Tag: founders

  • Creator Fund closes $56M to back Europe's scientific founders

    Creator Fund, a UK-based pre-seed venture capital firm focused on scientific founders, has closed its first European fund at $56 million. The capital will support Creator Fund’s strategy of identifying and backing researchers and PhD students at the earliest stages of company creation, with a focus on deep tech sectors including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, read more

    Creator Fund closes M to back Europe's scientific founders
  • Cambridge Enterprise builds London launchpad for next generation of deeptech founders

    A new Cambridge Enterprise Initiative called Leaps is launching today to embed Cambridge-based companies in complementary ecosystems, giving selected founders access to new markets, talent and investment in key geographical hotspots to enable their success The initiative has been launched in collaboration with global partners Phoenix Court, Balderton Capital and the BioInnovation Institute Foundation (BII). read more

    Cambridge Enterprise builds London launchpad for next generation of deeptech founders
  • Skybound launches with $38M to back early deeptech founders

    Skybound Venture Capital has announced the launch of its founder-led venture capital fund focused on deeptech startups, securing a $38 million oversubscribed first close anchored by the European Investment Fund. Based in Athens, Skybound was founded by Thaleia Misailidou, who previously worked at Marathon Venture Capital and has been active in the Greek deeptech ecosystem, read more

    Skybound launches with M to back early deeptech founders
  • Backed by Y Combinator and 20 unicorn founders, Moritz lands $9M

    Legal technology startup Moritz has raised $9 million in an oversubscribed funding round following participation in Y Combinator. The round was backed by investors including 20VC, Urban Innovation Fund, and Inception, alongside a group of 20 unicorn founders. Founded by Pamir Ehsas and Stefan Mandaric, the company aims to address inefficiencies in legal services. Moritz read more

    Backed by Y Combinator and 20 unicorn founders, Moritz lands M
  • Europe’s AI-native founders are building faster — and younger — than ever

    Today, research released by global VC firm Antler highlights that a new generation of founders is reshaping European tech — younger, more mobile, and thriving under the pressure of the AI era. Drawn from a study of its European portfolio of more than 400 startups, the data characterises founders as defined by international mobility, early read more

    Europe’s AI-native founders are building faster — and younger — than ever
  • Fund II second close strengthens Unconventional Ventures’ bet on overlooked founders

    Today, Unconventional Ventures (UV) announced the second close of Unconventional Ventures Fund II. In a challenging global climate — marked by economic uncertainty and tightening capital markets — this close represents more than a fundraising milestone. It signals strong conviction that backing underinvested founders building scalable, category-defining companies remains a resilient and forward-looking investment thesis. read more

    Fund II second close strengthens Unconventional Ventures’ bet on overlooked founders
  • Inside Lithuania’s effort to build founders from the classroom

    Across Europe, education systems are under pressure to keep pace with rapid technological change. Countries are experimenting with new approaches, with Estonia introducing artificial intelligence into classrooms, while Lithuania is placing students directly into startup environments. At the centre of this shift is MVP (Moksleivių vienaragių paieška, or “Student Unicorn Hunt”), a prime-time national TV read more

    Inside Lithuania’s effort to build founders from the classroom
  • UK government-backed fund aimed at backing female founders reaches £130m first close

    The flagship fund of a UK government-backed initiative addressing the shortage of equity capital for women in the UK who are building businesses has reached a £130m first close of the fund, it said today. The “Women Backing Women” fund is aiming to raise £250m in totalto invest in female fund managers to back female-led read more

    UK government-backed fund aimed at backing female founders reaches £130m first close
  • EU–INC campaign warns: Without a pan-European standard, founders will keep choosing Delaware

    Europe’s startup community is urging the European Commission to ensure that its upcoming proposal for a new pan-European company framework delivers on its promise of a true “28th regime”. Today, EU–INC, Allied for Startups, and the European Startup Network released a joint statement on behalf of the European startup ecosystem calling for a genuine European read more

    EU–INC campaign warns: Without a pan-European standard, founders will keep choosing Delaware
  • FIRSTPICK raises €25M to find the Baltics’ next breakout founders

    Vilnius-based first-check VC fund FIRSTPICK has launched a new €25 million fund focused on early-stage investments. The aim is to support Baltic founders who don’t fit the typical VC mold. No FAANG background or Ivy League degree needed. In a startup ecosystem where half of the founders are starting their first company, this approach is read more

    FIRSTPICK raises €25M to find the Baltics’ next breakout founders
  • UK women founders powered by human connection – Rise Report

      Today, The Rise Report, a new nationwide study, has found that UK female entrepreneurs identify human connection as the cornerstone of resilience, growth and business success. This report is commissioned by one of the UK’s biggest communities of female founders, in partnership with Barclays. The detailed research is one of largest grassroots studies of read more

    UK women founders powered by human connection – Rise Report
  • Founders House launches in Helsinki for Finland tech

      Founders House has officially launched in Helsinki, bringing a highly successful Swedish “founder factory” to Finland. Founders House Helsinki is a highly selective workspace and community for Finland’s most ambitious startup founders. The launch follows the success of Founders House Stockholm, which has become a cornerstone of the Swedish technology ecosystem and a launchpad read more

    Founders House launches in Helsinki for Finland tech
  • Syndicate One closes €22M second fund to back Belgian tech founders

    Syndicate One, an international network-driven investment firm backing Belgian startup founders, has completed the first close of its second fund at €22 million. The fund was oversubscribed within eight weeks of the initial pitch, reflecting strong investor interest in the Belgian tech ecosystem. The new capital follows Syndicate One’s €6.5 million fund raised in late read more

    Syndicate One closes €22M second fund to back Belgian tech founders
  • Synthesia and Flatpay founders back Pluto.markets in $6M raise

    Danish tech luminaries, including leaders from Synthesia, Pleo and Flatpay, are backing Pluto.markets, a Danish YC-backed investment platformlooking to disrupt the brokerage market in the Nordics, in a new funding round. Danish challenger neobroker Pluto.marketswas founded in 2021 by Joakim Bruchmann, a former base metals trader at Goldman Sachs, and Oscar Vingtoft, a software engineer. read more

    Synthesia and Flatpay founders back Pluto.markets in M raise
  • Constructor Capital closes $110M Fund I for science-first founders

    Constructor Capital, the Swiss venture arm of the Constructor Group ecosystem, has closed its first fund at $110 million to invest in seed and Series A startups across deeptech, software, and edtech. The fund follows a science-focused approach to sourcing, due diligence, and company support, drawing on a network of more than 50 universities and read more

    Constructor Capital closes 0M Fund I for science-first founders
  • Three-quarters of UK fintech founders use AI to speed up recruitment, says survey

    Three-quarters of UK fintech founders are using AI to identify candidates and speed up recruitment, says a new survey. But findings from the survey also showthat human judgement remains critical to ensure founders are finding the right talent and mix of individuals to recruit. The survey gauged the opinions of early-stage fintechfounders, with 45 founders read more

    Three-quarters of UK fintech founders use AI to speed up recruitment, says survey