Sweden
This Swedish startup wants to reduce the cost, and controversy, around stem cell production
With the news that “mini organs” have been grown for the first time using human stem cells, this futuristic area of bio-medicine is clearly accelerating by leaps and bounds. However,…
A look at Sweden’s startup scene as Techstars drops Stockholm program
Techstars’ decided to end its Swedish accelerator program. Let’s dig into the country’s startup scene to understand how the smaller venture market is adapting to a changed investing climate.
For businesses, protecting trademarks is often a lengthy and expensive process, especially if they have multiple brands. Digip digitizes much of the process, helping its customers file trademarks by themselves…
China’s EV upstart Nio switches on power-swap station in Sweden
Electric vehicle startup Nio is accelerating its expansion in Europe. The premium EV maker just launched its first power-swapping station in Varberg, Sweden, the company said in a LinkedIn post.…
Swedish last-mile delivery companies Instabox and Budbee to become Instabee in $1.7B merger
Swedish last-mile delivery companies Instabox and Budbee have have announced plans to merge in an 18 billion krona ($1.7 billion) deal. The two companies, which were both founded out of…
Comcast and Paramount’s streaming service SkyShowtime launches in the Nordics this month
Comcast’s Sky and Paramount announced the official launch date for SkyShowtime, a new European streaming service. It will initially launch in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden on September 20, 2022.…
Mavenoid, which automates technical support and onboarding for hardware companies, raises $30M
Mavenoid, a Swedish company that provides both human- and AI-enabled support and troubleshooting tools for hardware companies, has raised $30 million in a series B round of funding. Founded out…
Ex-Apple engineer admits stealing automotive trade secrets
A case concerning Apple’s driving trade secrets which started in 2018 has come to a close. Xiaolang Zhang, a former Apple employee, pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing confidential information…
Sustainability data platform Worldfavor fuels up for ecosystem opportunities
More funding for sustainability reporting: Sweden’s Worldfavor, an early mover platform focused on building digital infrastructure to support supply chain transparency and cater to organizations’ ESG (environmental, social, governance) reporting…
How the problem of hiring healthcare staff has become a fertile ground for startups
The healthcare crisis — more evident now as summer heatwaves put pressure on hospitals — is resulting in a staffing boom. But healthcare professionals in Europe can end up with…
Fintech Klarna reportedly raising at a $6.5B valuation, giving new meaning to the phrase ‘down round’
In a sign of the times, Swedish buy now, pay later giant Klarna is reportedly close to inking a new round of funding that would slash its valuation to $6.5…
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…
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,…
Congress asks Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter to archive evidence of Russian war crimes
Four U.S. representatives signed letters to the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter urging them to archive any content uploaded to their platforms that could be used as evidence…
Byrd nabs $56M to grow its European e-commerce logistics and fulfillment network as an alternative to Amazon
Shopify put a spotlight on the role and significance of logistics and fulfillment in e-commerce when it snapped up Deliverr for $2.1 billion last week to gain its own, direct…
PocketLaw, a contract automation SaaS for SMEs, secures Atomico’s support
Swedish startup PocketLaw — a contract automation software-as-a-service legal tech platform that is mainly focused on SMEs — has pocketed €10 million (~$11 million) in Series A funding led by…
Batteries have become VC and PE’s most electric investment opportunity
Five years ago, battery startups attracted important but not transformative investments. But money began pouring in toward the end of 2020. What changed?
Report reveals Big Tech’s last minute lobbying to weaken EU rules
A new report has peeled back the curtain on big tech’s frenzied lobbying of European Union lawmakers as they finalize a major series of updates to the bloc’s digital rulebook.…
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European startups elude global VC funding slowdown in Q1 2022
VC funding into Europe was up in the first quarter of 2022, CB Insights and Crunchbase data show. In other words, the region escaped the global quarter-on-quarter slowdown in startup investment.
Annotell raises $24M for tech that tests autonomous vehicle perception systems to improve how they work
As the automotive industry inches slowly ahead on the road to self-driving vehicles, we’re seeing the emergence of startups aiming to fill in some of the technical gaps in autonomous…
First EV mass transit bus by Swedish-Kenyan startup Opibus begins operation amidst plans for regional launch by 2023
The first electric bus by Swedish-Kenyan EV startup Opibus has hit Kenya’s roads, marking the beginning of the company’s venture into the mass transit industry. Opibus first announced plans to…
Bolt makes first acquisition with Tipser, launches ‘Remote Checkout’
The ability to purchase something at the point of discovery from digital content exists, but Bolt is ready to give that purchase its “one-click” treatment.
Robotics startup FJDynamics raises $70M to make manual labor easier
FJDynamics, founded by DJI’s former chief scientist Wu Di, just closed a Series B round of $70 million as it advances its goal to empower workers in the harshest environment…
Einride founder Robert Falck on his moral obligation to electrify autonomous trucking
Einride CEO and founder Robert Falck talks about his strategy for scaling revenue, why autonomous vehicles should be built on electric platforms and why the future is in startups’ hands.
Spotify’s new Podcast Subscriptions expand to global markets
Just a few months after launching support for podcast subscriptions to U.S. creators, Spotify today is making the service available to creators in global markets. The company says the service,…
Clearview AI told it broke Australia’s privacy law, ordered to delete data
After Canada, now Australia has found that controversial facial recognition company, Clearview AI, broke national privacy laws when it covertly collected citizens’ facial biometrics and incorporated them into its AI-powered…
Funnel, a no-code tool for marketers to organize disparate data sources, raises $66M in ‘pre-IPO’ round
The world of marketing has become a world of marketing tech. But marketers are not necessarily engineers, so working with the terabytes of data their campaigns produce can be a…
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Why Techstars is doubling down on Europe
As we get into our dive into Q3 2021 venture capital numbers, one region in particular has our attention: Europe.
What we can learn from edtech startups’ expansion efforts in Europe
Unlike their neighbors in fintech, it’s assumed that edtech companies need to expand to a number of big markets in order to reach a scale that makes them attractive to…
Pandemic’s shift to remote wellness helps Numan raise $40M Series B led by White Star
Numan, the European subscription service covering erectile dysfunction (ED) and men’s wellness/health needs more generally, has raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by White Star Capital,…