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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 EU's AI Act may be revised in an upcoming "fitness check" amid concerns that strict regulations are stifling innovation.

• ElevenLabs has launched its first speech-to-text AI model, claiming it outperforms Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash and OpenAI’s Whisper Large V3.

• French insect protein startup Ÿnsect, which raised over $600 million, has officially filed for insolvency as it struggles to fund its Ÿnfarm plant.

• Germany's defence ministry has commissioned Polaris to develop Aurora, a fully reusable hypersonic spaceplane capable of carrying 1-ton payloads.

• Oussama Ammar, co-founder of The Family, was briefly detained in France for alleged embezzlement and fraud as part of an ongoing investigation.

💸 Top Funding Rounds

• 365 Finance secured a $189.07 million debt facility from Pollen Street Capital to expand its revenue-based financing solutions for UK and Irish SMEs.

• Flow48 raised $69 million in a Series A round to expand its SME lending solutions across MENA, providing upfront financing.

• Shop Circle secured a $60 million round led by Nextalia Ventures to accelerate its AI-powered B2B software growth.

• Nomagic closed a $44 million Series B round led by EBRD Ventures to expand its AI-powered warehouse automation solutions across Europe.

• Geneva-based Sparta raised $42 million in Series B funding led by One Peak to expand its AI-powered commodity trading platform.

💰️ Notable Exits

• Prosus is acquiring Just Eat Takeaway.com for $4.27 billion in an all-cash deal, aiming to expand its global food delivery footprint.

• edyoucated acquired AI-powered HRtech Peers Solutions, adding over 100,000 users and strengthening its skill-based learning platform.

• Norwegian no-code platform Vev acquired TIME’s website builder SITES and to expand its interactive content capabilities and grow in the U.S. market.

• Technis acquired Videtics to enhance its expertise in video analytics and strengthen its position in event security and smart space optimization.

• Calenso merged with US-based JRNI and Event Farm to create a seamless enterprise platform for in-person interactions.

🏦 About Investors

• Thoma Bravo has closed a $1.87 billion fund to invest in European software companies, targeting middle-market firms in compliance, healthcare, and CFO tools.

• IDC Ventures launched a $156.16 million fund of funds, securing $34.35 million in its first closing to invest in top-quartile VC funds.

• Cambridge Innovation Capital launched a $126.04 million Opportunity Fund to support UK deep tech and life sciences scale-ups.

• Fund F closed a $29.15 million fund, backed by the European Investment Fund, to invest in gender-diverse early-stage startups across Europe.

• Blaise Matuidi launched an investment club on Roundtable, joining 15 new communities that enable the public to invest alongside tech leaders.

🚀 Startup of the Week

Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆

365 Finance

London-based fintech 365 Finance, a revenue-based finance provider for SMEs, has secured a $189.07 million debt facility from Pollen Street Capital to support over $378.13 million in annual originations. The funding will fuel the company’s continued growth, enhance its AI-powered lending platform, and expand its financing offerings, including a euro line for Irish SMEs. With over $630.22 million already originated since 2014, 365 Finance, led by CEO Warren Abbey, remains committed to providing flexible, technology-driven capital solutions to small businesses across the UK and Ireland.

💼 Investor of the Week

Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆

Thoma Bravo

Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity firm specializing in software investments, has closed a $1.87 billion fund to target middle-market European software companies in compliance, healthcare, and CFO tools. This marks its first dedicated European fund and follows its growing presence in the region, including the 2023 opening of its London office and recent acquisitions such as Darktrace and EQS Group. With $14.57 billion already deployed across 16 European deals, Thoma Bravo aims to further scale technology innovators through investments ranging from $156.16 million to $1.04 billion.

 🤑 Opportunity Radar

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