London-based Simplisales has closed a $500,00 pre-seed funding round.

Founded in 2021 by Ihsan Diskan, Simplisales unifies sales, finance, and fulfilment operations in a single system, offering seamless plug-and-play integrations with over 30 leading ERP and accounting platforms.

The platform empowers businesses to rapidly deploy branded mobile apps and web stores in a matter of days, not months. Leveraging AI, Simplisales automates order entry, demand forecasting, and customer insights.

In a recent interview, we spoke with Ihsan Diskan about how he came up with the idea to start Simplisales.

Turning fragmented B2B sales into one unified, AI-driven workflow

Most wholesale teams still juggle phone calls, emails, WhatsApp and paper. Simplisales unifies every touch-point via custom-branded mobile apps and web stores that plug into 30+ ERP and accounting systems.

Inside, an AI engine that:

• Auto-drafts repeat orders from historical baskets and seasonality.
• Shows each buyer a personalised catalogue and real-time cross-/upsell prompts.
• Finds SKUs fast with smart, fuzzy search, even on misspelt queries.
• Suggests margin-safe prices and discounts while respecting MOQs and credit limits. 

Today, Simplisales processes over $2 million in monthly GMV for clients including Gima (UK) and Lowrie Foods.

We founded Simplisales because wholesale teams deserve the same seamless, data-driven workflows that e-commerce natives enjoy,

said Ihsan Diskan, Founder & CEO of Simplisales, adding:

This investment lets us double down on the R&D team—shipping more AI features that boost margins, while keeping the product affordable for businesses of any size.

The Simplisales customers share their satisfaction with working with Simplisales. Nicky Hodges, director at Arkay Chilled Foods, shared:

The Simplisales ecosystem has eliminated the daily friction that once slowed us down. Our team now works with remarkable efficiency.

With the cloud-based ERP market projected to surpass $27 billion by 2025 and few AI-native solutions available, Simplisales is uniquely positioned to lead the category. 

The round was led by SFC Capital, with participation from existing investors Startup Wise Guys and Wise Angels. 

Ed Stevenson, Investment Manager at SFC Capital, says:

Simplisales is tackling a massive, underserved market with a platform that replaces multiple point solutions. Their early traction and product velocity convinced us they’re building the operating system for B2B commerce.

The funds will be used to advance R&D on new AI modules, such as automated order drafting, predictive pricing, and autonomous stock replenishment, and to support strategic hires in product and sales as Simplisales prepares for European expansion.

Lead image: Simplisales

Ghent medtech startup PointCaré has raised nearly €1.5 million from a group of private investors. 

The company is developing OnTarget, a platform that interprets the multitude of data from various sources in operating rooms and intensive care units in real time, providing caregivers with tailored advice based on the patient and the situation. 

The startup was founded in 2022 by astrophysicist, engineering student, and anesthesiology trainee Dr Henri Van Overmeire.

Graduating cum laude in astrophysics and medicine, later specialising in anesthesiology, and also pursuing civil engineering — alongside jazz drumming and business economics training is a rather unconventional path. During Dr Van Overmeire’s time in the operating room and intensive care unit, he realized that hospitals can sometimes function in surprisingly archaic ways. This insight prompted him to consider how things could be improved.

“Critical care is integrated care. Providing care in the OR or ICU involves many components, and the effects of one aspect of treatment often have far-reaching consequences for others,” explains founder and CTO Dr Overmeire.

Critical care departments are filled with high-tech devices generating massive data streams. But data alone doesn’t save lives: the key is to take the right action based on that data. And that’s exactly where  PointCaré comes in.

Dr Overmeire contends that while new IoT technologies and communication protocols allow these devices to exchange information, without central interpretation, they contribute little to the care process. 

“Existing equipment often fails to take the individual context of each patient into account — each case, situation, and person is different.

This leads not only to diminished care quality and suboptimal treatments but also puts a heavy burden on healthcare workers, contributing to alarm fatigue and its consequences.”

The OnTarget platform gathers and centralizes all available information in real time, with full contextual awareness, and supports doctors and nurses with AI to make accurate, informed decisions based on the complete picture — factoring in as many variables as possible. 

