Mike Butcher
Editor At Large
The Latest from Mike Butcher
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
Leanplum acquired by CleverTap as retention marketing platforms consolidate
CleverTap, a retention marketing platform which has raised $76.6 million to date, is to fully acquire Bulgarian-originated but San Francisco-based Leanplum, a customer engagement platform which has ra
How Untapped Global plans to bring the revenue financing model to African startups
In the developed world, almost anyone can get financing for, say, a car lease. But in an emerging economy like South Africa, the only people who own cars or can even get a car lease are the people who
Earlybird VC closes new €350M fund for Western European startups, with a deep-tech angle
Earlybird VC was one of the “OG” of the emergence of Berlin as a key global tech startup ecosystem 15 years ago. Founded in 1997, it’s gone on to back N26 and UiPath, among many others. And in t
WeAre8 launches crowdfunder for its social media app, where users are paid to watch ads
With Elon Musk’s recent interest in Twitter, Facebook’s growth flattening and TikTok’s meteoric rise, it feels like the world of social media is back into some kind of inflection point period. C
This startup hopes photonics will get us to AI systems faster
The problem with waiting for quantum computing to bring in the next wave of AI is that it’s likely to arrive a lot slower than people would like. The next best options include increasing the speed o
Faye hopes to do for travel insurance what Lemonade did for general insurance
While (former) startups like Lemonade came along to attack the tired world of insurance, the travel insurance market is now coming in for the same treatment from the likes of Safetywing (covered by TC
European micromobility startup Reby acquired by PE player House of Lithium for $100M
Founded in 2018, European micromobility startup Reby took an interesting path. It deployed e-scooters in the city of Zaragoza (Spain), during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also created a SaaS-oriented &#
Hetz Ventures closes third fund of $123M to focus on DevOps tools, open source, fintech and cyber
Hetz Ventures, a seed-stage VC out of Israel launched in 2018, has closed its third fund at $123 million. The new (described as “over-subscribed”) fund, Hetz III, brings the firm’s total
Cheq hopes an easy-to-use app for stablecoins will appeal to inflation-wracked countries
People in the Global South are often subject to terrible fluctuations in their currencies, as well as hyperinflation. At the same time, many are unbanked, but still able to access a crypto wallet. A w
More TradFi in DeFi as Sienna Network launches SiennaLend, a private crypto lending platform
It was last year that we covered the $11.2 million fundraise for Sienna Network, the “privacy decentralized startup”. The network is built on the Secret Network, which allows asset holders
Vercom acquires marketing automation startup MailerLite for $90M
Vercom, a cloud communication platform (CPaaS – “communications platform as a service”) has acquired marketing automation startup MailerLite — based out of Lithuania — for $90 mi
Mass transit group Swvl confirms estimated $100M acquisition of UK startup Zeelo
Mass transit group Swvl has confirmed to TechCrunch its deal to buy U.K. startup Zeelo, estimated to be a $100 million acquisition, according to sources. The Egyptian-born startup that provides shared
Post-pandemic, used car platforms are booming — the latest is Spotawheel with €100M
Used-car digital platforms have been proliferating across the world for a handful of significant reasons, but most of those are related to our recent pandemic (still ongoing, of course). Among those r
How PillSorted plans to use personalisation to compete with main-street pharmacies
Since the (relatively speaking) easing of the pandemic, pharmacies have come under increasing strain as people clamor for their drugs. This is particularly an issue in the U.K. where traditional mom-a
In the wake of Fast’s collapse, Volume thinks it can crack the payment checkout conundrum
Online payment methods can be expensive for merchants, who have to pay between 2% and 8% of every sale to debit and credit card, e-wallet and BNPL facilitators. Much of this is often passed to consume