New VC Funds
- New Enterprise Associates (NEA) announces a $6.2Bn close-off across two funds. The firm will back technology and healthcare innovation, including enterprise and consumer technology, digital health and life sciences startups throughout stages and geographies.
- Highland Europe closes a new, €1Bn growth fund to invest in European startups. The firm will target growth-stage European internet, mobile, and software companies.
- American VC FJ Labs comes up with a $260M close across two funds. The firm will focus on the early-stage marketplace mainly throughout the US yet have a global mandate.
- Pegasus Tech Ventures partners with Japanese chemical and life sciences corporation Denka in launching a $100M fund. The firm will specifically search for early and late-stage startups working within renewable energy, EV batteries, chips, and health tech.
CEE Startup Funding Rounds & Acquisitions
- Ukrainian web3 gaming platform Mythical Games buys out a gaming items marketplace DMarket. The size of the transaction remains undisclosed, yet it's rumoured to be in the $70M-$100M range.
- Slovak energy storage and management systems FUERGY raises a €16M round to further extend the company's runway and investment in business development efforts. The round was led by Pro Partners Holding.
- Bulgarian EV charging software company Ampeco raises $13M series A to help startups expand across North America and invest in R&D. The round was co-led by BMW i Ventures and LAUNCHub Ventures.
- Estonian non-compliance and financial crime-fighting platform Salv announces a €4M seed to invest in product development and its expansion across Poland. The round was led by ffVC, with Giesecke+Devrient Ventures and a number of stealth investors.
- Belarusian-found sleep tracking app Sleepagotchi attracts $3.5M in post-seed funding. The round was joined by 6th Man Ventures, Collab+Currency, Shima Capital, 1kx, DeFi Alliance, Sfermion, Emoote, and LCA Game Guild.
- Hungarian chatbot startup Talk-a-Bot picks up €3.5M round to further expand across CEE. The round was led by Széchenyi Capital.
- Bulgarian e-commerce automation software Trackerbot sells out its business to Quadra Group. The acquisition will be used to build up Quadra's own e-commerce offerings and help them expand in major international markets.
- Czech platform for AI data automation Filuta AI announces the country's largest pre-seed round, totalling $2.5M in funding. The round was led by Nation1 and followed by SPM Invest and Czech Founders VC.
- Ex-head of Microsoft Ukraine, Dmytro Shymkiv buys out a 50% stake in military drone manufacturer Aerodrone. The size of the transaction remains undisclosed.
- Moldovan loan management platform Fagura completes a €750K crowdfunding round. The round was raised through Seedrs.
- Retail investment platform InDemo closes a €500K seed round to invest in product development and growth. The round was joined by Aquatica founder Joseph Burnstein, Gocha Tutberidze, and the Igosins family.
- Romanian B2B travel experiences marketplace CaptainBook.io announces a close of €250K crowdfunding campaign to invest in product development and expand throughout Romania, Poland, Spain, and Italy. The round was completed through Seedblink.
Startup Calls & Events
- Estonian sTARTUp Day seeks participants for its pitching contest. The event could be a great opportunity to showcase a product or service and potentially obtain up to €300K investment from EstBAN, .Cocoon Ventures and Swedbank. The applications are open till the 5th of February.
- Kyiv School of Economics announces a grant “Talents for Ukraine”. The program is open for business and non-business applicants from Ukraine building unusual and interesting projects while awarding up to $5k to each winner.
- Inovo invites aspiring founders to join its Founder Wannabees meetup. The event will be a great opportunity for those without a co-founder, uncertain about the idea or its funding and/or development. The registrations are open till the 1st of February and the event will occur on the 8th of February in Warsaw.
- ReaktorX announces a call for startups to join its next acceleration batch. The program will provide a 9-week-long program led by an experienced mentor from CEE, €25k investment together with €75k in discounts/credits, and on-demand access to helpers/experts from ReaktorX/SMOK VC network.
- Garage48 invites for a defence hackathon in Tartu. The event could be a great opportunity to validate a hardware/software idea and connect with colleagues interested in defence, as well as obtain up to €15k in grants for winning the challenge. The registration deadline is set for the 3rd of February.
Related Posts:
VC & Startup Weekly News From CEE, January 14 - 20, 2023 (by Ilya Mikhalchyk-Kananenka, Community Builder, Vestbee)
VC & Startup Weekly News From CEE, January 7 - 13, 2023 (by Ilya Mikhalchyk-Kananenka, Community Builder, Vestbee)
VC & Startup Weekly News From CEE, December 24 - January 6, 2023 (by Ilya Mikhalchyk-Kananenka, Community Builder, Vestbee)