“Beyond the clear benefits for the individual patient, by avoiding complications, we can also reduce costs in a healthcare system under immense pressure,” says CEO Veronique Pattyn.

For OnTarget, PointCaré uses not only classical NLP techniques and LLMs, but mostly their proprietary agentic AI methods, which offer full transparency in decision-making.

“Unlike many AI models today, the OnTarget platform is not a statistical ‘black box’ with hidden logic: every recommendation must be clearly traceable through a reasoning process expressed in understandable language” expanded Dr Van Overmeire.

PointCaré aims to become a benchmark in the future international healthcare landscape. A first patent application has already been submitted, and preparations for European MDR (Medical Device Regulation) approval are underway. 

With the newly secured funding, Van Overmeire plans to further develop and clinically validate the platform. By 2028, PointCaré plans to commercialise the platform internationally.

Lead image: Henri Van Overmeire, co-founder and CTO, Veronique Pattyn, co-founder and CEO, and Robbe Claeys, graph data scientist. Photo: uncredited. 

Europe’s music streaming market generated a significant €11.13 billion in 2024. And that’s just the surface. Beneath the commercial growth, a deeper transformation is underway, pushed by the AI acceleration but also by a new generation of tech-savvy European founders who are reshaping music, media, and the creative industries.

This shift was on full display at Sónar+D 2025, Barcelona’s influential gathering for creative professionals. More than a showcase, the event provided space for learning, critical reflection, and future-focused conversations on how technology is redefining the relationship between creativity, innovation, and commerce.

Artificial intelligence unsurprisingly dominated the agenda, not only in the speeches and panels but also during the startup pitch session co-organised by MusicTech Europe and the Barcelona Music Tech Hub. The session, which we followed with particular attention, highlighted a wide range of European startups using AI to augment, rather than replace, human creativity.

The conference’s three core themes, AI + Creativity, Futuring the Creative Industries, and Worlds to Come, showed how European innovators are moving beyond mainstream AI use cases. From brain-computer interfaces and quantum computing to ethically conscious AI systems, Europe is trying to follow a distinctive path that doesn’t simply mirror Silicon Valley.

Startup spotlights from the MusicTech pitch session

The following startups were among those featured in the MusicTech Europe and Barcelona Music Tech Hub pitch session, offering a window into the emerging landscape of European music innovation:

AI in Artist Discovery: German startup AIDAR (short for “AI-driven A&R”), founded by Dr. Janek Meyn, offers a personalised AI scouting agent that learns the preferences of individual A&R managers. With over 3 million artists in its database and a SaaS model, AIDAR enables independent labels to access sophisticated discovery tools, once the domain of giants like Universal or Sony.

AI for Music Production: Italian startup Samplesound, led by CEO Andrea Ricci, streamlines production workflows by helping producers discover genre-specific samples and generate infinite variations quickly. Since launching its beta in 2024, the platform has gained strong traction, showing the growing demand for creative tools that enhance productivity without sacrificing artistic control.

New Models for Music Education: Synegram, which transforms music into geometrical shapes using synesthesia, proposes a new way to see, learn, and create music – a concept that caught the audience’s attention. Already awarded at SXSW in Austin, the startup plans to launch its subscription platform in October 2025, aiming to transform the way music is taught and learned globally.

Financial innovation and rights management

Also among the pitch participants were startups tackling financial and legal inefficiencies in the industry

• BEAM for Music, founded by Thomas Zandrowicz in Paris, aggregates royalty and usage data to deliver real-time insights. The platform is already working with clients like Sony and promises to save significant sums for publishers while empowering independent creators.
• SongsWallet merges fintech with music by offering custom Mastercard debit cards for direct royalty payments. Artists can also use their royalties as collateral for cash advances, with an innovative model that modernises how musicians access capital.

Sustainable and ethical marketplaces

As demand for second-hand gear rises, certified marketplaces are emerging across Europe — take, for instance, the success of Back Market with refurbished electronics or WeBuyCycles with bikes. Sounds Market, based in Barcelona, goes niche on music, by operating a certified second-hand marketplace for DJ and music equipment. The platform currently offers repairs, warranties, and affordability to over 70,000 users. 

