The Latest from Mike Butcher
Chinese esports player VSPN closes $60M Series B+ round to boost its international strategy
Esports “total solutions provider” VSPN (Versus Programming Network) has closed a $60 million Series B+ funding round, joined by Prospect Avenue Capital (PAC), Guotai Junan International and Nan F
Omnipresent raises $15.8M Series A for its platform to employ remote-workers globally
Omnipresent, which helps companies employ remote-working local teams worldwide, has closed a $15.8 million Series A funding round. The fundraise was led by an undisclosed investor with participation f
Israel’s startup ecosystem powers ahead, amid a year of change
But it’s been hard to argue against this position in the last 10 years, as the country powered ahead, famously producing ground-breaking startups like Waze, which was eventually picked up by Google
Financial forecasting startup Springbox AI launches its apps and raises $2M
Springbox AI, an AI-powered financial forecasting application designed to replace financial market investment service and aimed at the average financial markets trader, has launched on iOS and Android
Eight Roads Ventures Europe promotes Lucile Cornet to Partner
Lucile Cornet has been appointed partner with Eight Roads Ventures Europe, a firm focusing on startups in Europe and Israel. Cornet is its first female partner. Eight Roads is backed by Fidelity and h
Calling Athens VCs: Be featured in The Great TechCrunch Survey of European VC
TechCrunch is embarking on a major project to survey the venture capital investors of Europe, and their cities. Our survey of VCs in Athens, Greece will capture how the country is faring, and what cha
Calling Bucharest VCs: Be featured in The Great TechCrunch Survey of European VC
TechCrunch is embarking on a major project to survey the venture capital investors of Europe and their cities. Our survey of VCs in Bucharest and Romania will capture how the country is faring, and wh
proSapient raises $10M Series A led by Smedvig Capital to expand expert network platform
For several years there has been talk about how to leverage “experts” online. How do you “suck their brains” for information in an efficient manner, whether it be for research
After a record year for Israeli startups, 16 investors tell us what’s next
Israel’s startup ecosystem raised record amounts of funding and produced 19 IPOs in 2020, despite the pandemic. Now tech companies across industries are poised for an even better year, according to
Minna Technologies, a subscription management tool for banking customers, raises $18.8M
With the proliferation of subscription services, combined with our lives becoming almost 100% digital, there’s a rising need to be able to manage these services. But most banks don’t have much of
Digital road freight forwarder Sennder raises $160M Series, plans European expansion
Sennder, a large digital road freight forwarder based out of Germany, has raised $160 million in Series D financing. The round was led by an unnamed party, but round participants included Accel, Lakes
UK on-demand supermarket Weezy raises $20M Series A led by NYC’s Left Lane Capital
Weezy — an on-demand supermarket that delivers groceries in as fast as 15 minutes — has raised $20 million in a Series A funding led by New York-based venture capital fund Left Lane Capital. Also
Rho, a startup bank aimed at high-growth businesses, raises $15M Series A led by M13 Ventures
Rho Technologies, the NYC-based fintech behind Rho Business Banking, has raised a $15 million Series A round led by M13 Ventures with participation from Torch Capital and Inspired Capital. The company
UK tests ‘Space Tug’ capable of refiring its engine several times in orbit, and collecting space junk
U.K. space tech startup Skyrora is currently the only private company capable of launching rockets from U.K. soil. On Christmas Eve at its testing facility in Fife, Scotland, the team performed a thir
LAUNCHub Ventures heading towards a $85M fund for South Eastern European startups
LAUNCHub Ventures, an early-stage European VC which concentrates mainly on Central Eastern (CEE) and South-Eastern Europe (SEE), has completed the first closing of its new fund at €44 million ($53.5
Curve says closing its new $95M Series C funding will put it on track for a US launch
Curve, the London-based fintech that combines multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and an app, has secured a Series C funding round of $95 million. The financing was led by IDC Ventures, Fu
Lisbon’s startup scene rises as Portugal gears up to be a European tech tiger
Lisbon — and Portugal generally — is becoming a magnet for digital nomads with talent.
Bristol’s Brightpearl raises $33M Series C round led by Sage to boost its platform for retailers
Brightpearl, which allows retailers to streamline their operations thus boosting sales, has raised $33 million in funding to scale its business. This Series C round was led by Sage, which has put $23
Yayzy app automatically calculates the environmental impact of your spending
Ahead of the turning of the New Year, many people are wishing they could do something about the environment. Now, a U.K. startup hopes to make our environmental impact more personal. Yayzy has now lau
AI-driven energy startup Octopus hits $2B mark after $200M investment from Tokyo Gas
You’ve heard of challenger banks? Now meet the challenger energy suppliers. The U.K.’s Octopus Energy has attained a $2.06 billion valuation (£1.5 billion) after attracting a $200 million (£150