Hello!
Here's what happened today in European Tech.
Deals
- The European Commission has given an unconditional authorization to the €7.8 billion euro merger between Nexi and Nordic rival Nets, the Italian payment group said today. The merger will create the Europe’s largest payments group.
- Kyiv-based edtech platform Preply, has secured an additional $35 million of funding, a number that’s larger than all of their fundraising activities since 2013. The round was co-led by Owl Ventures and Full In Partners.
- Israel-based H2Pro has announced $22 million in funding from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, Japan’s Sumitomo and Korean auto manufacturer Hyundai. The funding is slated to take the company’s tech from laboratory prototyping to the factory floor through the production of commercial-scale electrolysers.
- Cosi Group, a Berlin-based startup offering an alternative to boutique hotels and managed short-stay apartments, is disclosing €20 million in new investment. Backing the round is Vienna-based Soravia.
- Epic Games has made another acquisition in Europe, snapping up Slovakia-based Capturing Reality, a photogrammetry software developer. With the deal, Epic plans to integrate its ‘RealityCapture’ technology into the Unreal Engine.
- Estonian-born, London-based work management software provider Scoro has closed a $16.4 million Series B funding round and plans expansion into US, APAC, and more French and Spanish speaking markets. The round was led by Kennet Partners.
- Wefarm, a social networking platform aimed at independent farmers to help them meet each other, exchange ideas and get advice, and sell or trade equipment and supplies, has raised $11 million in funding to continue expanding its business, which now has 2.5 million users.
- Plan A, a Berlin-based automated SaaS B2B startup, has raised $3 million for its platform that lets companies measure, monitor, reduce and report their environmental footprint thus improving their ESG ratings. French VC Demeter led the round, with German VC Coparion and Softbank joining the round as a strategic investor.
- 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
- France Digitale will file a complaint against Apple with data privacy watchdog CNIL over alleged breaches of European Union rules, France’s leading startup lobby said in a statement.
- Brussels is preparing to exclude researchers based in the UK, Israel and Switzerland from major quantum and space research projects, in a significant step that researchers and officials warn could have broad implications for science collaboration across Europe.
- The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that almost half of the working population in the European Union (EU) were fully or partially working remotely in July, up from around 10% before the pandemic crisis, according to Eurofound.
- French MPs propose ‘moratorium’ on 5G rollout, citing health, environment.
Today's Top Tweets
I am really honoured to announce that we have raised $3M from @SoftBank, @Demeter_im and @coparion_vc. No Plan B for the Planet. #sustainability #climatechange https://t.co/D7ojZlQ64t
— Lubomila (@LubomilaJ) March 9, 2021
They sure are! Hear the most excellent @robinwauters in conversation with @Zielgut talking @Kontist, Berlin fintech and freelancers on the latest @tech_eu podcast! https://t.co/oCSNdepYVx
— Sarah Gill Martin (@sarahgillmartin) March 9, 2021
It all starts with design, the soul of a product: https://t.co/n2lPLdCAP4 pic.twitter.com/i9YbsNUuJN
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) March 9, 2021
What are the scenarios for AI deployment in Europe? What is their impact? Read more in our new report 'A European Approach to Artificial Intelligence, a Policy Perspective'!https://t.co/H6dRgWPlPe #AI #policy #DigitalEurope pic.twitter.com/uh7ZsWdNno
— EIT Digital (@EIT_Digital) March 9, 2021
👉🏽 Love #HR, ppl, talent, tech trends, networking & early-stage, fast growing European tech companies? Scaled an EU tech biz or VC? Apply to join our Digital West Fund as our VP People (DWES) in either Berlin or Munich.
Shape the future of #VC w/ us! 💥 https://t.co/h9u8URzyKo— Earlybird VC (@EarlybirdVC) March 9, 2021
How to build diversity in the #VentureCapital ecosystem.
Executives from the top three most inclusive VC firms - @KinnevikAB, @bg_ventures and @atomico - discussed the industry's lack of #diversity and some of their D&I strategies with @lilimendonca.https://t.co/RcXpKDArxW— Private Equity News (@PrivateEquityN1) March 9, 2021
Sign up for the next @tech_eu To The Point event, on the digital health space in Europe, Wed 17 March from 11 AM CET!
> https://t.co/2SDiPkUCb4
Confirmed speakers: Dr Fiona Pathiraja from Crista Galli Ventures, Kry CEO Johannes Schildt, ex-Babylon Health CCO Rabin Yaghoubi etc. pic.twitter.com/vWZ9EUpFkR— Robin Wauters @ tech.eu (@robinwauters) March 9, 2021
Today we present Europe’s #DigitalDecade 🇪🇺 ✨
A vision for the #EU, its people & businesses to become more digital by 2030 👩💻👨💻
Read the press release ➡️ https://t.co/FRvYdoBWJt
& the Q&A ➡️ https://t.co/i3JXv97hcC#DigitalEU #FutureofEurope pic.twitter.com/ie2Qkheh0S— DigitalEU 🇪🇺 (@DigitalEU) March 9, 2021
Calling #healthcare start-ups... The EMEA Edison™ Accelerator is now open for applications!@GEHealthcare and @WayraUK have launched the #EdisonAccelerator to drive innovative solutions and address new challenges in the #healthcare sector.
Apply now: https://t.co/GhwNKTmmIQ https://t.co/VPQhtQCiW5— Wayra UK (@WayraUK) March 9, 2021
"It always starts with the founder" @svennj talks to @EU_Startups https://t.co/2QsTVHxFTy
— LocalGlobe (@localglobevc) March 9, 2021
In the latest edition of The French Tech Journal:
Speaking with @Elaia_Partners' @XavLaz, @LaFrenchTech's @katborlongan, and i-Virtual's Gaël Constancin about research-based startups.
Also: Can @olesovhcom of @OVHcloud save @Shadow_France?https://t.co/2A8mofp2XN— Chris O'Brien (@obrien) March 9, 2021
Very detailed report on #InsurTech investments Worldwide last year (including our analysis of the European Seed InsurTech scene, p23). #FinTech
👉 https://t.co/NPeW0Sv2ww pic.twitter.com/w3Qy6bIKus— Florian Graillot (@FGraillot) March 9, 2021
Amsterdam-based challenger bank @bunq says it is the first neobank to offer instant payments across Europe (by joining the TARGET Instant Payment Settlement service, a system developed by the European Central Bank).https://t.co/ZY4EnXIY5Z
— tech.eu (@tech_eu) March 9, 2021
Ericsson drops out of MWC 2021. Predictable given the, y’know, pandemic and everything. https://t.co/TKRWwpGMpk
— Matthew Hughes (@matthewhughes) March 8, 2021
Former top manager from Tesla joins Swiss car subsription startup CARIFY https://t.co/jTTCK1tVwi | The Swiss Startup News channel https://t.co/w6UdHGkOng pic.twitter.com/nGZwR7Ek1S
— startupticker (@startuptickerCH) March 9, 2021
In case you missed it, @ScaleUpEuropeEN is officially on 🚀 You can replay the kickoff event here: https://t.co/uqFxoGEvaY and read @Siftedeu's analysis on how to build global tech leaders here: https://t.co/7t55HELm2a #deeptech #corporateinnovation #VCs #diversity #scaleupeurope
— Marie Mawad (@Marie_a_Paris) March 9, 2021
Two years on from adoption, the Copyright Directive continues to divide MEPs. Now, a new letter from EU lawmakers says Commission officials should not be “influenced behind closed doors” during private meetings with other MEPs on #Article17: https://t.co/lRAIwCgFUu
— Samuel Stolton (@SamuelStolton) March 9, 2021
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