These were the 10 biggest European tech stories this week

Happy Friday!

We sincerely hope you and yours are keeping healthy and safe. Please take care of yourself and others.

This week, our research team tracked over 50 tech funding deals worth more than €400 million, as well as 10 M&A transactions, rumours, 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 (subscribe to our free newsletter to get this roundup in your inbox every Monday morning):

1) US tech giant Intel on Monday said it has acquired Israel’s smart-transit startup Moovit for some $900 million. The acquisition will help another Israeli firm acquired by Intel, Mobileye, to achieve its aim of becoming a complete mobility provider, including offering robotaxi services.

2) Back Market, the Paris-based online marketplace for refurbished electronics, has raised $120 million from Goldman Sachs, Aglaé Ventures (the venture arm of Groupe Arnault), and Eurazeo Growth.

3) German digital bank N26 has raised an additional $100 million in funding, as it braces for economic uncertainty from the coronavirus pandemic. The investment, backed by existing investors such as Chinese tech giant Tencent and Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, is an extension to the company’s Series D investment round announced early last year. It brings the total raised in that round to $570 million, while the company has now raised $770 million to date.

4) Mobile operator O2 and broadband giant Virgin Media are to enter into a $39 billion merger, creating one of the UK's largest entertainment and telecoms firms and a major rival to BT.

5) Microsoft is set to acquire Israeli cybersecurity company CyberX. The deal is in the latter stages of being finalized and according to sources close to the talks Microsoft will pay $165 million for the acquisition.

6) Stockholm-based Sinch is set to buy part of Germany’s SAP, a communications unit called SAP Digital Interconnect (SDI), for €225 million on a cash and debt-free basis. SDI provides cloud-communication products to enterprise clients, and the Swedish company will acquire all assets and intellectual property as part of the deal.

7) Microsoft will invest $1 billion in Poland as part of a plan that will involve opening a data centre in the country to provide cloud services to businesses and government institutions, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

8) Runa Capital, a California-based VC firm founded by four Russian entrepreneurs, has closed its third fund at $157 million, backed by existing LPs as well as founders of some of the firm’s portfolio companies, such as Nginx, Brainly, Ecwid, Final and Rocketbank.

9) Israeli-German startup Zeitgold has raised €27 million in Series B funding to expand its automated accounting platform across Europe. The round was led by Vintage Investment Partners and supported by existing investors Battery Ventures, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, Saban Ventures, and btov Partners, as well as insurance company AXA Germany (AXA Innovation Campus) and Deutsche Bank.

10) Tel Aviv-based Orca Security has raised $20.5 million in Series A funding to expand its cloud security product for enterprise. The round was led by GGV Capital, with participation from seed investors YL Ventures and SVCI.

Podcast:

tech.eu Podcast #167: Roxanne Varza on startups’ downsizing; Wil Benton on the future of ATI Boeing Accelerator + Special Episode: How to raise capital in times of crisis? Let’s hear from VCs

Bonus link: 38% of European tech firms have frozen most or all recruitment as the pandemic rages on: study