Insider

04 Mar 25

Dutch hospitality scaleup Mews doubles down on growth with $75M raise

Computer & Information Technology

Hospitality scaleup Mews, based at TNW City in Amsterdam, has secured $75mn in its third major cash injection of the last year. The round follows a raise of $100M in credit financing in September and a $110mn equity round in March 2024 — when the startup became a unicorn. In…

26 Feb 25

Max Planck spinout unveils ‘world’s most viable’ fusion reactor design — and only needs 6 years to build it

Computer & Information Technology

German startup Proxima Fusion — whose team includes engineers from MIT, Google, SpaceX, and McLaren — has unveiled a fusion energy reactor design it believes offers the quickest route to commercially viable fusion power. Dubbed Stellaris, the machine is a quasi-isodynamic (QI) stellarator with high-temperature superconducting (HTS). This type of…

25 Feb 25

European sports tech heads to US with media giant Comcast

Computer & Information Technology

Two European sports tech startups are heading to the US for an R&D programme run by media giant Comcast. Ireland’s Orreco will cross the Atlantic with a trove of athletic performance software, while Iceland’s Oz Sports will bring an AI-driven camera system. On arrival, the duo will join Comcast NBCUniversal…

24 Feb 25

Dutch unicorn Bird flees ‘overregulated’ Europe for ‘global hubs’ — and a meditation retreat

Computer & Information Technology

Dutch software firm Bird is moving most of its operations out of the Netherlands and opening new global hubs as it seeks a reprieve from “overregulation” in Europe, said co-founder and CEO Robert Vis. “The AI Act, financing, compensation, taxes, employment law — starting and running a company [in Europe]…

21 Feb 25

It takes an ecosystem to raise a scaleup

Computer & Information Technology

Europe’s startup scene has entered troubled waters. Long overshadowed by Silicon Valley and now being chased down by China, the continent is urgently looking for boosts. Increasingly, the search is leading to ecosystems. The ecosystem model creates networks of individuals, organisations, and resources. Their shared expertise and resources can produce a multiplier…

20 Feb 25

UK’s answer to DARPA backs synthetic muscles and e-skin in new robotics project

Computer & Information Technology

A British R&D unit that’s been compared to DARPA is funding synthetic muscles, electronic skin, and mechanical hands for a robotics dexterity project. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) today unveiled the 10 teams selected for the programme. Their mission: usher in a new era of dexterity that will…

20 Feb 25

Surging European defence stocks signal ‘huge potential’ for military tech startups

Computer & Information Technology

Shares in European aerospace and defence companies soared to record highs this week, elevating expectations for the continent’s military tech startups. Britain’s BAE Systems leapt by 9% on Monday, while Germany’s Rheinmetall jumped by 14%. Stocks in Sweden’s Saab, Italy’s Leonardo, and France’s Thales also boomed. By the day’s end,…

17 Feb 25

How VCs are killing climate tech — and how they can save it

Computer & Information Technology

Sustainability tech has been all the buzz in the last few years. Investors are hunting promising ESG businesses, governments are pushing ambitious legislation, and companies are getting on board to adopt new solutions. Sustainability funding is projected to reach unprecedented levels, with BCG Henderson Institute estimating accumulated global investment to…

14 Feb 25

AI that isolates instruments in any song is bringing my musical dreams to life

Computer & Information Technology

“For the third time, stop tapping!” my primary school teacher screams at me from across the room. I must not have heard her the first two times. I’d been drumming on the desk again, using my fingers for sticks and the floor beneath for a kick drum. While my body…

13 Feb 25

Mistral CEO: Europe must ‘own and operate’ its AI infrastructure

Computer & Information Technology

Mistral CEO and co-founder Arthur Mensch has urged Europe to invest more in AI infrastructure amid fears that the continent is falling behind the US and China in tech development. “It’s important to have European players coming to the game,” Mensch said at the Visionaries Unplugged conference in Paris yesterday.…