Mike Butcher
Editor At Large
The Latest from Mike Butcher
As deep tech and AI explodes, European deep tech VC IQ Capital closes new $200M fund
European deep tech startups get another shot in the arm this week in the shape of IQ Capital’s new $200 million venture fund. The new fund takes its assets under management to more than $1 billion.
New New York-meets-Warsaw VC fund brings in Japan partner to hunt for European startups
The VC which backed such startups as Socure (raised $741.9 million) and Cornerstone OnDemand (now Nasdaq:CSOD) is launching a new fund to support startups in Central Europe. To date the new “ff Red
Climate startup CUR8 raises $6.5M from GV for its market-making platform for carbon removals
The IPCC has said the world needs to remove 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by 2050 in order to avoid a climate cataclysm. And, yes, there are multiple methods for carbon remov
Qflow raises $9.1M to track construction receipts, making it easier to de-carbonize
In the same way that we now take pictures of receipts to expense that “important lunch,” construction tech startup Qflow allows the teams running construction sites to do the same for buil
UK’s Moonfire VC raises its second fund at $115M to aim at early-stage startups
It was back in the pandemic era of 2021 that we reported on the launch of Moonfire, at the time a $60 million “Fund I” seed-stage “data-driven” VC geared around the new world of remote working
OpenFin’s attack on the ‘toggle tax’ in financial apps secures it a $35M Series D round
Not unlike a post-internet-era Bloomberg Terminal, OpenFin was a startup that joined the revolutionary world of user interfaces to fast-moving information back in 2010. If you cast your mind back, tho
Modular app-building platform Builder.ai raises $250 million Series D funding
It was only recently that we reported Builder.ai had signed a strategic collaboration with an undisclosed investment from Microsoft. Builder’s “Natasha” AI will be shortly available to users of
How Seedcamp’s networked approach to Europe helped it secure new $180M fund
European early-stage investor Seedcamp has announced the close of its $180 million “Fund VI.” It’s a long way from a London university lecture hall 15 years ago in September, when founding partn
Success with Rihanna’s music rights helps web3 marketplace raise fresh VC round
Normally in the music industry, it’s more or less impossible for ordinary investors to buy music rights. Thus, web3 startups saw an opportunity to tokenize music assets, allowing fans access to musi
This UK startup plans to radically shake up the antiquated world of COPD measurement
In 1846, London surgeon John Hutchinson invented the spirometer — a thing a doctor normally asks asthma sufferers to blow hard into — to measure the volume of air inspired and expired by the lungs
Microsoft makes strategic investment into Builder.ai, integrates its services into Teams
Builder.ai tapped into a new wave of businesses wanting their own native apps with a turnkey approach, accelerated by the rapid digitization of life during the pandemic. That led to led to a $100 mill
Could Odin be Europe’s answer to AngelList?
Most U.S.-based tech investors are likely familiar with smaller-ticket investor marketplaces AngelList and Carta. In Europe, Germany’s Bunch and the U.K.’s Vauban (acquired by by U.S.-based Carta
Liquidity, a growth-stage debt financier, raises $40M, launches $250M Europe debt fund
Last year we covered how late-stage tech backer Liquidity Group had raised $775 million for its fintech platform from Apollo (private equity) and MUFG (a Japanese bank). Liquidity is part tech platfor
After bootstrapping for five years, Instruqt raises a €15M Series A from Blossom Capital
Netherlands-based Instruqt has a product allowing companies to more easily test how new software would run inside their organization. After bootstrapping its way to growth, it has now raised €15 mil
HV Capital closes €710M fund amidst the wider European and global funding downturn
If you’ve heard of Flixbus, SumUp, StudiVZ, Seatwave, Cafe Press, Zalando, Wooga, HelloFresh, Depop, Delivery Hero and Agreena, then you’ve heard of companies invested in by HV Capital. The German
AI platform to analyze creative advertising raises $5.1M from investors, including a16z
In this increasingly AI-driven era, creative and media teams will probably need to employ the technology to up their game on analyzing their creative assets and A/B testing — or someone else will si
London’s Sturgeon Capital launches $35M fund aimed at emerging startups in Central Asia
We reported last year on the launch of a $225 million VC platform from the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank, which would also cover Central Asia. In addition, Most VC laun
Home energy assessment startup Enter raises €19.4M Series A to expand in Germany and beyond
Largely because of their age, houses in Europe can be notoriously hard to heat. Most were built for an era when the knowledge about energy consumption just wasn’t available in the way it is toda
Founders Pledge launches VC arm, Pledge Ventures, to create new ‘flywheel’ in philanthropy
Founders Pledge is a London-based charitable initiative, where entrepreneurs enter a legally binding commitment to donate to charity when they exit a portion of their personal proceeds on liquidity. L
Evermile raises $6M seed to make local deliveries more economic for small businesses
Local retailers have to manage delivery providers themselves or build in-house. Both are expensive and complex. Delivery providers include DPD, Royal Mail, Hived and Veho. U.K. startup Evermile claims