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German VC unveils record-breaking €214M early-stage fund for deep tech
We know from reports earlier this year that VC investment is once more on the rise for European startups. And the wave of optimism seems to be continuing — at least for the continent’s deep tech sector. Munich’s Vsquared Ventures today announced the closing of a new €214mn fund for early-stage investment in deep tech startups. It is reportedly the largest ever early-stage fund for the sector in Europe. The VC firm will divide its second fund between 25 deep tech companies across all of Europe, handing out between €500,000 and €5mn. It will also reserve some funds for follow-on…This story continues at The Next Web
We know from reports earlier this year that VC investment is once more on the rise for European startups. And the wave of optimism seems to be continuing — at least for the continent’s deep tech sector. Munich’s Vsquared Ventures today announced the closing of a new €214mn fund for early-stage investment in deep tech startups. It is reportedly the largest ever early-stage fund for the sector in Europe. The VC firm will divide its second fund between 25 deep tech companies across all of Europe, handing out between €500,000 and €5mn. It will also reserve some funds for follow-on…
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How Vinted became the first profitable ‘pre-loved’ clothing marketplace
This article features an interview with Vinted CEO Thomas Plantenga, who is speaking at TNW Conference on June 21. Check out the full event schedule here. Vinted CEO Thomas Plantenga has reason to celebrate. His company recently became the first “pre-loved” clothing platform to make a profit after a monumental 61% surge in sales. It’s now firmly established as Europe’s largest online marketplace for second-hand fashion. The results represent a remarkable turnaround. When Plantenga joined Vinted in 2016, the company was on the verge of collapse. The trouble emerged despite a promising start based on a common problem. It was…This story continues at The Next Web
This article features an interview with Vinted CEO Thomas Plantenga, who is speaking at TNW Conference on June 21. Check out the full event schedule here. Vinted CEO Thomas Plantenga has reason to celebrate. His company recently became the first “pre-loved” clothing platform to make a profit after a monumental 61% surge in sales. It’s now firmly established as Europe’s largest online marketplace for second-hand fashion. The results represent a remarkable turnaround. When Plantenga joined Vinted in 2016, the company was on the verge of collapse. The trouble emerged despite a promising start based on a common problem. It was…
This story continues at The Next Web
French AI darling Mistral reportedly almost triples valuation to €5.8B
France’s (and Europe’s) GenAI darling Mistral has reportedly almost tripled its valuation, reaching €5.8bn. First reported by Sifted and later confirmed by the Financial Times, the Paris-based startup has raised a €468mn equity funding round, led by DST global and existing investor General Catalyst. An additional €132mn in debt financing brings the total funding to €600mn. Mistral launched just a little over a year ago, but it has risen to prominence at an impressive rate. Its open-source and optimised multilingual large language models (LLMs), which target developers, have quickly rendered it the European challenger to OpenAI. The startup’s potential attracted strong…This story continues at The Next Web
France’s (and Europe’s) GenAI darling Mistral has reportedly almost tripled its valuation, reaching €5.8bn. First reported by Sifted and later confirmed by the Financial Times, the Paris-based startup has raised a €468mn equity funding round, led by DST global and existing investor General Catalyst. An additional €132mn in debt financing brings the total funding to €600mn. Mistral launched just a little over a year ago, but it has risen to prominence at an impressive rate. Its open-source and optimised multilingual large language models (LLMs), which target developers, have quickly rendered it the European challenger to OpenAI. The startup’s potential attracted strong…
This story continues at The Next Web
UK startup uses AI to discover new rare earth-free magnet for EVs
A UK startup has used an AI algorithm to identify a previously unknown kind of rare-earth free magnet, in a potential breakthrough for how we discover and create new materials. Materials Nexus, headquartered in London, used its machine learning algorithm to identify and analyse over 100 million combinations of materials that could produce a viable rare-earth free magnet. The winning formula is what the startup calls MagNex. It’s a permanent magnet free of rare earth’s like dysprosium and neodymium. Its creators say it can be produced at a lower cost and with less carbon emissions than comparable rare-earth element magnets…This story continues at The Next Web
A UK startup has used an AI algorithm to identify a previously unknown kind of rare-earth free magnet, in a potential breakthrough for how we discover and create new materials. Materials Nexus, headquartered in London, used its machine learning algorithm to identify and analyse over 100 million combinations of materials that could produce a viable rare-earth free magnet. The winning formula is what the startup calls MagNex. It’s a permanent magnet free of rare earth’s like dysprosium and neodymium. Its creators say it can be produced at a lower cost and with less carbon emissions than comparable rare-earth element magnets…
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Everything you need to know about Finch, the latest programming language developed by MIT
In May, a research team from MIT announced a new programming language. Finch, its creators say, is “a simple bytecode interpreted, purely object-oriented, prototype-based, dynamically-typed programming language.” Not to be confused with the Swedish fintech of the same name, this is a language that has been inspired by Smalltalk, Self, and Javascript. In particular, Finch simplifies the creation of concurrent and parallel programs, emphasising lightweight processes and message passing, similar to languages like Erlang. It also aims to be more accessible, and easier to learn. A challenge exists in the form of structured data, and Finch is designed to address…This story continues at The Next Web
In May, a research team from MIT announced a new programming language. Finch, its creators say, is “a simple bytecode interpreted, purely object-oriented, prototype-based, dynamically-typed programming language.” Not to be confused with the Swedish fintech of the same name, this is a language that has been inspired by Smalltalk, Self, and Javascript. In particular, Finch simplifies the creation of concurrent and parallel programs, emphasising lightweight processes and message passing, similar to languages like Erlang. It also aims to be more accessible, and easier to learn. A challenge exists in the form of structured data, and Finch is designed to address…
