Mike Butcher
Editor At Large
The Latest from Mike Butcher
Dublin-based corporate gifting platform &Open raises $26M Series A led by Molten Ventures
Last year we covered how “&Open” (yes, “ampersand open,” pronounced “And Open”) had raised a raised $7.2 million seed to make it easier for brands to send gifts to customers to boost l
Amsterdam cyber startup Hadrian closes €10.5M Seed for platform that simulates hacker attacks
As companies grow they expose more of themselves online and become harder to defend in terms of cybersecurity. One report estimates that 30%-40% of a company’s IT infrastructure isn’t even known a
UK-based Playter closes $55M round for its BNPL platform aimed at SMEs
Europe has no shortage of buy now, pay later startups and a quick search is revealing. Berlin-based fintech startup Mondu has taken in €39.9 million to expand its B2B BNPL solution. Madrid’s RITMO
Paris-based Breega closes €250M fund, opens Barcelona office to back Iberian startups
Paris-originated VC Breega wasn’t enormously well known in the VC world (it only closed its first fund in 2015) until, perhaps, it started attracting attention with its second €110 million seed fu
Kiko Ventures joins the climate tech investment stampede with a $450m Evergreen fund
Given the dire predictions about the impending (and basically already here) climate crisis, the world can’t get enough climate tech funds right to power new innovation that can address the issue. FT
LocalGlobe becomes Phoenix Court Group, hits $500M first close for new funds, adds an Impact twist
Saul Klein is a busy man. As co-founder with his father Robin, of LocalGlobe, one of the longest-running VCs in Europe, he has overseen a wide range of initiatives. Among other things, the pair are pa
Google for Startups deploys $4M of grant funding to 40 Black-led startups across Europe
In an effort to kick-start a greater number of Black tech founders in Europe, last year Google for Startups launched a $2 million (£1.5 million) grant fund to help tackle the quite obvious and stark
Project A Ventures closes its fourth fund, hitting $375M, the largest to date
Project A Ventures launched 10 years ago in Berlin when a handful of a ex-Rocket Internet players decided they’d try their own hand at this startup stuff. Since then they’ve done pretty well, inve
Behavioral cybersecurity platform CybSafe raises $28M Series B led by Evolution Equity Partners
Last year, U.K. cybersecurity startup CybSafe, a “behavioral security” platform, raised a $7.9 million Series A. This SaaS product with a per-user-based, subscription licensing model has a “beha
The race to create the perfect home setup service is on, as Just Move In raises $5M
In recent years startups have turned their attention to what’s known as “home setup services.” This is where utilities and moving-in are all aggregated into one package that is managed d
Endurance events marketplace Let’s Do This raises $60M Series B led by Craft and Headline
The appropriately named endurance (so: running, triathlon, cycling, etc.) events marketplace Let’s Do This (a YC alumni) appeared a couple of years ago listing all kinds of endurance activities glob
Smiler comes up with a different kind of gig economy for event and venue photographers
Traditional venue photography providers like DEI Global, Magic Memories, Picsolve and Sharingbox are reliant on fixed equipment, permanent staffing costs and on-site printed products. So Amsterdam, Ne
France’s Alven VC launches 6th fund with a hard cap of €350M
With a heritage that goes back to the fabled times of the year 2000 (since then it has backed 160 European teams) Paris-based early-stage fund Alven has something of a reputation to keep up. After inv
Zinc heads toward new $41M tech-for-good fund to back pre-team talent solving big problems
So-called “tech for good” accelerators addressing such worthy sounding subjects as ESGs and SDGs have appeared in the last few years. Some observers have dismissed these efforts as scalable only t
Berlin-based B2B BNPL platform Mondu raises $43M Series A led by Valar in the US
Given the likely global recession, small businesses are reaching for new kinds of financing. Thus, the buy now, pay later business model is now expanding into this B2B world at a rate of knots. Playte
Viola Credit closes $700M fund to provide asset-based lending to fintech startups
Fintech startup and alternative credit asset manager Viola Credit has closed its latest $700 million fund, which provides asset-based lending capital to fintech, proptech and insurtech startups. If t
With the pandemic leaving many searching, group support app Circles raises new round
Between one-to-one therapy and free online forums, people search for a range of solutions to mental health therapy online. Especially since the pandemic increased anxiety and depression rose by 25% gl
Revenue-based financing platform Bloom secures $377M Series A led by Credo and Fortress
While the likes of Pipe are reaching multi-billion valuations, European revenue-based financing is experiencing as much of a boom as it is in the U.S. U.K.-based startup platform Bloom has now secured
Key European tech founders and investors launch OneUkraine charity to assist Ukraine
A host of major European tech founders and investors are today backing the launch of OneUkraine, a new charity providing sustainable humanitarian relief for the Ukrainian people. OneUkraine will be su
COVID was the best thing for Kitty, as insurance apps for pets boom
Technology turned out to be a boon for pets during the pandemic. Without ready access to vets, pet owners turned to mobile apps to keep track of their pet’s health, often via educational content