Amid growing concern over scalping and dynamic pricing, Italy’s Ticketoo offers welcome relief for event-goers. Ticketoo fan-to-fan ticket resale platform where it is not possible to sell tickets above face value, has already attracted 300,000 users. With expansion plans in other European countries, it positions itself as a Vinted for ticket events, catering to transparency-conscious fans.

Creativity and innovation meet critical thinking

Sónar+D 2025 wasn’t just about pushing innovation, as the event also made space for critical perspectives on technology’s impact. The Project Area featured over 70 experimental installations blending technology, design, and speculative research. Notable highlights included Rafa Roeder’s exploration of digital exhaustion, Lawrence Lek’s therapeutic cyborg gaming concept, Vanessa Lorenzo’s quantum computing residency, and Xin Liu’s live genome printing experiment.

Several student projects displayed in the area were especially brilliant. A standout in that sense was one called the Doom Race, an installation by Berta Ferrer, Sergi Bosch, and Alba Martínez, students from ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering. It examined how digital algorithms shape human behaviour, from doom-scrolling to data labour. The project echoed European concerns about algorithmic transparency, data privacy, and digital rights, making it straightforward to see how our infinite scrolling makes social media platforms richer. 

A reminder for cautious optimism

While the promise of AI and new technologies in music is exciting, it’s impossible to ignore the broader challenges we face. Be it the risks of unchecked AI or the need for thoughtful debate about how we shape and set boundaries for technology’s role in our lives. 

Amid all the tough questions and necessary scepticism regarding the festival’s current political situation, the energy and creativity on display were a good reminder for everyone that innovation can still be a source of hope and inspiration. Even in uncertain times, there’s room for connection, learning, and forward-looking ideas.

The post Beyond the beat: How European music tech startups and AI are shaping creative futures appeared first on EU-Startups.

Bordeaux-based DESKi, a HealthTech company developing AI-powered diagnostic tools, today announced the close of a €5.2 million Seed round to support the U.S. and global market launch of its FDA-approved cardiac imaging software, HeartFocus.

The Seed round was led by Racine2, an impact-focused fund managed by Serena and Makesense, with participation from BNP Paribas Développement, Épopée Gestion, Good Only Ventures, Better Angle, and NACO, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional fund advised by M Capital.

“This funding moves us one step closer to a world where early heart disease detection is possible at any point of care,” said Dr Bertrand Moal, MD, PhD, CEO and Co-founder of DESKi. “It allows us to continue improving HeartFocus and ensures that more providers can access the tools they need to deliver life-saving diagnoses.”

Founded in 2016, DESKi is a provider of innovative AI products developed in conjunction with medical practitioners and researchers, products such as HeartFocus. Created in 2023 by French brothers Bertrand Moal and Olivier Moal, HeartFocus leverages proprietary algorithms trained on over 10 million data points and validated through clinical trials.

Bertrand, a Medical Doctor with a PhD in biomechanical engineering, and Olivier, a Berkeley and EPFL engineering alum, were moved by the impact of cardiovascular disease exacerbated by overburdened healthcare systems. Heartfocus is currently partnered with several US and European app platforms and Software Development Kit providers to bring the technology to healthcare providers globally.

“With Heartfocus, DESKi is tackling one of the most urgent challenges in healthcare: how to make life-saving diagnostics available far beyond the walls of a hospital,” said Léa Zaslavsky, Partner at Racine2. “We are proud to lead this round and support the company’s evolution from clinical validation to real-world impact.”

This milestone builds on growing momentum for HeartFocus, which recently received FDA clearance, along with a Predetermined Change Control Plan (PCCP) that makes it easier to update and expand the software over time. Clinical studies reportedly showed that even first-time users, guided by HeartFocus AI, can capture diagnostic-quality heart scans.

“We invest in solutions that improve the patient journey for better care at better costs,” said Sophie Pierrin Lepinard, Director of Partnerships at BNP Paribas Développement. “We believe HeartFocus is uniquely positioned to transform how cardiovascular disease is detected and managed worldwide, with faster access, and we’re excited to continue supporting the team as they bring innovation to a variety of care settings.”

According to DESKi, Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. and around the world, yet access to echocardiography is often limited by a shortage of trained specialists.

HeartFocus looks to bridge this gap with real-time AI guidance that enables any healthcare professional to perform cardiac ultrasounds after just a few hours of training, making early diagnosis possible even in primary care, rural clinics, and other resource-limited settings.

