Hello!
Here’s what happened today in European Tech:
Deals
– Personio, an all-in-one HR platform for small- and medium-sized businesses, has announced $125 million of Series D funding in an investment round that values the German business at $1.7 billion.
– London-based flower and gift delivery startup Bloom & Wild has announced £75 million in new funding after a year that saw 160 percent growth.
– Heal Capital, a young German investment firm that is keen to back European health tech ventures at the early stages of their businesses, has closed on a €100 million fund.
– Maps.me, an offline travel app that includes both routes and local business recommendations, has raised $50 million to add a multi-currency wallet to its platform. Led by Alameda Capital, the round was joined by two cryptocurrency investors, Genesis Capital and CMS Holdings.
– Zurich-based fintech company Numbrs announced it closed a funding round back in December, topping €25 million to roll out a new subscription service and fuel growth in new and existing markets.
– 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
– A long-running investigation in the European Union focused on the transparency of data-sharing between Facebook and WhatsApp has taken the first major step towards a resolution. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) confirmed Saturday it sent a draft decision to fellow EU DPAs towards the back end of last year.
– Facebook has started the process of appointing a legal entity as a local representative in Turkey in compliance with a new social media law which critics have said will muzzle dissent.
– Spain’s new taxes on digital and financial services, approved last year, came into force on Saturday (16 January). The first collection is expected in March or April.
– Listed alternative lender Funding Circle is performing better than expected, according to a trading update from the company, with the SME platform expecting to turn a profit of at least £15 million in the second half of 2020.
– The data regulator for the German state of Lower Saxony has fined a local laptop retailer a whopping €10.4 million for keeping its employees under constant video surveillance at all times for the past two years without a legal basis.
Top Tweets
Amsterdam:
$87b Booking
$65b Adyen
$16b Takeaway https://t.co/Ju0uElX2ws— Thijs Niks (@thijsniks) January 18, 2021
Getting contacted by lots more European funds that want to launch angel/scout programs. Promising ✨
— Roxanne Varza (@roxannevarza) January 18, 2021
I've just incorporated a company (in the Startup Nation), and to open a bank account I need to order a physical ink stamp, wait 7 working days for it to be delivered, print bank documents, stamp them, and take them to the bank branch where the bank can stamp and store them.
— Amir Mizroch (@Amirmizroch) January 18, 2021
few of the Northzone companies on 🔥 past year@PersonioHR > $1.7bn@GetKahoot > $6bn@fuboTV > $4bn@tierscooters > $1bn@Klarna > $10bn@Hopin > $2bn@Trustpilot > $1bn
and more coming soon https://t.co/jhBlfVkPuW
— Paul Murphy (@paulbz) January 18, 2021
Internships are a 2-way street where both sides learn. 🙌🏽
In a new #interview get a fresh perspective from our #intern Benedikt on core skills useful in #VC, what a day-in-the-life looks like & how VC can evolve thru nextgen influence & tech.
Hop over👇🏽 https://t.co/1iP0kiMvj1
— Earlybird VC (@EarlybirdVC) January 18, 2021
2020 turned out to be a blockbuster year for startup fundraising in France.
These mega-rounds were extremely rare until just a few years ago when startups like @BlaBlaCar & @sigfox broke through with rounds north of €100m.
Via @tech_eu ⬇️https://t.co/FEQ2GQSFTb
— Hampleton Partners – Tech Dealmakers (@TeamHampleton) January 17, 2021
☕☀️ Startup your week with our #newsletter
🇵🇹 What does the Portuguese Presidency of the Council mean for startups?
⛔ European Commission’s fund: With startup friendly legislation, funding follows
🚀 Stock option reform makes for better #startupshttps://t.co/LjHYiS5Tle pic.twitter.com/9FXL7HsLQb— Allied for Startups (@Allied4Startups) January 18, 2021
If you want to stay informed and keep up in real time with what is going on in Europe, @tech_eu is the go to and a one stop shop. #Startups #ScaleUps #Tech #VC https://t.co/A09BXpV3k9
— Henry Joseph-Grant (@speirin) January 18, 2021
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