make satellite connectivity as accessible and seamless as mobile telephony.

Thanks to its hybrid economic model – combining shared existing infrastructure with proprietary assets – coupled with software orchestration and virtualised modem technologies, Skynopy delivers a service that reportedly reduces revisit time to under 20 minutes and doubles the data download volume per satellite pass.

This modular approach allows satellite operators with high data download needs (hyperspectral imagery, video, SAR) to double their image download volume without additional costs. For operators generating smaller data volumes, the startup can halve their data download costs.

Additionally, Skynopy is finalising a significant global agreement with a major industry player, which will be announced in the coming weeks.​

This funding will allow Skynopy to accelerate its commercial deployment, strengthen its technical and marketing teams, and secure the necessary resources to deploy its AKAR project – a unified, high-speed, real-time space network planned for 2028.

With this vision, Skynopy aims to fundamentally transform the rules of orbital connectivity.

“By integrating the best existing infrastructure and focusing on practical, user-oriented value, Skynopy has built – in just a few short months – a service that is already being adopted by strategic clients. We were particularly impressed by the team’s deep technical expertise, sharp commercial understanding of the market, and above all, their remarkable speed of execution. We are confident they have what it takes to become the next global leader in the satellite ground segment”, said François Meteyer, Partner at Alven.

Satellite operators need the densest possible network of ground stations (antennas) to communicate with their satellites as they pass overhead in orbit. This is essential both for sending telecommands to capture new images of the Earth and for downloading those images. Investing in their own antenna infrastructure used to require heavy capital expenditure. Skynopy now provides this service for them.

During the ground phase – when satellites are being designed and tested – Skynopy supports operators with technical assistance to help maximise mission performance. Once the satellite is in orbit, Skynopy offers a software interface for booking ground antennas managed by Skynopy. When a satellite passes over one of these antennas, Skynopy points it at the satellite to enable data transmission in both directions – between the satellite and the customer’s command and control center.

The customer pays based on usage of Skynopy’s antenna network.

The post French SpaceTech Skynopy raises €15 million to build satellite ground station network appeared first on EU-Startups.

After years of being a niche component of the energy transition, batteries are now entering the mainstream of power markets. Record deployment numbers, driven by renewable integration needs and falling technology costs, are attracting major investments and reshaping energy strategies across the continent. The rapid growth is also highlighting new opportunities – and challenges – as Europe strives to balance its climate goals with energy security and economic competitiveness. 

According to the latest analysis from SolarPower Europe, Europe added 17.2 GWh of new battery energy storage capacity in 2023, a 94% increase over the previous year, marking the third consecutive year of the market roughly doubling. This brought the total installed battery storage fleet to around 36 GWh by the end of the year. Such growth underscores how far the market has come, with adoption accelerating in multiple segments from residential systems to utility-scale batteries.

Market segments expansion

All major market segments are expanding, albeit at different paces. The residential segment has surged to become the single largest, boosted by households seeking energy independence during recent energy price spikes. Countries like Germany and Italy have seen particularly strong adoption, with high rooftop solar penetration further accelerating uptake. 

Utility-scale installations are also gaining momentum. Until recently, many large battery projects in Europe were pilot programs. Now they are becoming critical grid assets, helping to stabilise networks and integrate renewables. Germany, Italy, and the UK are leading deployments in this area, with multiple large-scale projects connected or under development. 

The commercial and industrial segment is growing steadily as businesses install batteries to manage energy costs, reduce demand charges, and improve resilience. From factories avoiding peak tariffs to logistics hubs adding storage to charging infrastructure, use cases are multiplying. This diversity of deployment shows how batteries are increasingly seen as core components of the energy system. 

Falling costs have played a central role in this evolution. Battery pack prices have declined significantly in recent years, with further reductions expected. Analysts anticipate that total installed system costs could drop substantially by 2030, supported by economies of scale and continuous technological progress. These cost declines will further broaden the market, making batteries viable across more applications and business models. 

Policy drivers and global supply chain considerations 

Policy has been a critical enabler of the battery boom. National and EU-wide reforms have improved revenue certainty for storage assets and removed regulatory barriers such as double taxation. Capacity auctions, feed-in mechanisms, and targeted subsidies have created more predictable investment environments. In countries like Italy and Spain, new auction schemes are being designed specifically for battery capacity. 