“Épopée is honored to support this milestone and contribute to the international expansion of a high-impact ultrasound solution” said Camille Le Roux Larsabal, VC Partner at Épopée Gestion.

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Today sees the launch of DNS4EU, a public DNS resolver service designed to provide EU citizens with secure, privacy-centric, and reliable internet access. 

The service is led by Whalebone, a cybersecurity company born in the Brno region.

Developed within a European consortium with the support of ENISA and national CERTs, DNS4EU is the first EU-backed DNS resolver offering a secure, privacy and transparency-first alternative to DNS services like Google and Cloudflare.

DNS4EU encompasses:

• A public resolver; 
• DNS4GOV, a commercial-grade service designed for governments and critical infrastructure; 
• A threat intelligence exchange network that supports secure DNS adoption and cross-border cybersecurity coordination.

According to Richard Malovič, CEO of Whalebone: 

“After years of building a global market leader position in large-scale on-prem/hybrid deployments of protective DNS, we decided to step up and challenge Cloudflare and Google in the public resolver space. More privacy, more transparency, and more dedication.“ 

Brno is home to an active community of cybersecurity companies and a collaborative environment where research, business, and public institutions come together to develop practical solutions with international relevance.

In early 2025 alone, local companies secured almost €40 million in funding — including major rounds raised by Whalebone, Threatmark, and Safetica.

Brno also has a strong track record of successful cybersecurity ventures that have grown into international players. These include the $28.4 million acquisition of Runecast and the sale of Flowmon Networks, both of which were founded in the region. The city is also the birthplace of AVG Technologies, the Czech Republic’s first unicorn, which was acquired by Avast in 2016 and now operates globally under the name Gen. 

“Cybersecurity is not a standalone success story — it is a reflection of the region’s ability to combine research, infrastructure, talent, and long-term strategic support,” said Petr Chládek, CEO of JIC. “

Successful startups as well as projects like DNS4EU demonstrate how Brno contributes to Europe’s digital sovereignty with globally scalable solutions.”

Key research institutions such as Masaryk University and Brno University of Technology lead major European projects in cybersecurity, including QARC (Quantum-Resistant Cryptography in Practice) and CCAT (Cybersecurity Certification and Assessment Tools). 

These universities are also founding members of the CyberSecurityHubCZ — a national competence center established in 2020 to foster collaboration between academia, business, and government.

DNS4EU is now fully operational and available to the public.

Klarna is moving into the mobile phone market, mirroring similar moves by Revolut and the German challenger bank N26.

The Swedish financial company is launching its mobile plans first in the US, followed by the UK, Germany and other markets.

To attract customers, Klarna, which has over 25m customers in the US, says it’s launching with “one simple plan”, which includes unlimited 5G data, talk and text for $40 a month.

It also trumpets the simplicity of switching mobile plans to Klarna saying “users can transfer their existing number (or get a new one), and activate their phone plan in just a few taps within the Klarna app”.

Klarna is partnering up with US mobile startup Gigs, which helps brands including challenger banks, such as Nubank, launch mobile services, on the move.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna., said: “Klarna has saved consumers time and money, and reduced financial worry for over 20 years. With mobile plans we’re taking that one step further, as we continue to build our neobank offering.

“Consumers already know and love Klarna’s super smooth services and now, with one tap in the Klarna app, they’ll be up and running with their new phone plan — no hassle, no hidden fees, just great value.” 

Klarna is primarily known for its BNPL services, but it also offers services to consumers and retailers within payments, social shopping, and personal finances.

Earlier this year, N26 said it was planning to offer mobile phone contracts while Revolut also announced plans to launch mobile plans in the UK and Germany.

Stockholm-based Polar has announced a €8.6 million Seed funding round to expand its remote-first team across Europe and invest in growth, developer relations, and strategic partnerships throughout the payments ecosystem.

The round was led by Accel, with continued backing from Abstract and Mischief, including Angel invetors Guillermo Rauch (Vercel), Paul Copplestone (Supabase), Tobi Lütke and Harley Finkelstein (Shopify), Michael Grinich (WorkOS), Anton Osika (Lovable), Thomas Paul Mann (Raycast), Jorn van Dijk and Koen Bok (Framer), Zeno Rocha (Resend), Jared Palmer (Vercel), Steven Tey (Dub), and Sébastien and Alexandre Chopin (Nuxt).

