Section
The Scene
The Scene on Europa Now: European startups, product studios and the cities where the continent's tech culture actually happens.
Startups
European tech funding surges past €1.8 billion as EU Inc reform faces critical test
This week's funding tracker captured over 65 deals across Europe worth more than €1.8 billion, alongside five exits and M&A transactions, as policymakers debate whether a pan-European company framework can deliver on its promise.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Studios
Arduino maker builds low-cost automated PCB inspection rig for small-batch production
Mukesh Sankhla has designed a desktop-scale vision system that fills a gap in the market for affordable quality control between prototyping and mass manufacturing.
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.