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Today in European Tech: EU debuts flagship projects including drone tech and space comms, Lakestar's successful SPAC listing, and more

Robin Wauters 22 February 2021
Today in European Tech: EU debuts flagship projects including drone tech and space comms, Lakestar's successful SPAC listing, and more
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Hello!

Here's what happened today in European Tech.

Deals

- Star investor Lakestar's SPAC rose as it started trading in Frankfurt after raising €275 million in Europe’s largest-ever listing of a blank-check company focused on technology acquisitions.

- Berlin-based ultrafast grocery delivery startup Gorillas has reportedly inked its €100 million investment deal.

- Israeli fintech company Earnix has announced the completion of a $75 million financing round led by Insight Partners. The round was closed at a pre-money company valuation of $1 billion.

- Ageras, a Copenhagen-based company that provides accountancy software and solutions to SMEs and accounting firms, has raised $73 million from Lugard Road Capital, a US-based alternative asset manager.

- With a community of more than 40 million users across the globe, online design platform Canva has made not one but two acquisitions in Europe, picking up both Vienna-based Kaleido AI and Librec, Czech Republic-based Smartmockups.

- Orka Technology Group, a Manchester-based startup building digital solutions for shift workers, has raised £29 million and will use the capital to grow Orka Pay, a flexible wage product that launched last year.

- Israeli private equity fund Fortissimo Capital has announced that it is investing $20 million in Israeli fintech company Green Invoice. Sources estimate that Fortissimo will take a 30% stake in the company at a valuation of $67 million, post-money.

- Andy Murray-backed digital giving platform GoodBox has raised £9 million in a funding round. Founded in 2016 to help non-profits mitigate the negative effects of the cashless society on charitable giving, the Salford-headquartered firm has built a suite of contactless devices.

- 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 European Commission announced three flagship projects - in drone technologies, space communication and space traffic management - aimed at giving the 27-country bloc a competitive edge in these new fields.

- Europe is caught in the middle of an increasingly political showdown over microchips between the US and China and is scrambling to get out of the firing line.

- Microsoft and European media groups have urged EU regulators to require online platforms to seek arbitration in disagreements over how to share revenues with news publishers, a sticking point in the spat between Facebook and Australia.

- TransferWise has just announced its rebranding to Wise, as the London-based fintech company continues to scale around the world. Last year the company announced its fourth year of profitability, with a 70 percent rise in revenue and a fast-growing base in Asia Pacific.

- Spotify has announced a slew of new tools to help podcast creators on its platform develop more interactive shows.

- UK chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing to unveil a fast-track fintech visa to attract top tech talent to post-Brexit Britain.

- The former CEO of Marvel Entertainment will become non-executive chairman of transport innovator Arrival. The UK-headquartered firm, which is pioneering the use of ‘microfactories’ to build its zero-emission electric buses and vans, is readying itself for a float on NASDAQ.

- Match made in Heaven? A brief history of Seedrs and Crowdcube.

- Atmen, the first Black British-led banking start-up, is gearing up to launch its remittance service and prepaid debit card next month.

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Today in European Tech: EU debuts flagship projects including drone tech and space comms, Lakestar's successful SPAC listing, and more
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