At the same time, the global supply chain is shaping Europe’s storage trajectory. While Europe is ramping up local battery manufacturing, China remains the dominant player, producing the vast majority of global cells. This presents a strategic challenge for European industrial policy, but has so far supported deployment: China’s large-scale manufacturing has helped drive down global battery prices, making projects in Europe more affordable. 

European companies will likely find it difficult to match China’s scale and cost advantages in the near term. However, battery adoption in Europe will remain attractive regardless of where the hardware is produced, provided systems meet performance, safety, and quality standards. The market’s primary concern is reliability and cost-effectiveness, not origin. That said, European policymakers are pushing to expand domestic production capacity to reduce reliance and capture more value locally over the long term. 

With the rise of distributed energy resources and the rapid adoption of renewable energy, organisations must also rethink their operational frameworks and information management due to intensified cyber threats. To protect critical infrastructure and ensure safe energy delivery, investing in technological solutions that build cybersecurity for all distributed energy assets is crucial. As the sector becomes increasingly digital, cybersecurity must evolve from a secondary concern to a central pillar of system resilience.

Infrastructure and grid integration challenges 

As battery deployment accelerates, integration with existing grid infrastructure is becoming a bottleneck. Permitting new transmission lines or expanding capacity often lags behind the speed at which battery systems can be installed. This mismatch raises concerns about the potential for underutilised or stranded battery assets in areas with grid congestion or outdated digital infrastructure. 

Grid expansion and digitalisation are thus becoming strategic priorities. Without smart coordination between batteries and the network, much of the value that storage can offer, such as peak shaving, load shifting, or frequency response, could go unrealised. While batteries are relatively modular and adaptable, the risk of limited utilisation remains if they’re deployed in the wrong locations or if permitting delays prevent timely interconnection. 

Efforts are now underway to address these challenges, including reforms to grid planning processes, smarter energy management systems, and streamlined permitting for both batteries and network upgrades. Still, aligning storage growth with grid modernisation remains one of the most pressing challenges of the decade. 

Cost Declines, pricing paradigms, and investment dynamics 

Looking ahead, continued cost declines in battery technologies are expected to further accelerate deployment. Studies suggest that installation costs could halve by the end of the decade, opening up even more use cases and markets. 

Importantly, pricing will no longer be primarily driven by fuel costs in an electricity system dominated by renewables. Instead, the cost of electricity will increasingly be set by three components: generation, storage, and the grid. On the generation and storage side, continued cost degression is expected to put downward pressure on electricity prices. However, on the grid side, price increases are more likely due to rising material costs, complex permitting, and the sheer scale of needed upgrades. 

As this new pricing logic takes hold, batteries will not just support the system – they will help define its economics. Yet they will still need to earn risk-adjusted returns. Energy storage is capital-intensive and cannot operate on zero margins. This makes the sector highly relevant for infrastructure investors who are looking for stable, long-term returns from critical assets. 

Revenue stacking models – where batteries participate in energy arbitrage, grid balancing, and capacity mechanisms – are already demonstrating viable business models in several markets.  

Strategic role in the energy transition 

Europe’s battery boom marks a turning point. Storage is no longer a secondary consideration in energy planning. It is now essential to determine how far and how fast the power system can decarbonise. 

To maximise the impact of battery storage, future planning must ensure close alignment between deployment, grid integration, and market design. Misalignment risks inefficiencies and slower progress. But with proactive coordination, batteries can continue to serve as one of the most versatile and scalable tools in Europe’s decarbonization toolbox. 

In the years ahead, storage will play a decisive role in making Europe’s energy system more resilient, flexible, and ultimately more affordable. The question is no longer whether batteries will be part of the system, but how smartly they will be integrated and how much value they can unlock.

The post Europe’s battery energy storage boom: Record growth and investor momentum appeared first on EU-Startups.

Tibo Energy, a Dutch developer of a next-generation Energy Management System (EMS) for industrial and commercial energy sites, has raised €6 million in seed funding. 

In the Netherlands, grid congestion is already limiting business growth. Companies are facing multi-year delays for grid upgrades, increasing penalties for peak loads, and stalled expansion plans.

Tibo Energy’s software addresses this by unlocking additional capacity through real-time coordination of local energy assets, without the need for costly grid upgrades.