This story continues at The Next Web
Dutch home-building platform lands €1.1M to help solve housing crisis
Just last month, the Guardian described the housing crisis in Amsterdam as “next level.” And things are not much better across Europe as a whole. Prices and rents are soaring across the continent, and the lack of availability is staggering. A Dutch startup wants to change that — at least for those willing to embark on the journey of building their own green home — and has just received €1.1mn in pre-seed funding to help it along the way. Haaven is a digital platform that connects customers to builders of sustainable prefabricated homes, architects, and constructors to make the process…This story continues at The Next Web
Just last month, the Guardian described the housing crisis in Amsterdam as “next level.” And things are not much better across Europe as a whole. Prices and rents are soaring across the continent, and the lack of availability is staggering. A Dutch startup wants to change that — at least for those willing to embark on the journey of building their own green home — and has just received €1.1mn in pre-seed funding to help it along the way. Haaven is a digital platform that connects customers to builders of sustainable prefabricated homes, architects, and constructors to make the process…
This story continues at The Next Web
Report: The Netherlands is the leading startup ecosystem in the EU
The Netherlands is the number one startup ecosystem in the EU, surpassing both Paris and Berlin. That’s according to the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) by Startup Genome, which ranked the Netherlands at 14 globally. According to the report, the country has reached a $96bn ecosystem value between H2 2021 and 2023 — well above the global average of $29.4bn. During the same period, the Netherlands saw the birth of six unicorns, including Mambu and bunq. In 2024, the country has already added two: fintech startup Datasnipper and property management system Mews. Funding-wise, last year, Dutch VC-backed startups raised…This story continues at The Next Web
The Netherlands is the number one startup ecosystem in the EU, surpassing both Paris and Berlin. That’s according to the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) by Startup Genome, which ranked the Netherlands at 14 globally. According to the report, the country has reached a $96bn ecosystem value between H2 2021 and 2023 — well above the global average of $29.4bn. During the same period, the Netherlands saw the birth of six unicorns, including Mambu and bunq. In 2024, the country has already added two: fintech startup Datasnipper and property management system Mews. Funding-wise, last year, Dutch VC-backed startups raised…
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EU launches AI-powered ‘digital twin’ of the Earth
The European Commission today launched the first version of Destination Earth (DestinE), an AI-powered simulator that looks to improve the accuracy of climate predictions. The first version of DestinE includes two models: one for extreme weather events and another for climate change adaptation. These models will monitor, simulate, and predict the Earth’s climate in great detail. “DestinE means that we can observe environmental challenges which can help us predict future scenarios – like we have never done before,” said the EU’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager. DestinE is powered by Europe’s high-performance computers (EuroHPC), including the LUMI supercomputer in Finland. The…This story continues at The Next Web
The European Commission today launched the first version of Destination Earth (DestinE), an AI-powered simulator that looks to improve the accuracy of climate predictions. The first version of DestinE includes two models: one for extreme weather events and another for climate change adaptation. These models will monitor, simulate, and predict the Earth’s climate in great detail. “DestinE means that we can observe environmental challenges which can help us predict future scenarios – like we have never done before,” said the EU’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager. DestinE is powered by Europe’s high-performance computers (EuroHPC), including the LUMI supercomputer in Finland. The…
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TNW Conference 2024: Welcome to the electric future of race cars — and road vehicles
As we count down to TNW conference in Amsterdam on June 20 and 21, we’re previewing the sessions that we’re most excited about. One of my must-see talks mixes two of my great passions: sports and technology. Bringing them together is António Félix da Costa, a world champion of Formula E — the electric cousin of the petrol-powered Formula 1. Da Costa is driving into the event for two special talks on Friday. First up is a keynote that will give an exclusive peek under the hood of high-tech race cars. Expect to discover the latest innovations in motorsports, from vehicle simulators…This story continues at The Next Web
As we count down to TNW conference in Amsterdam on June 20 and 21, we’re previewing the sessions that we’re most excited about. One of my must-see talks mixes two of my great passions: sports and technology. Bringing them together is António Félix da Costa, a world champion of Formula E — the electric cousin of the petrol-powered Formula 1. Da Costa is driving into the event for two special talks on Friday. First up is a keynote that will give an exclusive peek under the hood of high-tech race cars. Expect to discover the latest innovations in motorsports, from vehicle simulators…
This story continues at The Next Web
NATO funds German startup building autonomous war robots
NATO’s Innovation Fund (NIF) has led a €9mn seed investment into German startup ARX Robotics, which builds unmanned ground robots for the battlefield. The startup’s war bots look like small tanks — but without guns. The vehicles drive around on treads, and can be fitted with equipment like radar, mine-sweeping devices, or medical stretchers. ARX sells four different machines. The largest carries military payloads weighing up to 500 kg — including injured soldiers — across the battlefield. Another model acts as a moving target-practice device, while another carries drones into combat. ARX’s robots can be fitted with equipment like radar,…This story continues at The Next Web
NATO’s Innovation Fund (NIF) has led a €9mn seed investment into German startup ARX Robotics, which builds unmanned ground robots for the battlefield. The startup’s war bots look like small tanks — but without guns. The vehicles drive around on treads, and can be fitted with equipment like radar, mine-sweeping devices, or medical stretchers. ARX sells four different machines. The largest carries military payloads weighing up to 500 kg — including injured soldiers — across the battlefield. Another model acts as a moving target-practice device, while another carries drones into combat. ARX’s robots can be fitted with equipment like radar,…
This story continues at The Next Web