Birk Jernström, Founder and CEO of Polar, shared the announcement with the statement: “It’s never been easier to build, ship & scale software. But, it has never been harder to monetise software. It’s a bottleneck for the future. We’re building the open-source monetization platform to empower future one-developer unicorns.”

Founded in 2022, Polar is an open-source monetisation platform for digital products & SaaS. Since launching v1.0 in September 2024, Polar has seen rapid traction, with thousands of developers using the platform to grow their revenue by over 120% month-over-month on average across the past six months.

According to the company, the Polar community has played a critical role in shaping the platform’s development. With over 17,000 signups, 16,000+ followers on X, 5,300 GitHub stars, and 1,500 members in its Discord community, developers continue to contribute feedback, features, and pull requests that help evolve the open-source monetization platform.

The company believes software development is more accessible than ever, thanks to open-source tools and advancements in AI. Shipping and scaling software has also become easier, with modern cloud platforms like Vercel and Supabase enabling global deployments.

However, monetisation remains a significant challenge, particularly in a landscape evolving from one-time purchases to SaaS, and now to usage-based and agentic pricing models. This, Polar argues, is the bottleneck of the future.

Polar is being built to support a new generation of creators – solo developers and early-stage startups that will become the enterprises of tomorrow. The platform goes beyond traditional billing to bridge product analytics, CRM, and billing into a single, developer-centric monetisation stack.

Among its key offerings:

• Usage-based billing on autopilot: Automatically ingest and bill usage events from OpenAI, Anthropic, Vercel AI SDK, S3 and more.

• Zero boilerplate: Common SaaS entitlements like license keys and usage credits are automated, with integrations requiring just four lines of code.

• Zero operations: Polar handles international sales tax, compliance, fraud, and chargeback protection as the merchant of record.

• Open source foundation: Transparent and designed for community contributions.

The post Swedish FinTech startup Polar raises €8.6 million for its monetisation platform appeared first on EU-Startups.

We often discuss startups partnering with government institutions — and when the government is the client, we often focus on the challenges that come with it.

But in the UK, startups are actually spun out of government, transforming public-sector laboratory innovation into valuable solutions for industry and society.

Ploughshare is a UK-based organisation founded in 2005 and fully owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Its mission is to commercialise government-owned innovations, mainly IP developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and other public science bodies, to deliver real-world benefits 

I spoke to CEO Hetti Barkworth-Nanton to learn all about it. 

What do Ministry of Defence scientists do? 

Barkworth-Nanton admits that most people have no idea what MOD scientists actually do.

“It’s a really wide spectrum, which is why I need a very broad talent base in my team. 

There are some really unusual innovations you wouldn’t expect from a defence lab. One we're working on right now, with Birmingham University, is a handheld device that can detect traumatic brain injury — something that could be used on rugby pitches or in schools nationwide.”

Ploughshare operates across multiple verticals, translating government-owned innovations into real-world impact.

These include:

• Defence and security, where military-grade technologies are adapted for broader use; 
• Health and medtech, with life-saving diagnostics and clinical tools;
• Industrial and environmental tech, applying rugged solutions to sectors like energy and infrastructure; consumer safety, repurposing defence innovations for everyday protection;
• Advanced materials, such as hydrophobic coatings, are now used in footwear and electronics.

How unique IP gets stranded in government labs

Why is technology developed in the lab not actively deployed within government initiatives? 

According to Barkworth-Nanton, often, the labs aren’t developing technology to take it to market; they’re proving a concept. 

“Once that’s done, they often put it out to industry: 

“Here’s a proven concept: who has a solution for this problem?”  

Without traction, that can leave some really unique IP just sitting in the lab. “

How Ploughshare unlocks hidden value in IP backlogs

Ploughshare begins by identifying the most promising inventions, working proactively with clients to uncover ideas with strong commercial viability and the potential to drive meaningful impact. This early-stage focus ensures that innovations are not only technically robust but also positioned for real-world application.

