Montpellier-based Ciloa, an innovator in bioengineering extracellular vesicles to develop a new generation of therapeutics and preventive solutions, announced it has secured €6.5 million of funding.

The funding was secured via the France 2030 ‘Biotherapies and Biomanufacturing of Innovative Therapies’ call for proposals, organised by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government.

“For over twenty years, people have tried and failed to produce a stable and functional form of adiponectin. We are the first to succeed, by combining adiponectin with small extracellular vesicles (sEV, or exosomes) to unlock its great therapeutic potential,” said Robert Z Mamoun, CEO of Ciloa.

Founded in 2011, Ciloa is a French biotechnology company that spun out of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Montpellier. It is focused on the vivobioengineering of small extracellular vesicles for therapeutic and preventative purposes.

Ciloa has a patented proprietary technology supported by its EVENGI platform, which has produced more than one hundred sEVs containing different proteins of medical interest. Currently, the main applications are metabolic diseases, vaccines against emerging viral threats and oncology.

The funding will enable clinical development of Ciloa’s candidate APN-sEV (Adiponectin associated with exosomes) up to phase IIa in type 2 diabetes and obesity, and the implementation of large-scale manufacturing under GMP conditions (Good Manufacturing Practices).

Adiponectin is a hormone known as the ‘Guardian Angel’ of the metabolic system, due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative stress, antiapoptotic and insulin-sensitising properties. It demonstrates first-line therapeutic potential in several metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and skin diseases, several retinopathies (ARMD, retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy) and hormonal cancers; it could also reportedly help slow the ageing process.

Ciloa has developed a unique bioengineering technology for small extracellular vesicles with all types of proteins; the technology’s robustness is demonstrated by a portfolio of over 130 proteins targeted on or within the sEV. Thanks to its experience in producing sEVs, Ciloa has addressed and optimised the entire sEV production, purification and characterisation process.

By implementing its proprietary sEV bioengineering technology, and due to its reliable procedure, Ciloa has produced several batches of Adiponectin associated with exosomes (or APN-sEV) that have remained stable at 4°C for several months.

This APN-sEV is functional and has reportedly demonstrated effectiveness in preclinical trials against obesity, type 2 diabetes and some of its implications for liver impairment. APN-sEV greatly reduces excess weight, clears fat storage in the tested organs, significantly increases insulin sensitivity and contributes to glucose regulation.

Uniquely, APN-sEV helps to preserve all muscle mass, even in co-treatment with anti-diabetic products currently on the market.

“We have shown that the properties of APN-sEV stem from its action on specific metabolic pathways other than those targeted by current anti-diabetic products,” said Bernadette Trentin, CSO at Ciloa. “APN-sEV is therefore highly effective in complementing these medications, paving the way for a safer, more comprehensive and sustainable treatment of many metabolic diseases.”

With this funding, secured via the ‘DIADEME’ project, Ciloa will work on developing a first-in-human drug composed of adiponectin introduced via small extracellular vesicles. Ciloa will implement production of its candidate, APN-sEV, and conduct the regulatory preclinical trials required to ensure its safety.

Ciloa will then launch phase I clinical trials in 2027, with phase IIa planned in 2028.

Ciloa will produce the biomedicine using its production line developed for bioengineered small extracellular vesicles. This includes the creation of stable lines, upstream processing (USP), downstream processing (DSP), and quality controls specific to engineered small extracellular vesicles and added proteins.

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Austrian deeptech company Hololight has secured €10 million investment. 

Founded in 2015, Hololight provides the technical bridge between XR applications and XR devices. 

Powered by its proprietary XR streaming technology, Hololight pixel-streams XR applications from cloud or on-premise infrastructure — overcoming device, performance, and security limitations. 

Pixel-streaming enables applications to be streamed from central servers directly to AR and VR devices without any loss of performance, regardless of the device and with the highest level of data security. Its platform makes these streamed experiences accessible to everyone, delivering XR like Netflix delivers movies.  It allows companies to scale AR/VR applications more easily by sending data centrally from the cloud or on-premises to AR/VR devices. 