The platform combines an intuitive drag-and-drop Energy System Simulator with a real-time EMS powered by “Alice,” its proprietary optimisation algorithm. Alice updates control schedules every five minutes, dynamically managing energy flows using live data, price forecasts, and contract constraints.

The hardware-agnostic system scales easily across asset types like solar, batteries, and EV chargers. It empowers users to manage energy proactively, anticipating changes rather than just reacting, by steering assets based on predicted prices, grid constraints, and CO₂ intensity to maximise value.

Remco Eikhout, CEO and co-founder of Tibo Energy, thinks that infrastructure limitations shouldn’t hold back the energy transition, commenting:

With our AI engine Alice at the core, Tibo enables industrial players to leverage unused capacity, predict risks, and optimise in near real-time, whether managing a single battery or a full EnergyHub. This funding helps us bring that flexibility and resilience to more European customers.

Since launching in late 2023, Tibo has deployed its EMS on more than 30 industrial sites. Projects include multi-site implementations with Montea, and active EMS control at locations such as Intratuin.

Customers use the system to coordinate local production and consumption, monitor energy use, and automate decisions that previously required manual input. This leads to tangible results such as avoiding peak load penalties, optimising solar generation, and reducing operational costs.

Tibo is already in use across sectors such as logistics, retail, and light industry, with partners like Unica, Hoppenbrouwers, and Stantec actively collaborating on EMS project implementations. Geert Oerlemans, Innovation Manager System Integrations & Energy at Hoppenbrouwers, shared:

Thanks to Tibo Energy, we help customers facing grid congestion or maximum contracted capacity to achieve their sustainability goals.

The round was led by KOMPAS VC, with participation from Hitachi Ventures and WEPA Ventures, alongside existing investors SET Ventures and Speedinvest.

Sebastian Peck, Partner at KOMPAS VC, added:

Tibo gives industrial customers the tools to actively manage their energy use, even in constrained environments. With the rise of grid congestion and decentralisation, this kind of intelligence is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Next to the investment by the Family Venture Capital firm WEPA Ventures, Tibo Energy and WEPA Group entered into a broader industry cooperation to explore innovative industrial energy solutions, highlighting the synergy between family business VC investing and value-added start-up cooperation.

The new funding will support Tibo’s expansion into Germany and Belgium and enable the growth of the team. The company also plans to enhance its EMS with plug-and-play modules for new use cases, such as fleet charging coordination, e-boiler control, and advanced visualisation through Power BI, providing users with more flexibility to adapt their energy systems to operational demands.

Paris-based Skynopy, a startup providing ground station services for low Earth orbit satellites, has completed a new €15 million funding round less than 18 months after its creation. This investment supports the startup’s ambition to deploy a global network of high-throughput ground stations, enabling real-time satellite data downlink services, particularly for Earth observation constellations.

Founded at the end of 2023, Skynopy offers turnkey, high-speed ground station services (antennas) for satellites that are rapidly deployable and require no heavy upfront investment.

In less than a year, it has added more than 15 antennas to its network, combining third-party ground station integrations and strategic partnerships (AWS, Kinéis) with deployments of its own antennas.

Thanks to its hybrid economic model, combining shared existing infrastructure with proprietary assets, coupled with software orchestration and virtualised modem technologies, Skynopy delivers a service that reduces revisit time to under 20 minutes and doubles the data download volume per satellite pass.

This unique modular approach allows satellite operators with high data download needs (hyperspectral imagery, video, SAR) to double their image download volume without additional costs.

For operators generating smaller data volumes, the startup can halve their data download costs.

An operational test using Skynopy’s ground station network was successfully conducted by Airbus and Skynopy to download data from the Pléiades Neo satellites. The setup of the test was completed in less than two weeks.

Pierre Bertrand, co-founder and CEO of Skynopy, shared:

This fundraising marks a turning point. In less than 18 months, we have demonstrated that an agile, interoperable, and CAPEX-free model can compete with industry giants. Thanks to our investors' confidence, we will now deploy a large-scale network capable of meeting the growing needs of satellite operators, ensuring both performance and ease of use.

The round was led by Alven, alongside Expansion, Omnes, and CNES via the SpaceFounders program. Heartcore, a pan-European fund already invested in Skynopy, also participated.

