Europe
‘Slow dating’ app Once is acquired by Dating Group for $18M as it seeks to expand its portfolio
Five-year-old “slow dating” app Once has been acquired by the Dating Group, one of the largest companies in the dating world, for $18 million in cash and stock. Dating Group has 73 million
UK resumes privacy oversight of adtech, warns platform audits are coming
The U.K.’s data watchdog has restarted an investigation of adtech practices that, since 2018, have been subject to scores of complaints across Europe under the bloc’s General Data Protecti
Privacy complaint targets European parliament’s COVID-19 test-booking site
The European Parliament is being investigated by the EU’s lead data regulator over a complaint that a website it set up for MEPs to book coronavirus tests may have violated data protection laws.
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
Bodyguard is a mobile app that hides toxic content on social platforms
If you’re somewhat famous on various social networks, chances are you are exposed to hate speech in your replies or in your comments. French startup Bodyguard recently launched its app and service i
Google inks agreement in France on paying publishers for news reuse
Google has reached an agreement with an association of French publishers over how it will be pay for reuse of snippets of their content. This is a result of application of a ‘neighbouring right’ 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
Porsche and Axel Springer increase investment into early-stage fund APX to €55M
Berlin-based early-stage fund APX today announced that its two investors, European publisher Axel Springer and sports car maker Porsche, have increased their investment in the fund to a total of €55
Softr scores $2.2M seed for its no-code website and web app platform powered by Airtable
No-code — software that lets you accomplish tasks that previously required coding skills — is an increasingly hot space, even if the basic premise has been promised and not fully realised
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
Accounting automation startup Georges raises $42.4 million and rebrands to Indy
French startup Georges — or Georges.tech — is raising a new round of funding of $42.4 million (€35 million). The company is also getting a new name and will be called Indy going forward. The sta
Genflow nabs $11M investment from BGF
Genflow, a London and LA-based brand-building agency that offers an e-commerce and mobile tech platform to let influencers start companies, has raised $11 million in funding. Leading the round is U.K.
Monzo founder Tom Blomfield is departing the challenger bank and says he’s ‘struggled’ during the pandemic
Monzo founder Tom Blomfield is departing the U.K. challenger bank entirely at the end of the month, staff were informed earlier today. Blomfield held the role of CEO until May last year when he assume
EU chief warns over ‘unfiltered’ hate speech and calls for Biden to back rules for big tech
In a speech to the European Parliament today marking the inauguration of U.S. president Joe Biden, the president of the European Commission has called for Europe and the U.S. to join forces on regulat
Valve and five PC games publishers fined $9.4M for illegal geo-blocking
A lengthy antitrust investigation into PC games geo-blocking in the European Union by distribution platform Valve and five games publishers has led to fines totalling €7.8 million (~$9.4 million) af
HiPeople picks up $3M seed to automate reference checks
HiPeople, an HR tech startup based in Berlin that wants to automate the reference checking process, has raised $3 million in seed funding. Leading the round is Mattias Ljungman’s Moonfire, with part
Landbot closes $8M Series A for its ‘no code’ chatbot builder
Barcelona-based Landbot, a “no-code” chatbot builder, has bagged an $8 million Series A led by the Spanish-Israeli VC firm Swanlaab, alongside support from Spain’s innovation-focused
UK’s WhiteHat rebrands as Multiverse, raises $44M to build tech apprenticeships in the US
University education is getting more expensive, and at the moment it feels a bit like a Petri dish for infections, but the long-term trends continue to show a dramatic growth in the number of people w
PPRO nabs $180M at a $1B+ valuation to bring together the fragmented world of payments
The pandemic has hastened a shift of most commerce becoming e-commerce in the last year, and that has brought a new focus on startups that are helping to enable that process. In the latest development