"Our goal is to make every AR/VR application available wirelessly – as easy and accessible as Netflix streams movies," explains Florian Haspinger, CEO and co-founder of Hololight. 

"By further developing our core technology and launching new products, we are strengthening our pioneering role and our collaboration with partners such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Snap, Meta, and others. 

We are convinced that XR pixel-streaming will become the global standard for AR/VR deployment – ​​and will soon be as commonplace as video streaming is today."

With its product portfolio, Hololight is already laying the foundation for companies to successfully implement their AR/VR strategies.

The latest development, Hololight Stream Runtime, enables the streaming of any OpenXR-compatible app with just one click. This allows existing applications to be streamed to AR/VR devices without additional development work – a crucial step for the rapid adoption of AR/VR in enterprises.

Cipio Partners led the round, which included existing investors Bayern Kapital, Direttissima Growth Partners, EnBW New Ventures, and Future Energy Ventures.

"Hololight's unique XR pixel-streaming technology opens up the broad application of AR/VR in industry and, in the future, also for consumers," emphasises Dr.Ansgar Kirchheim, Partner at Cipio Partners.

 "With this investment, Hololight can not only further scale its existing business but also market its latest innovation, Hololight Stream Runtime, worldwide."

Hololight has over 150 international customers and partners, including leading technology companies and OEMs worldwide. The company is committed to expanding its leading position in XR pixel streaming and driving the global adoption of this technology.

Lead image: Hololight. Photo: uncredited. 

Didomi, a French Global Data Privacy Solutions provider, announced today a €61 million raise along with its acquisition of Sourcepoint, a data privacy technology company with strong publisher market share and over 200 global enterprise customers.

The deal unites the two innovators in privacy technology, combining global talent, complementary solutions, and expertise across privacy and consent use cases, supported by Marlin Equity Partners, which completed a majority investment in Didomi earlier this year to build the next enterprise privacy category leader.

“The marketing and advertising landscape continues to evolve with privacy at the forefront and with the growing influence of AI,” explains Romain Gauthier, CEO and Founder of Didomi. “Didomi and Sourcepoint are perfectly aligned around a mission to create the most advanced privacy infrastructure aimed at helping businesses confidently balance user trust, regulatory compliance, and performance outcomes.

“We want to redefine privacy as a strategic growth-lever, including deeply understanding the value exchange between businesses and their customers, while helping them seamlessly navigate this new landscape defined by AI and hyper-personalisation,” he added.

Founded in 2017, Didomi helps organisations collect, store, and leverage user choices across multiple channels, increasing precision in marketing and advertising operations, and building trust through transparent data practices.

Through their software platform and support services, Didomi enables large corporations to optimise the collection and activation of user data, monitor vendor and tracker activity, reduce compliance risk with regard to global regulations, and engage their users with personalised, privacy-first experiences. Active in 35 countries, Didomi supports over 1,500 clients across various sectors, in building revenue-driving operations based on user choice data.

Founded in 2015 in New York City, Sourcepoint is a practical privacy platform used by over 200 enterprise customers and notable brands, including Axel Springer, Autotrader, and Ancestry. Supporting over 30 billion consumer touch points per month, Sourcepoint reportedly offers enterprise-grade privacy automation for complex, dynamic compliance challenges.

“We are excited to be part of the Didomi team,” said Ben Barokas, Co-founder and CEO of Sourcepoint. “We began our journey in 2015 with the goal to help the world’s most influential brands to turn privacy compliance into a catalyst for better business outcomes. Together, we can have an even bigger impact on how businesses collect, govern, and activate first-party data, while also staying ahead of the curve when it comes to AI or whatever comes next.”

Together, Didomi and Sourcepoint aim to become the authority on privacy-respecting data collection, data utilisation, and attribution across all digital platforms and channels. By aligning server-side innovations that increase return on marketing and ad spend with cutting-edge user consent and preference tools, the combined company will help its publisher and advertiser customers fuel smarter data strategies.