Once identified, these ideas are rapidly developed into tangible products and solutions. Ploughshare collaborates with industry partners to determine the most effective routes to market, secures investment, and supports early-stage ventures through the Ploughshare Accelerator Fund. 

To enable long-term success, it also works across a wide network of stakeholders, providing access to leadership, infrastructure, talent, and capital, helping innovation scale and reach its full potential.

With Ploughshare, innovation is grounded in existing assets, not just reinventing the wheel, and there’s a huge opportunity in re-examining past research.

Barkworth-Nanton contends:

“I’ve seen examples where AI is helping revisit failed trials, uncovering why they failed, and then redoing them successfully. That’s where consolidation and convergence come into play.”

These companies often have MOD investment, but the IP might be more useful outside of defence. Ploughshare is open to considering all IP generated in the MOD, besides that which is classified. Plougshare has authored a playbook which demystifies the ‘spinning-out’ process, taking researchers from the disclosure and securement of IP, setting up a company and growth, through to market valuation. 

Its team of commercialisation managers considers key criteria: 

1. What’s the potential impact if this IP got out into the wider market? “That includes financial impact, economic benefit, environmental benefit, and even life-saving potential. We give it what we call an “impact score.”
2. How easy it would be to get the tech out?

According to Barkworth-Nanton, this can depend on the technology readiness level (TRL); 

“Low TRL needs a lot of investment before it's viable, which can make us question if it's worth the effort. 

Another factor is whether it needs to be spun out. We either license to an existing company or we create our own spinout. If it’s a spinout, we need to be sure the originating scientists are at least motivated to support it in some form."

Ploughshare has helped commercialise over 140 technologies, created 500+ jobs, generated £126 million in gross value added, and secured £163 million in export sales.

It has created 17 spin-outs and companies that licensed their tech commercially, with a wide-ranging impact, including defence advantage, security, health, and operational efficiencies.

How Ploughshare spins out MOD innovation

Ploughshare gets exclusive access to MOD IP. The MOD pays it a fee that partially funds our operations. It also generates income from licensing deals or equity in spinouts. All of that flows back into Ploughshare.

Since it's 100 per cent owned by the MOD, any major exit would lead to discussions about that money going back to them.

Barkworth-Nanton explained that “when we work with non-MOD clients, they pay us a full service fee. We don’t make a profit on that, but we do agree to a small percentage of any future returns. That gives our team skin in the game. 

But fundamentally, I’m not in this to just make money. I want to grow the economy, save lives, and deliver real impact.”

The difference between Government and university scientists 

One of Ploughshare’s biggest challenges is attracting interest from government scientists to commercialise their work. Barkworth-Nanton views this as the biggest difference between government innovation and universities.

“Scientists in government labs usually work there because they’re passionate about their subject and want to serve the public. That doesn’t always translate into entrepreneurial motivation. 

Going from public service to entrepreneurship is a massive leap in risk— on many levels. 

But the ones we work with are phenomenal. We just wish more of them would engage with us. We're actively working to make more scientists aware of what we do.”

Ploughshare has significantly expanded its capabilities over the past five years by growing the organisation by around threefold to tackle a backlog of IP that it previously didn’t have the capacity to manage effectively. 

This growth has also enabled it to build a more diverse and inclusive team, which Barkworth-Nanton believes is fundamental to driving innovation. The team is also in contact with other government bodies and even defence companies. 

Some Ploughshare spinouts and licensees 

Claresys

Claresys was established to commercialize the COSE pinhole camera, a compact, low-light camera initially used in covert military operations. 

With rugged, lens-free optics, the system has proven invaluable in harsh industrial and security environments. 

Today, Claresys cameras support applications in oil and gas pipeline monitoring, hazardous material inspections, and law enforcement surveillance. The company was successfully exited.

Clearwater Hydroacoustics

Born from naval sonar research, Clearwater Hydroacoustics has developed Sonarbell, a unique “passive sonar reflector”—essentially a subsea version of a bicycle cat’s-eye. 

Unlike powered beacons, Sonarbell devices don’t require batteries or maintenance, making them ideal for long-term use in underwater infrastructure monitoring. Today, they are deployed in oil and gas fields, cable-laying operations, and underwater navigation systems, significantly reducing operational costs and complexity.

