Michael Jackson 🦡

Until we have a unified European market, lower taxes and real pension funds, I believe European deeptech firms need to expand to the U.S. as early as possible if they are to become international champions. Doing so will surely put them more at risk in the near-term but it will give them access to more capital, more customers, and more potential acquirers, and ultimately creates more high-paying jobs in Europe than if they stayed solely focused on the local market. This is the recipe to create the European decacorns of the next two decades. There will be exceptions but let's not miss the software revolutions like we did these past 20 years. My perspective in FW.MEDIA: https://lnkd.in/eTqqmpxg

55

7 commentaires

Excited to share our latest investment with Apeiron Venture Capital in Alta Ares 🇫🇷 — a French defense & industrial tech startup using AI-powered computer vision to bring real-time intelligence to the battlefield. Their tech enables drones to process and interpret video data onboard, with no need for cloud or connectivity — detecting industrial and military objects autonomously, even in communications-denied environments. 🎯 Alta Ares has already proven itself on the ground in Ukraine, delivering mission-critical insights. We’re proud to back this frontier team alongside Expansion, Starburst Ventures and Kima Ventures, with the support of Bpifrance. 🤝 Even more exciting: they’re setting up shop in Athens for R&D and commercial growth. Welcome to the ecosystem! 🇬🇷 Nik Antoniou / Constantinos Nikolaidis / Despoina Argyrou / Aris Kefalogiannis

148

4 commentaires

🌍 Climate Tech Funding Rounds of the Week ⚡ Bloom Energy ($5B) : manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells enabling on-site hydrogen-powered electricity 💰 Investors : Brookfield... 🌾 Ecorobotix ($105M) : precision agriculture robotics platform for ultra-targeted crop treatment 💰 Investors : Highland Europe, European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF)... 📦 Starship Technologies ($50M) : maker of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots 💰 Investors : Plural, Karma Ventures... ☔ Stand ($35M) : climate risk insurance provider for natural catastrophe-affected communities 💰 Investors : Eclipse, Lowercarbon Capital... ⚡ Prisma Photonics ($30M) : grid infrastructure monitoring using fiber optic sensing 💰 Investors : Insight Partners, Schneider Electric...

19

2 commentaires

Flagship Pioneering founded Lila Sciences in 2023 to remake one of the most important human inventions in history: the scientific method. How? By building fully autonomous science labs that enable AI to perform the scientific method itself – from hypothesis to experiment to analysis to iteration.  This idea grew out of the internal combination of FL96 and FL97, two earlier Flagship prototyping projects. With FL96 we asked, “What if machines could autonomously reimagine and reconstruct the physical (materials) world?” FL97 wondered, “What if machines could autonomously make life science advances?” Now, Lila is answering those questions.  Lila’s AI models don’t just regurgitate existing knowledge when tasked with a research question. They create new knowledge by connecting dots across incumbent scientific literature and traditionally siloed disciplines; generating novel hypotheses; and then designing and conducting experiments to test those hypotheses in our autonomous labs.  When this process repeats itself thousands or eventually millions of times in parallel, we believe it will lead to what we call scientific superintelligence — enabling new discoveries on a scale and at a pace that has never been achievable until now. Already, Lila’s team has made early molecular breakthroughs in therapeutics, energy, and carbon capture.  At a time when the challenges humanity faces seem to be accelerating, we must also accelerate our ability to find solutions. I believe Lila’s technology has the potential to do that, and to launch a new golden age of science in the process. Today, I’m proud to welcome a ​new group of investors who have joined Lila’s Series A fundraising round, adding another $235M to the $200M we’ve already raised and bringing the total to $435M. This is an important foundation for Lila’s next phase of discovery and growth. Our work is just beginning. https://lnkd.in/eHGVYaaJ 

