This week, our research team tracked more than 80 tech funding deals worth over €1.3 billion, and over 15 exits, M&A transactions, rumours, and related news stories across Europe.
As always, we are putting all weekly deals together for you in a list sent in our round-up newsletter (note: the full list is for paying customers only, and also comes in the form of a handy downloadable spreadsheet).
Did you know?
We recently published the agenda and speaker line-up for our next Tech.eu Summit, which will take place on Wednesday 24 May at Brussels Expo.
Now is the time to secure your tickets if you haven't already!
With that said, let's get down to business with 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).
What happened this week in European Tech?
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>> Notable and big funding rounds
Parisian EV charging company Driveco has raised €250 million in a new funding round.
The European Investment Bank is granting a €250 million loan to Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik (AT&S), a Europe-based manufacturer of high-end printed circuit boards and integrated circuit substrates.
Dublin and Munich-based company e-mobility company Jolt Energy (Jolt) has received a €150 million investment from InfraRed Capital Partners to bring its battery-buffered ultra-fast charging stations to urban areas across Europe and the US.
Italy's largest bank Intesa Sanpaolo is investing €70 million to foster the international growth of Bending Spoons, one of the country's most successful app developers.
Cork, Ireland-based Everseen has raised €65 million in a Series A funding round. The company provides AI-powered computer vision and automation services.
Swiss agriculture tech firm Ecorobotix has raised $52 million in a Series B funding round.
Hesse-based unmanned eVTOL fixed-wing aircraft maker Wingcopter has received a €40 million “quasi-equity” investment via the EIB in order to ramp up production of its flagship flyer, the Wingcopter 198.
Vienna’s AI-powered supply chain risk platform Prewave has raised €18 million in Series A+ funding round to help clients including BMW, PwC, and Lufthansa predict, find, understand, and categorise risks within supply chains.
Microsoft has invested an undisclosed sum into Builder.ai, a London-based startup that helps companies make applications without any coding experience, doubling down on its artificial intelligence efforts.
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>> Noteworthy acquisitions, mergers, IPOs and SPAC deals
Finnish wearable tech company Ōura has announced it is acquiring US start-up Proxy in an all equity deal.
Go1, a Brisbane, Australia-based learning content company, has acquired Blinkist, a Berlin, Germany-based mobile-first learning app.
Verified, a provider of Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance solutions, announced the acquisition of Pliance, a RegTech startup specializing in automated financial crime compliance.
Belgian online food ordering scale-up Deliverect, has acquired social media ordering, order and pay at table, and loyalty solutions firm ChatFood which is headquartered in Dubai.
European media group Mediahuis has acquired Euractiv, the pan-European news brand, focused on EU policy.
Helm has acquired Plantix, a mobile crop advisory app for farmers, extension workers and gardeners.
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>> Interesting moves from investors
Malmö, Sweden-based climate tech VC firm Pale blue dot has announced the close of its second fund at €93 million.
The European Investment Fund will provide a guarantee worth €170 million to Finnvera, the national promotional institution and official export credit agency of Finland, to finance approximately €280 million of investment by small companies in Finland.
Spire Capital Partners has announced the launch of its first fund – SCP Fund I, with €57 million committed for the first close.
Could Odin be Europe’s answer to AngelList?
London-based venture capital firm Felix Capital has received its B Corp certification with a score of 100.1. In doing so, it becomes the first VC firm in Europe with over $1 billion in AUM, to achieve this hallmark.
Singapore-based venture debt firm Mars Growth Capital is launching two new funds that will provide financing to European and Japanese startups.
In related news, late-stage tech backer Liquidity Group has raised another $40 million in equity investment, from Japanese bank MUFG, giving it what it claims is a $1.4 billion valuation.
High-Tech Gründerfonds has expanded its management team, appointing Romy Schnelle as Managing Director.
TS2 Space, a Warsaw, Poland-based satellite communications operator, recently started investing in artificial intelligence startups.
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>> In other (important) news
The world’s first law to regulate artificial intelligence moved closer to adoption, as two European Parliament committees approved a draft text with tough controls to protect privacy, restrict misinformation and make it clear to people when the technology is being used.
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other non-European Union cloud service providers looking to secure an EU cybersecurity label to handle sensitive data can only do so via a joint venture with an EU-based company.
The organizers of the global connectivity industry shindig, Mobile World Congress (MWC), have been fined €200,000 by Spain’s data protection watchdog over a breach of privacy rules during the show’s 2021 edition.
EU antitrust regulators are seeking more information on Apple's mobile payment system.
Google has been accused of breaking European privacy law by hoarding personal data of potential job candidates for years.
Fintech firm Revolut said on that Thursday Chief Financial Officer Mikko Salovaara is leaving the company, after two years in the role.
Pirate Summit is ending with a burning bang.
The UK government risks sleepwalking into a confrontation with WhatsApp that could lead to the messaging app disappearing from Britain, ministers have been warned..
The European Union plans to force crypto companies to give tax authorities details of their clients' holdings, according to a draft bill.
The European Commission has approved a €837 million Spanish scheme to support the production of batteries for the industrial chain of electric and connected vehicles to foster the transition to a net-zero economy.
It looks increasingly likely that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. will proceed with a factory in Europe.
The European Commission has launched the Semiconductor Alert System, a new pilot system to monitor the semiconductor supply chain.
Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky says the fintech's two-year quest to secure a UK banking licence is now being held up by "extra cautious" regulators spooked by recent events at the likes of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse.
Remember that story about the centuries-old story Munich-based bank Bankhaus von der Heydt being sold to German crypto holding company Bitcoin Group for around €14 million? Yeah no.
The risks of rolling out a digital euro currently outweigh the benefits and a CBDC should not be introduced unless "new elements " emerge, says a paper prepared for the European Parliament.
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>> Recommended reads and listens
‘A very problematic market’: As Arm shuns London, tech investors question UK as an IPO destination
In Norway, the Electric Vehicle Future Has Already Arrived
Ahead of the Tech.eu Summit we caught up with Ville Simola, CEO of Maria 01 to find out what he'll be bringing to the 'Scaling Ecosystems' panel in a couple of weeks time.
Invest in Europe report: Record fundraising in 2022 as long-term investors step up support for European PE and VC
Net neutrality: a runway for startups
MiCA is coming. What your business should do to be prepared
The Ecosystem: Europe picks up the baton for hyperloop development
10 European space tech companies whose orbiting improves life on Earth
"Innovative British companies have the know-how to shape the future but are being let down by a paralysed government"
Tech.eu founder Robin Wauters reveals how to get featured in media, how to craft a story + future of media space, content distribution channels & how to find your audience
Amazon leads new top 150 European marketplaces.
Plexal: How the East London startup hub is scaling tech innovation
94% of UK businesses trust technology to make crucial decisions
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>> European tech startups to watch
Aachen-based Voltfang, gives new life to near dead EV batteries with its AI-based software which evaluates battery longevity.
Stockholm-based climatetech startup Improvin’ has raised €3.5 million in a seed funding round. The investment will allow the company to further develop its agri-food industry-focused sustainability performance platform.
Danish quantum technology company Sparrow Quantum has raised €4.1 million in seed funding.
Stockholm-based Freshsound’s licensing platform allows entertainment and advertising companies access to licenced music.
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