Porton Plasma Innovations (P2I)

P2I develops hydrophobic coatings originally designed for military gear to protect against chemical threats. 

It is now used by Hi‑Tec to waterproof footwear and by eyewear and electronics companies to safeguard against misting and moisture.

Presymptom Health 

Presymptom Health commercialises a diagnostic test that can detect sepsis up to three days before symptoms appear. 

It uses biomarker signatures and machine learning to provide early alerts that could save lives and reduce hospital costs. 

Smart Dog-Restraint System

Inadequate, poorly fitted, or faulty car harnesses and restraints for dogs are far too common, putting the lives of both pets and owners at risk. During emergency stops or accidents, the force of a dog suddenly accelerating forward can break the animal free from conventional harnesses or restraints that rely on a seatbelt – risking death or serious injury for the dog. 

The restraint system was developed to keep working and companion dogs safely restrained in vehicles during crashes, utilising energy-absorbing tech.

Bordeaux-based healthtech startup DESKi has closed a $6M seed round. The round was led by Racine² (Serena & makesense), with BNP Paribas Développement, Épopée Gestion, Good Only Ventures, Better Angle, and NACo participating.

The funds will support DESKi’s U.S. and European market launch.

DESKI was founded by brothers Bertrand and Olivier Moal, who’ve developed HeartFocus, the first AI-powered cardiac ultrasound tool that enables even first-time users to capture diagnostic-quality heart scans.

FDA-cleared and backed by clinical studies, HeartFocus is redefining early detection in cardiology with a simple conviction: No heart can wait™.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet access to echocardiography is limited by a shortage of specialists.

HeartFocus bridges this gap with real-time AI guidance that empowers any healthcare worker to perform scans after just a few hours of training, even in remote or primary care settings. Built by experts in medicine and engineering, HeartFocus by DESKi is powered by proprietary AI trained on over 10 million data points.

Already recognised by the French Ministry of Health (France 2030 award), it integrates seamlessly into global care platforms and delivers high-impact, scalable diagnostics.

As healthcare systems face growing pressure, HeartFocus offers a critical missing link in cardiac care: a scalable, accessible diagnostic tool for all. 
This seed round moves DESKi from clinical proof to large-scale deployment, with global implications for patient care and early disease prevention.

Lead image: DESKi

Pelico, a French Supply Chain Orchestration platform innovating complex manufacturing operations, announced today a €34.7 million strategic financing round to accelerate its North American footprint.

Led by General Catalyst with participation from existing investors 83North and Serena, the round brings Pelico’s total funding to €62.6 million. As part of this round, Larry Bohn of General Catalyst will join the company’s board.

“Today’s disruptions and future shocks cannot be solved by siloed teams and fragmented supply chains,” said Tarik Benabdallah, Founder and CEO of Pelico. “We started Pelico in 2019 to solve the dilemma that a single late part can halt a billion dollar production and limit the ability to innovate. Our AI-powered co-pilot is built to solve this by creating a connected, real-time view of supply chain operations.”

Founded in 2019 by Tarik Benabdallah, Mamoun Alaoui, and Jonathan Hickson, the company now also maintains offices in Miami and Frankfurt.

Pelico helps global manufacturers orchestrate their supply chains in real time with its AI-powered platform. Purpose-built to solve operational fragmentation, Pelico connects data, teams, and tools – enabling faster decisions, reducing backlogs, cutting inventory costs, and ensuring on-time delivery.

Global manufacturers such as Airbus, Safran, Eaton and Daikin have successfully deployed Pelico in just 12 weeks, reportedly achieving immediate improvements in operational efficiency.

According to Pelico, customers see an average reduction of 40% in parts shortages, a 15% increase in on-time deliveries, and a 40% reduction in MRO cycle times.

“Pelico was rolled out across 5 factories and over 150 users in record time, delivering immediate and measurable impact,” said Dan Berilloux, Senior IT Leader, Aerospace at Eaton. “It didn’t just upgrade our tech stack – it transformed how our teams collaborate, make decisions, and operate. What used to be ad hoc is now standardised, streamlined, and scalable.”

Pelico is scaling rapidly with 300% year-over-year revenue growth over the past two years and tripling its headcount since 2022.