“As privacy regulations become increasingly complex worldwide, enterprise companies need more than just powerful technology,” explains Brian Kane, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Sourcepoint. “They need a partner that combines enterprise-grade solutions with world-class service. That’s exactly what we’re building together with Didomi, with a focus on helping our customers not just adapt, but lead.”

Didomi and Sourcepoint also intend to explore how to deliver highly personalised experiences in the context of the AI transformation of their customer and user journeys.

They will look to adapt their products to support the growing concern among businesses and brands about losing the ability to collect and transact on consumer data and the changing landscape of established channels including search and targeted advertising.

Helping businesses better educate consumers on the value exchange around AI will also be a key priority.

Nial Ferguson, Managing Director (Europe) at Sourcepoint, reflects on the impact of this deal on the UK market: “I am very proud of what the Sourcepoint team has built in the UK and across Europe. Everything we do has been focused on helping our clients navigate the complexities of data protection and consent management, and I am hugely excited to be continuing this mission alongside the impressive team at Didomi. I have no doubt that our combined belief in the importance of cutting-edge technology surrounded by exceptional client support will remain the winning formula.”

The Sourcepoint deal comes on the heels of Didomi’s April acquisition of server-side tracking infrastructure company Addingwell, which will now be part of the service offering for both Didomi and Sourcepoint customers.

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Lausanne-based Comphya SA, a clinical-stage MedTech company innovating the first implantable neurostimulation therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED) unresponsive to medication, today announced the closing of an oversubscribed Series A financing round.

Including the conversion of existing convertible loans, the round brings Comphya’s total equity raised to €8 million.

“We are thrilled to have the continued confidence of our investors, which enables us to accelerate our mission to bring a transformative solution to men living with erectile dysfunction following treatment for prostate cancer,” said Pim van Wesel, CEO of Comphya. “With our U.S. pilot study underway and preparations beginning for a pivotal clinical trial, we’re entering an important new chapter in our development.”

Founded in 2017 as a spin-off from EPFL, Comphya is a medical device company developing CaverSTIM, the first implantable device to restore erectile function in patients non-responsive to oral drugs.

CaverSTIM is a neurostimulation system composed of an implantable pulse generator (IPG) containing a rechargeable battery and electronics responsible for generating the electrostimulation signal. It is connected to an array of two electrodes (with multiple individual electrodes) to be implanted in the pelvic cavity, where they will activate and restore the nerves responsible for penile erection. The IPG is implanted subcutaneously in the lower abdomen and is remotely operated by external controllers.

The clinician controller allows the medical expert to adjust and tailor the system parameters to best suit each patient. The patient controller enables the patient to activate the device and deliver electrical stimulation to the cavernous nerves with the aim of restoring their function.

The company explains that patients now have to resort to intrapenile injections or penile implants, the only available yet “painful, problematic, and outdated” therapies. Comphya’s goal is to offer physiological sexual function and quality of life to large parts of the male population in great need.

Proceeds from the Series A will be used to:

• Launch and execute a U.S. pilot study, with the first site activated at Johns Hopkins following FDA Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval announced in January 2025.
• Prepare for a pivotal U.S. clinical trial planned for 2026, including regulatory and operational groundwork.
• Expand Comphya’s ongoing clinical trial in Australia, where early data has shown strong safety and efficacy signals by recruiting additional patients.

The funding comes on the heels of encouraging clinical results from the company’s first-in-human study in Australia, where patients undergoing robotic-assisted prostatectomy were implanted with Comphya’s CaverSTIM system.

Results showed that a large majority of patients maintained good erectile function postoperatively without the need for adjunctive therapies. No infections or adverse events were reported. These early outcomes underscore the potential of CaverSTIM to fill a major gap in post-prostatectomy care, an area with no effective therapeutic options today.

The U.S. pilot study, now underway at Johns Hopkins, builds on the strong early data from Australia. Combined insights from both regions will guide the design of a pivotal clinical trial in 2026, which Comphya plans to fund through a forthcoming Series B round.