François Meteyer, Partner at Alven, said:

By integrating the best existing infrastructure and focusing on practical, user-oriented value, Skynopy has built—in just a few short months—a service that is already being adopted by strategic clients. We were particularly impressed by the team’s deep technical expertise, sharp commercial understanding of the market, and above all, their remarkable speed of execution. We are confident they have what it takes to become the next global leader in the satellite ground segment.

This funding will allow Skynopy to accelerate its commercial deployment, strengthen its technical and marketing teams, and secure the resources to deploy its AKAR project, a unified, high-speed, real-time space network, planned for 2028.

More than 190 organisations, founders, health professionals and campaigners have co-signed an open letter calling on social media platforms to end the routine censorship of women’s health content online.

Published by CensHERship and The Case For Her, the letter, signed by leaders of key startups including Clue, Essity (Bodyform), Love Honey, Evofem Biosciences, WUKA, Daye, HANX, Bea and Fertility, exposes how medically accurate, non-sexual content is routinely flagged, removed, or hidden under vague and biased moderation policies. 

Topics like menstruation, menopause, libido, postpartum recovery, and fertility are being silenced — simply for naming the realities of the female body.

“We will not replace vagina with ‘V-word’ or refer to menopause as ‘the change’,” the letter states. 

“We will not avoid topics like libido, discharge, prolapse, or periods — because we need to talk about real bodies, real experiences, and real health concerns.”

The open letter is backed by a newly published whitepaper which compiles more than a year’s worth of evidence, survey data, and case studies from women’s health brands and content creators. 

The campaign follows formal complaints filed in March 2025 by CensHERship and The Case For Her under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). These complaints, submitted on behalf of six women’s health companies, documented biased moderation, lack of transparency, and failures to provide effective appeal mechanisms. Despite clear evidence and growing public concern, no meaningful response or action has been taken to date.

“It’s time to level the playing field for women’s health content,” said Clio Wood and Anna O’Sullivan, co-founders of CensHERship. 

“This isn’t about isolated errors. It’s about an entire digital ecosystem that treats women’s health as inappropriate. This censorship isn’t just frustrating - it’s economically damaging and, in some cases, can cost lives.”

Key findings from the whitepaper include:

• 95 per cent of women’s health creators surveyed experienced censorship in the past year.
• More than half said they now self-censor their language to avoid takedowns.
• Platforms including Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google, and Amazon were all cited for repeated suppression of content, often with no clear explanation or route to appeal.

Specific examples include: 

• Meta removes the word “vagina”: A health coach sharing medically accurate posts about pelvic floor health had her Instagram account flagged repeatedly for using the word “vagina”—despite the content being educational and not sexual in nature.
  
  
• TikTok shadowbans endometriosis content: A creator posted educational videos on endometriosis symptoms. Despite strong engagement from viewers, her videos were suppressed in search and for-you feeds. TikTok provided no clear reason.
  
  
• LinkedIn flagged menopause product posts as “inappropriate”: A femtech founder advertising a menopause relief product on LinkedIn saw her posts taken down for allegedly violating “adult content” policies.
  
  
• Ad rejection for fertility apps: Facebook/Instagram ads promoting fertility awareness apps were rejected due to being classified under “adult products or services,” a category typically applied to sexual content or contraception.
  
  
• Google Search downranks postpartum care content:  Websites focused on postpartum recovery saw organic search traffic plummet. 

One founder noted:

 “We lost 60 per cent of our traffic overnight after Google’s algorithm change. Our articles are medically reviewed, but we suspect they were flagged as sensitive.”

The report warns censorship isn’t just stigmatising, "It’s economically damaging and, in some cases, can cost lives." Menstruation, fertility, libido, menopause, and postpartum recovery content being stripped affects access to vital information and slows femtech innovation.

“When femtech companies face digital suppression and censorship by major tech platforms, their ability to reach people with essential health information, products, and services is severely limited,” said Cristina Ljungberg, co-founder of The Case For Her.

“This doesn’t just hinder access, it also decreases investment in much-needed innovation.”

The letter calls for:

• Social media platforms to update content moderation policies to reflect medical context and gender equity
• Policymakers to help bring platforms to the table and ensure digital regulation addresses gender bias;
• Investors and tech leaders to play their part to ensure women’s health innovation can scale without censorship.

To date, leaders from across women's health, including representatives from and more, have signed the open letter.

Lead image: Daye CBD tampons. Photo: uncredited.