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Startups

Startup coverage on Europa Now: rounds, pivots and the European companies growing up in public.

DJ Reinier Zonneveld launches AI music startup GasLab with $1M pre-seed funding

Startups

DJ Reinier Zonneveld's GasLab Raises $1M to Ensure Artists Profit From AI-Generated Music

The GenAI music platform, backed by Bitpanda and WeTransfer founders, launches with a system that tracks which artists shaped each AI track and compensates them accordingly.

Hostinger CEO: AI is moving faster than people's willingness to use it

Startups

Hostinger's Giedrius Zakaitis: The AI capability gap is really about mindset, not technology

The Lithuanian hosting platform's CEO explains why AI is advancing faster than people are willing to use it, how bootstrapping shaped global ambitions, and why localisation means far more than translation.

Rakuten raises record ¥400B from bond sale driven by retail investors

Startups

Rakuten taps record retail bond appetite in Japan with ¥400B offering

The Japanese e-commerce and telecommunications conglomerate has completed its largest yen bond sale, with individual investors absorbing the vast majority of the debt as corporate borrowing from households surges across Japan.

Startups

Vilnius AI startup Holo secures $5M to move beyond content generation

The Lithuanian marketing platform, which has already attracted 20,000 paying customers, is pivoting toward distribution to help small businesses reach audiences with their AI-generated campaigns.

Stockholm startup Matters raises $5m pre-seed to build an AI-native bank

Startups

Stockholm's Matters Banks on AI and Cashback to Shake Up Consumer Finance

Per Österström's new fintech startup has secured $5m in pre-seed funding to launch an AI-powered bank that returns typical banking fees directly to customers.

Startups

Cachet secures €11 million to scale adaptive insurance for Europe's platform economy

The Tallinn insurtech has closed a funding round led by Spintop Ventures, marking its first external capital since reaching profitability. The company plans to expand its risk-management offerings across emerging sectors including autonomous mobility and employer-of-record platforms.

UK healthtech startup Stride raises £4.6M to expand preventative health platform

Startups

UK Preventative Health Platform Stride Secures £4.6M to Expand Across Europe

Andrew Steele's diagnostics-focused startup has closed seed funding from prominent investors including Morgan Stanley and a16z, planning international rollout by end of 2026.

Orbit Capital backs Coding Giants to scale STEM education internationally

Startups

Polish EdTech Platform Coding Giants Secures €6M Venture Debt for Global Expansion

Coding Giants, a Polish STEM education provider, has raised up to €6 million in venture debt from Orbit Capital to accelerate its international growth across Europe and the Americas.