580

16 commentaires

🚨 New deal for AFI Ventures >> Moonwatt 🔋⚡️ We are thrilled to support Moonwatt in its $8.3M seed round to revolutionize solar energy storage with sodium-ion batteries. With a team of industry veterans from Tesla, EDF, Siemens and Freyr Energy, Moonwatt is developing the first dedicated solar+storage system, unlocking 24/7 clean energy and tackling the $400B sector’s biggest bottleneck! Moonwatt’s scalable, cost-competitive, and sustainable approach to solar storage is a game-changer. Excited to be part of this journey alongside daphni, LEA Partners, Founders Future, and Kima Ventures. The future of solar is beyond bright! ⚡🌞 Zukui Hu, Guillaume Mancini, Valentin Rota, Lu Wang, Sandeep Singh Sandhu, Greig Swanepoel, Paul Bazin, Moritz Pagel, Thomas Bajas, Alexis Robert, Audrey Soussan, Constantin de Chaudenay, Sarah Laznowski, Romain Garrigue, Ventech #RenewableEnergy #VentureCapital #EnergyStorage #SolarRevolution #SodiumIon #AFIPortfolios The featured article in TechCrunch is linked in the comment. ⬇️

145

3 commentaires

Raising money for deep tech startups might be easier in 2025 than it was just a few years ago — but it's far from easy.   European VCs are becoming more oriented toward technologies solving humanity’s hardest problems…   Yet interest alone doesn’t make capital accessible.   According to the Royal Academy of Engineering's report, UK deep tech has consistently attracted over £5bn in annual VC funding since 2020 and closed £3.6bn in the first half of 2024. But most of that capital still favors late-stage, AI-heavy, and de-risked opportunities. And while AI has become VC's favorite, savvy investors know that trend-chasing won’t solve systemic challenges. They're increasingly backing startups with real-world impact and defensible technology. Raising early-stage funding in deep tech is challenging due to the nature of technologies. The discoveries made in labs and universities hold the potential to reshape industries, revolutionize how we live and work, and solve pressing global challenges. But, the technologies, in their raw form, do not immediately solve customer problems—they require extensive product development, business model innovation, and a robust delivery value chain to reach the market. Still, the tide is turning. More investors are welcoming long-term value over short-term gains. Take APEX Ventures, for example: We’ve supported 44 startups across Europe, investing in AI, medical tech, robotics, space, energy and many more verticals from Seed (initial) to Series B (follow-on)   Follow us at APEX Ventures and subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content on groundbreaking Deep Tech startups: 🔗 https://t2m.io/EV2qHQuo

195

6 commentaires

Heard from a founder this week: "I’d rather raise from a Web2 VC than take money from most top Web3 funds." The "digital asset" or "blockchain for institutions" founder cares 10x more about reputation — not just the type of projects and founders a VC backs but also what they say on social media and what they push their companies to do.

26

1 commentaire

For five years (starting long before ChatGPT) we’ve worked with the venture and tech community each year to identify the 40 best private AI companies — the Intelligent Applications 40 (#IA40). Today we announced the 2025 IA40 winners and two things stand out: First: AI is at the core of the Reasoning Revolution, which is transforming the ways we collaborate and reason in all aspects of life! This year, 340+ companies were nominated. $86B was raised in the past 12 months by the 2025 winners. More verticals are embracing AI. More infrastructure layers are being built. Vibe Xing, Agentic AI, and modern UI/UX are emerging. And AI-native companies are reaching scale with real revenue and impact. Second: The bar has never been higher. 27 companies on the list are new this year. Just one - Databricks - made it five years in a row. Beyond the pace of innovation, this speaks to the magnitude of disruption and durability challenges of company building. These are the signs of something deeper: We’re not just building better tools, we’re entering the age of reasoning systems. Companies on this list are pioneering a new kind of “machine.” A new way for society to benefit from reasoning. The winning pattern? Companies building systems that learn, adapt, and collaborate with users in increasingly intelligent ways. The Reasoning Revolution is underway, and the 2025 IA40 winners are at the forefront. We're excited to recognize these companies, celebrate them at the IA40 Summit in Seattle September 30th and October 1st, and anticipate what comes next. See the 2025 IA40 and learn more: https://lnkd.in/gYY8V7Z7

