Hello and Happy New Year!
Here's what happened today in European Tech:
Deals
- French IT firm Atos has made a more than $10 billion bid approach for US rival DXC Technology in what would be the deal-hungry IT consulting group’s biggest ever acquisition to date.
- Israeli gaming company Playtika has provided more details about its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq. In an updated prospectus, the Herzliya based gaming firm says it plans offering shares worth about $1.6 billion at a company valuation of between $8.6 billion and $9.4 billion.
- Berlin-based food delivery powerhouse Delivery Hero is raising about €1.2 billion by issuing new shares. The company has stated that the money will be used to gain general financial flexibility and take advantage of “attractive investment opportunities.”
- Mambu, a Berlin-based startup offering a SaaS banking platform has closed a round of €110 million. The funding gives Mambu a post-money valuation of €1.7 billion.
- Hopin, the UK-based, 18-month-old virtual events startup now valued at a whopping $2.1 billion, has acquired live video streaming studio StreamYard in a deal worth $250 million.
- Too Good To Go, the Copenhagen startup that lets you buy food right before it goes to waste, has secured a $31.1 million round.
- Gtmhub, a distributed company with offices in Sofia, Berlin, London and Denver that builds software to help other companies manage their corporate planning, has raised a $30 million Series B in a round led by Insight.
- Online accounting tool Pennylane popped up in Paris just before the coronavirus pandemic upended business operations across Europe. Target users were simultaneously entering an economic crisis and being thrust into digital transformation, and it shows. In January 2020 the fintech startup launched and it has raised about €19 million since, including a €15 million Series A round just announced today.
- SAS, the global player in business intelligence software, has acquired Boemska, a UK platform that enables both analytics oversight and low-code/no-code app deployment. Based in Surrey with an R&D centre in Serbia, Boemska has already been a SAS technology partner and reseller for some time.
- People are streaming video at home more than ever before, bouncing between providers for the best selection, and Media Distillery wants to help streaming platforms compete in a crowded market. The Amsterdam-based startup is developing AI to understand what’s inside video content, and has just secured €3 million to expand internationally and build more video discovery products.
- 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
- EuroVC's Q4 2020 European VC fundraising note.
- A number of high-tech, European startups awarded cash and investments by a special European Commission innovation fund say the process has actually left some of them on the verge of bankruptcy.
- WhatsApp says European users will not be forced to agree to share personal information with Facebook.
- Policy makers are now responding to the increasing importance of tech in our lives. In the EU, this entails sweeping new rules for tech companies, ranging from rules for online platforms to AI. What’s in store for startup policy in 2021? (Allied for Startups)
- Lisbon’s startup scene rises as Portugal gears up to be a European tech tiger (TechCrunch).
- The wave of flotations of technology companies on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) is the most prominent feature of the revival of the local primary market.
- City A.M. sat down with Stephen Kelly, chairman of Tech Nation, the industry body that represents UK startups and runs Britain’s Tech Nation visa scheme for foreign entrepreneurs.
- More Women Are Needed In Israel’s VC Community (Crunchbase News)
- A former general partner at Google Ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Eze Vidra is now becoming one of the people every early-stage gaming entrepreneur in Israel is trying to impress.
- Drone delivery start-up Manna Aero has become the first company to apply to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) for a new drone operator approval.
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