Hello and Happy New Year!
Here's what happened today in European Tech:
Deals
- The file-sharing service WeTransfer is joining the queue of European technology companies lining up to go public with plans for an Amsterdam stock market flotation in the coming months.
- Online education company Kahoot is “on track” to list on the main Norwegian stock market by the end of March, its CEO told CNBC, after a pandemic-driven boom in digital learning helped the firm post strong growth in 2020.
- Twitter has acquired the design studio Ueno, founded by Icelandic entrepreneur Haraldur Thorleifsson.
- Israeli financial analysis company TipRanks is eyeing a $250 million IPO on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, with a source telling Calcalist under the condition of anonymity that it is aiming to raise a total of $50-60 million.
- Oxbotica, the Oxford, England autonomous vehicle software startup that builds what it calls “universal autonomy” — flexible technology that it says can power the navigation, perception, user interfaces, fleet management and other features needed to run self-driving vehicles in multiple environments — has picked up $47 million in a Series B round.
- There are (again) rumours of an impending IPO for German scale-up Mister Spex.
- Veo Technologies, a Copenhagen startup that has designed an AI-based video camera and cloud-based subscription service to record and then automatically pick out highlights of sports games, has picked up €20 million in a Series B round of funding.
- Belgian automotive startup Magnax has raised €16 million in Series A funding to fuel development of its electric motor technology. The round was led by Hirschvogel Automotive, a large manufacturer of automotive components, through its investment arm Hirschvogel Ventures.
- Hootsuite, a giant in the social media management sphere, has acquired Sparkcentral, a customer engagement startup based in Belgium and the US. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
- Looking to expand its stake in the small business market, Orange Bank has acquired French neobank Anytime. Profitable since 2018, the Paris-based fintech startup offers business accounts, payment solutions and expense management tools that make life easier for professionals and small business owners.
- 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 Reading/Knowing
- The new European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund is officially in action. The European Commission just announced the first round of direct equity investment, which amounts to about €178 million going to 42 startups and small and medium sized businesses.
- The UK competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the $40 billion takeover of the UK-based chip designer Arm by the US firm Nvidia.
- 2021 will offer a broad range of policy measures aimed at reinforcing Europe’s connectivity and heightening cybersecurity standards - Euractiv takes a close look.
- SoftBank-backed Improbable posted a pre-tax loss of £64.8 million for the seven months leading up to Dec. 31, 2019, according to a filing on UK company register Companies House.
- German digital bank N26 has received a green light from the Brazilan Central Bank, according to Brazilian publication Valor. N26 has received a Sociedade de Crédito Direto (SCD) licence from the regulator, which will allow the fintech to “carry out credit operations” such as third-party credit analysis and the ability to issue electronic currency.
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