The Series A round also coincides with recent leadership changes at Comphya, including the appointment of Pim van Wesel as CEO in May 2025 to guide the company through its next stage of clinical growth and strategic execution.

Comphya’s neurostimulator system is reportedly the first implantable therapy designed to restore natural erectile function by stimulating the cavernous nerves.

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Global data privacy solutions provider Didomi is acquiring Sourcepoint, a data privacy technology company with a strong publisher market share and over 200 global enterprise customers. 

Together, Didomi and Sourcepoint aim to become the authority on privacy-respecting data collection, data utilisation, and attribution across all digital platforms and channels. 

By aligning server-side innovations that increase return on marketing and ad spend with cutting-edge user consent and preference tools, the combined company will help its publisher and advertiser customers fuel smarter data strategies, resulting in better business outcomes and monetisation opportunities. 

Didomi and Sourcepoint also intend to explore how to deliver highly personalised experiences in the context of the AI transformation of their customer and user journeys. Helping businesses better educate consumers on the value exchange around AI will also be a key priority.

“The marketing and advertising landscape continues to evolve with privacy at the forefront and with the growing influence of AI,” explains Romain Gauthier, CEO and Founder of Didomi. 

“Didomi and Sourcepoint aim to help customers create the most advanced privacy infrastructure aimed at helping businesses confidently balance user trust, regulatory compliance, and performance outcomes, while helping them seamlessly navigate this new landscape defined by AI and hyper-personalisation.” 

Didomi, with this acquisition, is committed to building a unified platform to unlock new opportunities created by the collective innovation of the combined company.

“We are excited to be part of the Didomi team,” said Ben Barokas, co-founder and CEO of Sourcepoint. 

“We began our journey in 2015 with the goal to help the world’s most influential brands to turn privacy compliance into a catalyst for better business outcomes.

Together, we can have an even bigger impact on how businesses collect, govern, and activate first-party data, while also staying ahead of the curve when it comes to AI or whatever comes next.”

The acquisition of Sourcepoint is backed by Didomi’s new investment partner, Marlin Equity Partners, who recently completed a majority investment in the company to fuel its global expansion, growth strategy, and technology innovation. 

The Sourcepoint deal comes on the heels of Didomi’s April acquisition of server-side tracking infrastructure company Addingwell, which will now be part of the service offering for both Didomi and Sourcepoint customers.

LumenStream, climatetech company which is revolutionising energy efficiency through its innovative "Lighting as a Service" model, secured £1.2m in investment.

The funding round was led by a local angel investment syndicate, with significant participation from Co Fund III, managed by Clarendon Fund Managers. Techstart Ventures, the company’s initial first-cheque, lead investor, also played a pivotal role in the round.

This funding will allow LumenStream to scale the deployment of its zero-upfront-cost smart lighting solutions, helping high-energy users to cut CO2 emissions and reduce operating costs. Through its distinctive "Pay as you Save" model, LumenStream enables businesses to adopt energy-efficient lighting with no capital investment, delivering immediate positive cash flow.

Alistair Brown, CEO of LumenStream, shared:

This £1.2m investment marks a pivotal moment for LumenStream. We are incredibly grateful for the continued trust and support from our investors. This funding will accelerate our mission to make energy efficiency the ‘first fuel’ for businesses, expanding our reach and reinforcing Belfast’s position at the forefront of green innovation.

Speaking on behalf of a local angel syndicate, Jonny Barr noted that their investment in LumenStream reflects their strong commitment to supporting a more sustainable future:

LumenStream’s proven model provides a tangible and immediate solution for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve significant energy savings. We are proud to partner with a company driving such critical environmental and economic impact.

Sian McLaughlin, Senior Investment Manager at Clarendon Fund Managers, stated that LumenStream represents the type of innovative, high-growth tech company that are eager to back in Northern Ireland:

Their ‘Lighting as a Service’ model is not only commercially astute but also fundamentally contributes to a greener economy.

