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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Europe, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌍

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📰 Important News

• The UK launched PISCES, a private stock market to boost startup growth by enabling share trading with tax perks for employees and investors.

• JPMorgan dropped its $1.18 billion UK lawsuit against Greek fintech Viva Wallet, but kept legal action ongoing in Greece over a takeover dispute.

• Lovable hit $50 million ARR and is planning a London office to expand its team and attract top engineers while staying European-based.

• Mosa Meat filed a UK market authorisation for its cultivated fat ingredient to enter the UK, blending with plant-based foods.

• US AI firm Anthropic met UK tech secretary monthly in Q1 on AI energy use, Action Plan, and future summits to strengthen UK AI infrastructure.

💸 Top Funding Rounds

• Room00 secured $445.5 million from King Street to expand pan-Europe by acquiring and refurbishing prime urban hotels in Southern Europe and London.

• Azafaros closed a $147 million Series B round to advance nizubaglustat for rare lysosomal disorders including NPC and GM1/GM2 gangliosidoses.

• Spain’s Xoople raised $128 million to develop Earth Intelligence using geospatial AI for predictive global insights and decision support.

• Ascendx Cloud landed $110 million to grow its AI-powered CRM data solutions that unify and optimize complex enterprise customer data.

• Zopa Bank issued $89.1 million in its first LSE bond to bolster its balance sheet before launching current accounts, while easing IPO talk.

💰️ Notable Exits

• Salesforce acquired UK AI startup Convergence to boost Agentforce and build a leading AI R&D hub in London with top European talent.

• Huma acquired US-based Aluna and partnered with Eckuity Capital to expand its AI-powered remote care ecosystem globally.

• Gnosis bought HQ.xyz for $15 million to expand into Asia and enhance Web3 financial services with on-chain banking and stablecoins.

• AdvancedAdvT acquired HFX for $7 million to grow its workforce management software offerings, aligning with its quality software strategy.

• Ukrainian TechMagic acquired Polish Salesforce specialist Hitteps to boost Salesforce expertise and expand in Poland with new leadership.

🏦 About Investors

• Rockaway Ventures closed a $61.5 million fund for CEE and diaspora-backed transformative tech startups.

• Tritemius Fund FCRE I launched $23.3 million, Spain’s first regulated Web3 VC fund to back early-stage blockchain startups in Europe and Latam.

• Goldfinch and Digital Genesis Fund launched a $19.8 million co-investment fund backing blockchain media, metaverse, and AI-driven projects.

• TIN Capital secured $16.8 million more for its European Cyber Tech Fund V to boost cybersecurity startups and enhance Europe’s digital autonomy.

• Wave Ventures launched a $7.8 million fund to back Gen Z founders across the Nordics and Baltics, targeting early-stage, globally scalable startups.

🚀 Startup of the Week

Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆

Room00

Room00, founded in 2012 by Ignacio Requena in Madrid, is a leading Southern European urban lifestyle hospitality platform known for its stylish, design-driven hostels and boutique hotels targeting young, experience-focused travelers. The company secured a strategic equity investment of up to $445.5 million from King Street Capital Management to accelerate its pan-European expansion by acquiring and refurbishing prime hotel properties in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and London. This funding supports Room00’s growth from 50 to 200 assets and 15,000 rooms, validating its innovative, vertically integrated model focused on authentic urban accommodations.

💼 Investor of the Week

Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆

Rockaway Ventures

Rockaway Ventures, founded in 2014 by Jakub Havrlant and part of the Rockaway Capital group, is a Prague-based venture capital fund that invests primarily in late-Seed and Series A tech startups across Central and Eastern Europe, the DACH region, and Western Europe. The fund recently closed its second vehicle at nearly $61.5 million, planning to allocate 60% of investments to CEE startups and 40% to Western Europe and diaspora-led companies based in the US, focusing on transformative technologies such as energy, defense, and AI. Leveraging its entrepreneurial background, Rockaway Ventures provides hands-on support to founders aiming to scale internationally and drive innovation across industries.

🤑 Opportunity Radar

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