204

10 commentaires

New Investment Announcement! 💥 We’re proud to share that SEAL Robotics has raised USD 2.1M in pre-seed funding to bring robotics automation to some of the most safety-critical — and still highly manual — processes in terminal operations. The round was led by Creator Fund, with participation from Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund, January Ventures, Marvelous, and Stefan Tietze. SEAL Robotics was born from Marie-Elisabeth Makohl’s firsthand experience aboard a container ship and Daniel Leidner’s robotics background at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Together, they are building a future where terminal operations become safer, more reliable, and more predictable — especially as global container shipping faces increasing uncertainty. With this funding, SEAL Robotics will accelerate the development of robotic systems automating non-value-added tasks like twistlock handling and pin flipping, while expanding pilot projects across Northern Europe and Southeast Asia. At Marvelous, we’re excited to support the team as they transform critical infrastructure through deeptech innovation. Congratulations to the entire SEAL Robotics team — we can’t wait to see what’s next. 🚀 🚀 🚀 #robotics #automation #ports #maritime #deeptech #shipping

82

7 commentaires

BIG NEWS: CerraCap Ventures and Impact Venture Capital have merged! We are excited to announce the launch of CerraCap Impact Venture Capital (CIVC) — a pioneering global VC platform powered by one of the most active corporate networks of customers, investors, and acquirers in the industry. For years, CerraCap and Impact Venture Capital have collaborated behind the scenes to assist founders in accelerating commercial adoption, securing strategic investors, and achieving successful exits. Merging our firms was a natural progression, and today marks the realization of that vision. What sets CIVC apart? We are combining two powerful engines: - CerraCap’s Sales & Scale™ commercialization model, which embeds startups directly into enterprise environments. - Impact Venture Capital’s Corporate Intelligence Platform™, utilizing a global corporate development network, which spans Fortune 500 companies and strategic investors worldwide. Together, CIVC offers founders: - Faster access to enterprise customers - Deep engagement with corporate VCs - Direct pathways to strategic acquirers - Global reach across North America, Europe, India, and emerging markets Our goal is clear: to shorten the distance between innovation, adoption, and a successful exit. We are proud to lead industry collaboration, actively participating in the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) CVC programs and the Kauffman Fellows Corporate Venture Capital Special Interest Group, working to enhance corporate-startup collaboration across the global innovation ecosystem. This merger embodies our shared mission: to build a truly global venture platform that delivers predictable commercial traction and tangible outcomes for world-class founders. Eric Ball, Saurabh Suri, Saurabh Ranjan, Yatish Mishra, Jan Geldmacher, Vikas Datt, Jonathan Carmel, Mihran Berejikian, Jennifer Baker Khan, Ben Landen, Patrick Bumpus, Aaron Mondell Anderson, Nikki Arora, Abhi Mukherjee, Himanshu Vikram Singh, John Hooker, Harris Rose, Dan Wadhwani, Sean Mishra, Katalin Bártfai-Walcott, Jean Mou, Ben Strom

163

24 commentaires

Good to see my colleague at AniVC , Vlad Cernouţan, featured in The Woof newsletter 🐾, sharing some sharp insights on what’s shaping investor decisions in the pet space 🔥. 😎 ☕ 🐾 💡 Vlad makes a strong case for what continues to matter: real defensibility — whether through IP, data, or brand equity, and the importance of teams that can go beyond just building products, but also being able to execute and scale business models. He also emphasizes that customer acquisition means little without long-term retention and trust, especially in regulated or care-driven parts of the market. He also highlights a few areas with strong return potential: 👉 Longevity and preventive health are moving from human to pet care, driven by tech and streamlined regulation. 👉 Functional nutrition (“Nutrition 2.0”) is evolving — no longer just about affordability, but about proven, evidence-backed benefits. 👉 AI-powered infrastructure is finally solving some of the stubborn problems in vet ops, insurance, and other fragmented parts of the ecosystem. 👉 Human biotech crossovers and integrated health platforms could reshape the next wave of innovation. 🐾 I am inspired about being able to move a needle in the pet industry, via our work at AniVC and for those who don’t know, our cofounder and partner Anna Skaya is a stellar founder herself—she built Basepaws, one of the first at-home DNA testing startups for pets, and led it all the way to acquisition 😎. Now she’s channeling that same passion into AniVC, helping back the next wave of innovators in the animal space 🚀. So, if you’re building something exciting in pet tech or animal health 🔬, or investing in it 💰, reach out. We’d love to connect! ☕ Last but not least, kudos to the Roy Ben-Tzvi from The Woof Newsletter for the article, link in the comments 👇 Image credit: The Woof.