The company has secured several high-profile customers, including Siemens, Wickes, Oxfam, and Ryobi, and is currently in the process of expanding its team by hiring for roles in accounting, sales, and technical support.

The investment highlights the rising momentum of Northern Ireland’s green economy and LumenStream’s contribution to providing practical, high-impact solutions for a more sustainable future.

Monzo has been hit with a £21m fine by the UK financial watchdog over lax financial crime controls, after the challenger bank onboarded customers with "implausible" London landmark addresses such as Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and even Monzo’s business address.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) began reviewing Monzo’s financial crime controls in 2020 and opened a formal probe in 2021.

The watchdog said the financial crime controls of Monzo, whose customer base grew almost tenfold from around 600,000 in 2018 to over 5.8 million in 2022, failed to keep up with its customer base.

The FCA said: “In particular, Monzo failed to design, implement and maintain adequate customer onboarding, customer risk assessment, and transaction monitoring systems to mitigate the risk of financial crime.

“These systemic failings resulted in the FCA require a comprehensive, independent review of the firm's financial crime framework in August 2020.” 

Alongside this review, the FCA imposed a requirement preventing Monzo from opening new accounts for high-risk customers. 

But between August 2020 and June 2022, Monzo repeatedly failed to comply with the terms of the requirement, including signing up over 34,000 high-risk customers, the FCA said. 

Therese Chambers, FCA joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight, said: “Banks are a vital line of defence in the collective fight against financial crime.

“They must have the systems in place to prevent the flow of ill-gotten gains into the financial system. Monzo fell far short of what we, and society, expect.

"Monzo onboarded customers on the basis of limited, and in some cases, obviously implausible information – such as customers using well known London landmarks as an address.

"This illustrates how lacking Monzo's financial crime controls were. This was compounded by its inability to properly comply with the requirement not to onboard high-risk customers."

The watchdog said Monzo has set up and completed a financial crime change programme to remediate and enhance its wider financial crime control framework in line with recommendations made in the independent review.

Monzo CEO TS Anil said: "The FCA’s findings relate to a historical period that ended three years ago and draw a line under issues that have been resolved and are firmly in the past - with our learnings at the time leading to substantial improvements in our controls.

“I’m pleased the FCA recognises the significant investments we have made, as well as our ongoing commitment to managing these risks today, as we go from strength to strength as a business approaching 13 million customers.

"Financial crime is an issue that affects the entire industry - and at Monzo, we have the right team, best-in-class technology, and an unwavering commitment to doing all we can to stop it in its tracks.”

Innsbruck-based DeepTech company Hololight, a provider of AR/VR (“XR”) pixel-streaming technology, has secured a €10 million investment to support the global distribution of its products and to make XR pixel-streaming accessible across the entire AR/VR market.

The financing round is being led by the European growth fund Cipio Partners. Existing investors Bayern Kapital, Direttissima Growth Partners, EnBW New Ventures, and Future Energy Ventures are also participating.

“Our goal is to make every AR/VR application available wirelessly – as easy and accessible as Netflix streams movies,” explains Florian Haspinger, CEO and Co-founder of Hololight. “By further developing our core technology and launching new products, we are strengthening our pioneering role and our collaboration with partners such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Snap, Meta, and others. We are convinced that XR pixel-streaming will become the global standard for AR/VR deployment – and will soon be as commonplace as video streaming is today.“

Founded in 2015, Hololight provides the “technical bridge” between XR applications and XR devices. Powered by its proprietary XR streaming technology, Hololight pixel-streams XR applications from cloud or on-premise infrastructure – reportedly overcoming device, performance, and security limitations.

The company explans that pixel-streaming is a fundamental technology for the scalability and usability of AR/VR devices and use cases. It enables applications to be streamed from central servers directly to AR and VR devices without any loss of performance – regardless of the device and with the highest level of data security. On one hand, it enables companies to scale AR/VR applications more easily by sending data centrally from the cloud or on-premises to AR/VR devices. On the other, it makes future AR/VR devices even more powerful and easier to use.

