Today in European Tech: IPO plans for WeTransfer, Kahoot, Mister Spex and others, the EU now invests directly in tech startups, and more

Today in European Tech: IPO plans for WeTransfer, Kahoot, Mister Spex and others, the EU now invests directly in tech startups, and more

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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