Happy Friday!
This week, our research team tracked more than 50 tech funding deals worth over €700 million, as well as some 10 M&A transactions and related news stories across Europe, including Russia, Israel, and Turkey. Meanwhile, here's an overview of the 10 biggest European tech news items for this week:
1) French insurers and asset managers have pledged €5 billion in investment for homegrown tech firms as part of President Emmanuel Macron ’s push to nurture France’s fledgling startups into a cohort of highly valued heavyweights.
2) Prosus, a listing by Naspers, went public on September 11 on the Euronext exchange in Amsterdam. In the first day of trading, Prosus became one of the largest listed tech companies in Europe as its market cap reached €120 billion. Although Prosus is far from a household name, it holds stakes in a number of technology companies that serve more than 1.5 billion people in 89 markets. Among those are Tencent, Mail.Ru Group, and Delivery Hero.
3) Apple’s €13 billion ($14.4 billion) tax fight with Europe is grinding through the courts. It could end up generating unwelcome headlines—for Apple and Brussels alike.
4) Deutsche Bank has acquired a roughly 4.9 percent stake in Hamburg-based fintech startup Deposit Solutions, which counts Peter Thiel, Greycroft, Kinnevik and e.ventures among its earlier backers. Neither company disclosed the exact terms and volume of the investment, but Handelsblatt reported earlier this morning that the deal gives Deposit Solutions a valuation of around €1 billion.
5) A Cambridge-based company that has developed what it calls the “next generation” of robot surgeons has raised £195 million ($240 million) to fund its global expansion. CMR Surgical, which is one of the UK’s fastest-growing firms, says it wants to bring minimally invasive or keyhole surgery to patients around the world.
6) Munich-based Holidu announced €40 million of Series C funding to expand its signature software-and-service products for the vacation rental market. The round was led by Prime Ventures, with support from coparion and MairDuMont Ventures.
7) Germany has passed a comprehensive blockchain strategy in which Berlin vows to fight any company efforts to establish a parallel currency, in the latest sign that Facebook’s planned Libra faces tough regulatory hurdles in Europe.
8) Tel Aviv-based Trigo announced a $22 million Series A round, led by growth fund Red Dot Capital with support from existing investors Vertex Ventures Israel and Hetz Ventures. The company is bringing their frictionless-checkout technology to grocery stores around the world, enabling retailers to compete against Amazon Go.
9) For its customer satisfaction terminals, HappyOrNot notched $25 million in funding that is said to be used to keep building its customer base and technology. The Series A round brings the total taken in by the Finnish company to $40 million and is led by Verdane along with the participation of previous investor Northzone.
10) Zurich-based Beekeeper, the creator of an operational communications platform and app for non-desk workers, has raised €41 million in Series B financing as it accelerates the adoption of its platform. The round was co-led by Thayer Ventures and Swisscanto Invest by Zürcher Kantonalbank.
Podcast: tech.eu Podcast #135: The new Commission, Libra’s tough times in Europe, Amsterdam is a cool place to IPO, bad Amazon habits, and more
Bonus link: Announcing: tech.eu x TechBBQ’s Startups to Watch (free report)
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