Deployed in over 15 countries, Pelico supports global industry leaders operating 1000+ factories worldwide and works with 50% of the world’s top 10 aerospace and defense companies.

Larry Bohn, Managing Director at General Catalyst said, “Pelico addresses one of the most urgent challenges in global manufacturing – supply chain fragmentation. We saw their potential to transform complexity into clarity by turning operational data into fast, actionable insights. In today’s turbulent world, ensuring resilient and intelligent supply chains isn’t just a competitive edge – it’s a necessity. With General Catalyst now joining to scale this mission globally, we believe Pelico is poised to become a defining platform in industrial AI.”

With this funding, Pelico will accelerate North American expansion, where revenue has tripled in the last six months. The funding will also drive hiring in data science and engineering and accelerate investment in Agentic AI to deliver smarter, self-optimising supply chains.

Florent Pelissier, Startup Director at Microsoft added, “At Microsoft, we are proud to partner with forward-thinking companies like Pelico, whose GenAI solutions leverage Azure AI and Copilot to drive agility and resilience across manufacturing operations. Pelico’s Agentic platform exemplifies the kind of industry-relevant, cloud-powered innovation that harnesses the power of AI to deliver real-time insights and optimisation, from the shop floor to the boardroom.”

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Supply chain orchestration platform Pelico today announced a $40 million strategic financing round to accelerate its fast-growing North American footprint. It brings the company’s total funding to $72 million.

Pelico enables manufacturers to address the growing challenge of fragmented supply chains through a real-time orchestration platform. By synchronising teams and processes, Pelico enables faster decisions, smoother collaboration, and agile responses to disruptions — cutting backlogs, reducing inventory costs, and improving on time delivery. 

Global manufacturers such as Airbus, Safran, Eaton and Daikin have successfully deployed Pelico in just 12 weeks, achieving immediate improvements in operational efficiency. Customers see an average reduction of 40 per cent in parts shortages, a 15 per cent increase in on-time deliveries, and a 40 per cent reduction in MRO cycle times. 

“Today’s disruptions and future shocks cannot be solved by siloed teams and fragmented supply chains,” said Tarik Benabdallah, founder and CEO of Pelico. 

“We started Pelico in 2019 to solve the dilemma that a single late part can halt a billion-dollar production and limit the ability to innovate.

Our AI-powered co-pilot is built to solve this by creating a connected, real-time view of supply chain operations.” 

General Catalyst led the funding with participation from existing investors 83North and Serena. As part of this round, Larry Bohn of General Catalyst will join the company's board.

According to Larry Bohn, Managing Director at General Catalyst, Pelico addresses one of the most urgent challenges in global manufacturing—supply chain fragmentation. 

“We saw their potential to transform complexity into clarity by turning operational data into fast, actionable insights. In today’s turbulent world, ensuring resilient and intelligent supply chains isn’t just a competitive edge — it’s a necessity.” 

Florent Pelissier, Startup Director at Microsoft, said:

“Pelico’s Agentic platform exemplifies the kind of industry-relevant, cloud-powered innovation that harnesses the power of AI to deliver real-time insights and optimization, from the shop floor to the boardroom.” 

"Pelico was rolled out across 5 factories and over 150 users in record time, delivering immediate and measurable impact,” said Dan Berilloux, Senior IT Leader, Aerospace at Eaton.

“It didn’t just upgrade our tech stack— it transformed how our teams collaborate, make decisions, and operate. What used to be ad hoc is now standardised, streamlined, and scalable.” 

Pelico is scaling rapidly with 300 per cent year-over-year revenue growth over the past two years and tripling its headcount since 2022. Founded in France in 2019 by Tarik Benabdallah, Mamoun Alaoui, and Jonathan Hickson, the company now also maintains offices in Miami and Frankfurt. 

Deployed in over 15 countries, Pelico supports global industry leaders operating 1000+ factories worldwide and works with 50 per cent of the world’s top 10 aerospace and defense companies. 

With this funding, Pelico will accelerate North American expansion, where revenue has tripled in the last six months. The funding will also drive hiring in data science and engineering and accelerate investment in Agentic AI to deliver smarter, self-optimising supply chains. 

Lead image: Pelico. Photo: uncredited. 

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