Hello! Here is what happened today in European tech:
Deals
- Swedish lithium-ion battery maker Northvolt is raising $600 million in fresh equity funds in a private placement joined by investors such as Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, Volkswagen, Baillie Gifford, Norrsken VC and Scania, as well as private backers such as Spotify founder Daniel Ek and Cristina Stenbeck.
- Uber is considering a purchase of Daimler and BMW’s ride-hailing joint venture Free Now, a deal that could boost its market share in Europe and Latin America, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.
- French warehouse robotics outfit Exotec has raised $90 million in a new round of funding led by 83North alongside existing backers Iris Capital and Breega.
- Vienna, Austria-based Bitpanda, which provides a brokering/exchange platform for trading digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and precious metals, has raised a monster Series A round of $52 million.
- With the independent SwissHealth Ventures, Switzerland-based health insurer CSS has raised a near €50 million fund to invest in innovative health tech startups.
- Israeli obstructive sleep apnea device developer keepMed has announced the completion of a €13 million Series C financing round from a bunch of new and prior investors.
- Nokia has extended its long-term strategic relationship with BT into the 5G arena, following its selection as a 5G RAN vendor for the UK operator. The deal will make Nokia BT’s largest equipment provider.
- Huboo, the UK startup that offers an end-to-end fulfilment service for online retailers of all sizes, has raised £14 million in Series A funding.
- NtechLab, a Russian startup that helps analyse footage captured by Moscow’s 100,000 surveillance cameras, has closed an investment of more than $13 million to further global expansion.
- SISU, the Irish doctor-led and digital-first aesthetic clinic, today announced it has closed a $5.5 million Series A fundraise led by Greycroft and Bullpen Capital.
- Zoovu has merged with Germany's SEMKNOX, which offers the 'next-generation' of product search and fully automated data processing.
- French tech startup TOTEM has secured €4 million in a round led by Maki.vc and joined by prior backers Samaipata Ventures and Tekton Ventures, as it tries to disrupt the corporate food service industry.
- YourParkingSpace, the UK-based on-demand parking platform and provider of intelligent parking solutions, has received a £5 million investment from Pelican Capital to support the next phase of its growth strategy.
- We also tracked a large number of (other) European tech funding rounds and M&A transactions, all of which we are putting in a handy list for you on Friday afternoon in our weekly roundup newsletter (note: the full list is for paying customers only). Also check out our European tech news section for ongoing coverage.
Worth Knowing
- Microsoft’s Bing search app will appear as a download prompt on new Android phones in Germany, the UK and France after it won slots in a Google auction for rivals.
- Airbnb has paid an additional £1.8 million in tax following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs into its UK tax arrangements.
- Air taxis in Japan! Volocopter and one of its investors, Japan Airlines, have entered into a cooperation agreement to 'promote the development of the Urban Air Mobility industry' for next-gen air transportation options of passengers and goods.
- Google has offered an improved package of concessions to avoid shutting out rival fitness trackers and apps in a bid to clinch European Union approval for its $2.1 billion takeover of Fitbit.
- German fintech unicorn Deposit Solutions has launched in the US, opening a portal that offers banks national reach for their retail deposit products.
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