55

5 commentaires

Another AMAZING week for EU climate-tech. 🔥 VCs raised €1.3bn+ to back climate founders: 🔥 daphni: €260M blue fund (closed) 🔥 Eurazeo: €500M future industries fund (launched) 🔥 2150: €210M fund II for sustainable cities (closed) 🔥 Voyager Ventures: $275M EU & US fund (closed) 🔥 The Footprint Firm: €76M fund for the nordics (closed) On the startup side: 🔥 Co-reactive makes concrete cleaner 🔥 LeydenJar challenges Chinese batteries 🔥 TetraxAI boosts energy projects execution 🔥 Newable decarbonizes commercial real estate ...and more! Read the full 5-minute briefing here: https://lnkd.in/eF6xNAk9 Until then, 🌊 keep making waves.

137

14 commentaires

Menlo Park, CA – June 25, 2025 – Network VC is pleased to announce its investment in Vassar Robotics, a San Francisco–based startup revolutionizing accessible robotics with affordable, AI-powered robot arms. Priced around $200–$219, Vassar’s Navrim arm can learn entirely new skills—like playing chess—in just 30 minutes using demonstration, without the need for coding. Founded in 2025 by Charles Yong, Vassar Robotics blends expertise in mechanical engineering and computer science. Charles spearheaded the creation of Navrim, leveraging MIT‑level innovation: the company was part of MIT Design X and initially focused on automating post‑processing for metal 3D‑printing before pivoting to accessible home robotics. In a recent demo video, Navrim performs complex tasks—chess moves, object manipulation—through natural language and visual cues, showcasing the integration of robot foundation models with agentic LLMs to deliver intelligence on a budget. Network VC’s funding will propel Vassar Robotics’ next phase—expanding production, refining AI capabilities, and bringing advanced robotics into homes, education, and maker communities. Vassar envisions unlocking robotics for “the nerd in your life” with accessible, powerful tools. Andrii Moroz, Maxim Strelchenko, Alex Golod, Yevheniya Dubinska, Dimitar Kotov, Mikhail Kotov, Yuliia Osaulenko, Nataliya Parshuto, Jordan Wahbeh, Vasily Nikolaev, Viktoriia Stepanenko, Leo Soroka, Leon Eisen, PhD, Vitaly Gnatenko, Volodymyr Goshylyk, Ph.D., Taras Romaniuk, Elena Fostenko https://lnkd.in/gxRpdpw5

27

🌱 "Zero to One: The Pre-Seed Report" 📊 Today, Concept Ventures is excited to share “Zero to One: The Pre-Seed Report,” which reveals what we've felt on the ground for years: Europe's pre-seed ecosystem is stronger than ever before, with the UK 🇬🇧 firmly leading this charge. In a time when negativity dominates headlines, our data tells a different story - one of continued European growth and the likely home to many more of tomorrow's unicorns. Many of the UK's most iconic companies had modest and humble beginnings - all raising pre-seed rounds sub $2.5m (Wise, Revolut, Monzo Bank, Synthesia, and ElevenLabs). 🔍 Main findings from the data: • Total European pre-seed funding has nearly doubled in the last 5 years, from $263M in 2018 to $500m+ in 2024. •The UK 🇬🇧 dominates, attracting $0.33 of every $1 invested in European pre-seed funding - more than Germany 🇩🇪 and France 🇫🇷 combined. • Average UK pre-seed rounds have nearly doubled in size since 2018. • Two-thirds of UK pre-seed rounds now use SAFE instruments, giving founders greater flexibility. As the UK's largest dedicated pre-seed fund, we're bringing much-needed transparency to this critical but often overlooked stage -  Special thanks to Lauren Sauerland, who did the bulk of the work, as well as the brilliant investors who contributed to this report: Jamesin Seidel (Chapter One), Jasper Masemann (Cherry Ventures), Pietro Invernizzi (firedrop), Sam Endacott (firstminute capital), and the team at SeedLegals for their valuable data insights. Want to understand what pre-seed looks like in 2025? Curious about why the UK has established itself as Europe's pre-seed powerhouse? Read the full report in the comments below: https://lnkd.in/eZgUKDht

300

30 commentaires