This week, the Tech.eu research team tracked close to 75 funding deals totalling roughly €1.4 billion as well as 10 acquisitions and/or mergers in Europe.

As always, we are putting all of them together for you in a list sent in our round-up newsletter next Monday (note: the full list is for paying customers only, and also comes in the form of a handy downloadable spreadsheet).

We've also recently announced a whole bunch of confirmed speakers for our upcoming Tech.eu Summit on 17 May in Brussels. Check out more info here and get your tickets now!

From the likes of European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel to world-record breaking pilot Zara Rutherford, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, (Transfer)Wise co-founder and CEO Kristo Käärmann, unicorn CEOs and builders from Bunq, Veriff, Scandit, GoStudent, Deliverect, Solarisbank, Sorare, Voi, and investors from Index Ventures, Molten, Lakestar, Speedinvest, Localglobe, Target Global, eFounders and many more - we can't wait to meet them and you there in person!

Below, please find an overview of the biggest European tech news items for the past couple of days (subscribe to our free newsletter to get this round-up in your inbox every Monday morning). 

What happened this week in European Tech?

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>> Notable and big funding rounds

Sweden’s Instabox has raised $190 million in a growth equity round. The automated parcel locker service will use the new capital to further invest in sustainable solutions, refine its tech stack, and press forward with European expansion plans.

After raising €165 million to offer long-term alternative financing options in March, Stockholm-based ArK Kapital has roped in a €150 million senior secured debt facility from Pollen Street Capital.

OneFootball, a Germany-based football media company, has raised €150 million at a unicorn valuation.

London-based Pollen, which bills itself as a travel and entertainment technology company, has raised $150 million in a Series C funding round. The round was led by existing investor Kindred Capital, with Lansdowne Partners, Northzone, Sienna Capital, Backed and Molton Ventures all following on.

Distributed HR platform with London roots, Oyster has raised $150 million in a Series C funding round.

Italian investment firm Investindustrial has pumped €120 million into electric hypercar and vehicle components maker Rimac. Now joining Porsche, Hyundai, and Kia on the cap table, Investindustrial’s stake is meant to fuel Rimac’s shift into overdrive.

Democratising access to fraud-fighting technology and making the internet a safer place for business, London-based Anglo-Hungarian startup SEON has raised $94 million in funding.

Vienna-based LimeWire, which announced its re-emergence as a digital collectibles marketplace in March, has raised $10.4 million in a private sale of its LMWR token led by Kraken Ventures, Arrington Capital and GSR.

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>> Noteworthy acquisitions, mergers, IPOs and SPAC deals

Nearly two years after abandoning its plans to launch in Britain, Robinhood has announced it has agreed to buy Ziglu, a London-based fintech app that allows users to trade 11 different cryptocurrencies and make overseas payments.

Visma acquired Declarando, broadening its offering within accountancy and tax software for freelancers in Spain.

Britannia Financial Group, an international financial services group headquartered in London, has acquired Alphaplate, a proprietary technology firm specialising in cryptocurrency trading.

London-based analytics and e-commerce company Ascential has acquired Berlin-based Sellics, a provider of media services to challenger brands trading on Amazon, for an undisclosed sum.

Finnish digital health company offering solutions for virtual care and online consultations VideoVisit has been acquired by Dutch software investor Main Capital Partners.

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>> Interesting moves from investors

Dubbed Leadwind, K Fund has announced the initial close of its first growth-focused fund at €140 million. Staying true to its roots, the vehicle will be aimed at supporting startups in Southern Europe and LATAM.

Mundi Ventures opens a €250 million fund with an initial €120 million close to back insurtech firms.

With a strong belief that the next generation of great European technology businesses will be built on university campuses, early-stage VC fund investing in deeptech emerging from universities, Creator Fund has wrapped up a $20 million fund.

London's Atomico aims to be the employer of choice for the industry’s best investors, and in so much, this week announced the internal promotion of three members to the Partner level.

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>> In other (important) news

The EU is poised to unveil a law on Friday that will force Big Tech to police their platforms more aggressively over illegal content.

Google is introducing new options to reject tracking cookies in Europe after its existing dialog boxes were found to be in violation of EU data laws.

UK-founded Cryptocurrency startup Blockchain.com is interviewing banks for an IPO that could take place as soon as this year.

A review by the FCA has found that UK challenger banks need to improve how they assess financial crime risk, with some failing to adequately check their customers’ income and occupation.

France-based The Sandbox, a platform that allows users to trade and monetise virtual assets in the Ethereum blockchain, is considering raising fresh funds at a valuation of more than $4 billion.

The Paris Criminal Court issued a €375,000 fine against Deliveroo for abusing the self-employed status of its workers.

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>> Recommended reads and listens

Scaleway CEO Yann Lechelle says Europe needs to stop being naive about tech sovereignty.

Sell-off in tech stocks spreads to private startups.

TCV partner-in-London John Doran shares his thoughts on how the firm has been so successful, where they're heading next, and the health of the European tech ecosystem.

Finnish startups had a cracking year in 2021, pulling in a total of €1.2 billion in investment, the bulk of it from foreign venture capital firms.

Germany's industrial heavyweights are teaming up to retrain workers in areas such as software and logistics to fill a growing skills gap and avoid layoffs among workers of all ages as the economy shifts to clean energy and online shopping.

In a special guest post Kevin Chen, co-founder & CEO of Hyasynth Bio, a precision fermentation startup producing sustainable cannabinoids, and Benjamin Joffe, Partner at SOSV make the case for European CBD biomanufacturing.

Paris-based BeReal popped recently as the latest in a string of social photo apps to explode in popularity across college campuses and among Gen Z.