With its product portfolio, Hololight is laying the foundation for companies to successfully implement their AR/VR strategies.

The latest development – Hololight Stream Runtime – enables streaming of any OpenXR-compatible app with “just one click“. This allows existing applications to be streamed to AR/VR devices without additional development work – a crucial step for the rapid adoption of AR/VR in enterprises.

“Hololight’s unique XR pixel-streaming technology opens up the broad application of AR/VR in industry and, in the future, also for consumers,” emphasises Dr Ansgar Kirchheim, Partner at Cipio Partners. “With this investment, Hololight can not only further scale its existing business but also market its latest innovation, Hololight Stream Runtime, worldwide.”

Hololight currently has over 150 international customers and partners – including leading technology companies and OEMs worldwide. The company is committed to expanding its position in XR pixel streaming and driving the global adoption of this technology.

“Our vision is clear: Anyone who wants to successfully use AR/VR needs XR pixel-streaming. This is the only way to integrate applications flexibly, securely, and scalably into companies,” says Haspinger. “We are ready to take AR/VR to the next level.”

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Carbery’s Farm Zero C project, a research and demonstration initiative focused on creating a blueprint for economically viable and sustainable dairy farming, is expanding its reach with a €700,000 fund to trial next-generation methane-reducing technologies on 10 additional dairy farms in West Cork.

Through a new partnership with Climate KIC, a leading European climate innovation agency, the farms will test innovations such as advanced manure management treatments and satellite-based biodiversity mapping, building on the ongoing research within the Farm Zero C initiative.

A transition centred on farmer wellbeing

Funded by the Systemic Climate Action Collaborative, a pioneering coalition that is advancing climate action and systemic transformation, this flagship initiative is part of the broader Deep Demonstration of sustainable food systems. Launched in 2022 through a partnership between Climate KIC and Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the programme aims to embed climate mitigation and resilience across the Irish land and agri-food sector.

Stewart Gee, Deep Demonstration programme lead at Climate KIC, shared: 

Farmers are on the frontlines of the climate transition, but so too are their livelihoods and wellbeing. 

This initiative focuses not just on emission cuts, but also on social resilience, farmer wellbeing, economic security, and local action. The aim is to create clear, realistic, and long-term action plans for farms of all types to transition, without leaving anyone behind.

Tackling methane through farmer-led solutions

Methane from enteric fermentation and manure management accounts for over two-thirds of Ireland’s agricultural emissions, and almost 20 per cent of the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Enda Buckley, Director of Sustainability for Carbery, shared: 

We’ve seen firsthand through Farm Zero C and through the outcomes of our FutureProof sustainability bonus (where farmers are paid a premium to implement certain sustainability initiatives on their farms), that cutting emissions and maintaining profitability can go hand in hand. This project allows us to bring these practical solutions to more farmers, faster.

The initiative will prioritise ‘ready now’ innovations to reduce methane emissions rapidly while retaining profitability. These technologies will be selected by Carbery and the relevant farmers and will include Glasport Bio’s Slurry Abate system.

John O’Donoghue, one of the farmers participating in this trial, said: 

We have been seeing what works on one farm, as part of Farm Zero C. This project is about taking what has been tested on one farm, and bringing it to more of them. We will see then what works practically and what will actually make a difference to the average farmer.

Farmer-focused business models and innovative financing solutions

Carbery’s Farm Zero C and Climate KIC’s Deep Demonstration programmes are also exploring funding models and financial solutions to make methane-reduction technologies more accessible for farmers. As part of this new initiative, the finance innovation group and non-profit Bankers without Boundaries will help identify mechanisms such as carbon payments, green loans, and cooperative incentive schemes.

Meanwhile, Community Arts Network and Metabolic will examine how local community perceptions can support the wider adoption of these technologies.

In the first year, the focus will be on testing technologies, establishing collaboration with the initial 10 farmers, gathering baseline data, and shaping effective financial and storytelling models. In the second year, these insights will be scaled, with a second group of farmers brought on board.