Every month, Vestbee compiles a list of the most significant financial rounds closed in Central and Eastern Europe and the broader European region, providing details on each deal. Below is a list of startups from CEE that received funds during April.
UP Catalyst, €18M in debt financing
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Founded in: 2019
Total funding received: €26.5M
Recent funding sources: European Investment Bank (EIB)
UP Catalyst converts CO₂ emissions into carbon nanotubes and graphite for applications in electric car batteries, concrete, and biomedicine, all powered by renewable energy. The company will use the recent funding to scale up molten salt electrolysis technology, increasing production of carbon nanotubes and graphite.
Lace, €12.4M in a seed round
Location: Bulgarian-founded with HQ in Mountain View, the US
Founded in: 2022
Total funding received: €16.7M
Recent funding sources: Bek Ventures, LAUNCHub Vnetures, Horizon VC, and private investors
Lace company develops AI software that analyzes phone calls for home service businesses such as HVAC, plumbing, and roofing. The startup will use the seed funding to expand R&D, advance AI innovation at its Sofia research centre, and grow its team, with plans to triple in size to support increasing demand in the home services industry.
PeopleForce, €4.75M in a seed round
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Founded in: 2018
Total funding received: €7.1M
Recent funding sources: Pracuj Ventures, u.ventures, Dnipro VC
PeopleForce develops an all-in-one HR platform to streamline the entire employee experience and automate HR processes across the employee lifecycle. The startup will use the new funding to expand its teams in Poland, Mexico, and Colombia, launch localized automation features for regional compliance, and invest in AI-driven HR analytics.
DBR77 Robotics, €3.5M in a seed round
Location: Torun, Poland
Founded in: 2020
Total funding received: €4.4M
Recent funding sources: ffVC, RKK-Investment, NCBR Investment Fund, KIROI, EEC Ventures, Level 2, and SQD Alliance
DBR77 Robotics is a Polish startup that offers an all-in-one platform for industrial automation, integrating IoT, digital twin technology, and robotics. The company will allocate the raised capital to execute DBR77’s scaling strategy, focused on expansion into Western European and US markets.
Wasp, €3.3M in a seed round
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Founded in: 2020
Total funding received: €4.7M
Recent funding sources: HV Capital, Metis Ventures, Lunar Ventures, Fifth Quarter Ventures, big_bets, Abstraction Capital, and business angels
Wasp develops a platform for building full-stack web apps with less code that work alongside React and Node.js. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and further develop its solution.
Riptides, €2.9M in a pre-seed round
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Founded in: 2025
Total funding received: €2.9M
Recent funding sources: PortfoLion Capital Partners, KAYA VC
Riptides develops infrastructure software for assigning and managing identities for non-human entities such as services, workloads, and AI agents. The startup will use the funding to develop its system, which replaces API keys and passwords with automatically managed identities for machines and software.
Fresh Inset, €2.7M in Series B
Location: Torun, Poland
Founded in: 2018
Total funding received: €7.1M
Recent funding sources: Radix Ventures
Fresh Inset develops technology to extend the post-harvest shelf life of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The startup will use the new funding to expand into key global markets, forge strategic partnerships in Europe, the US, and Latin America, and scale its freshness-extension technology, Vidre+.
BidFinance, €1.6M in a seed round
Location: Krakow, Poland
Founded in: 2022
Total funding received: €1.6M
Recent funding sources: 4growth VC, FundingBox Deep Tech Fund, and Digital Ocean Ventures
BidFinance develops an auction platform for trading debt portfolios. It connects sellers, including banks, loan companies, telecoms, leasing firms, and energy companies, with potential buyers — collection agencies, investment funds, and law firms. The recent funding will fuel the international expansion of BidFinance.
Firefish, €1.6M in a seed round
Location: Prague, the Czech Republic
Founded in: 2022
Total funding received: €1.6M
Recent funding sources: MitonC, Braiins
Firefish is a bitcoin-backed peer-to-peer lending platform that allows users to borrow cash against their bitcoins without relying on a custodian. Besides accelerating its global expansion, the recent funding will be used to further scale Firefish Prime institutional lending program.
Kardi Ai, €1.1M in a seed round
Location: Olomouc, the Czech Republic
Founded in: 2022
Total funding received: €2.9M
Recent funding sources: LUMUS Investment Collective, Garage Angels, DEPO Ventures, BrightCap Ventures
Kardi Ai develops an intelligent heart monitoring solution combining a comfortable chest strap and AI to detect heart arrhythmias. The new funding will help Kardi Ai expand into international markets and complete clinical studies, strengthening its presence in Europe and other key regions like Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, the UAE, and India.
Esgrit, €900,000 in a pre-seed round
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Founded in: 2023
Total funding received: €1.4M
Recent funding sources: Startup Wise Guys, Lemonade Stand, Greenco Ventures, 2C Ventures
Esgrid develops ESG-focused supply chain management tools for medium-sized businesses and financial institutions. The startup will use the recent funding to expand its platform, focusing on AI-driven supplier onboarding, evaluation, and management, while automating processes to replace manual workflows.
