Bulgarian businesses can apply for funding under two new tenders that aim to facilitate 1,425 MW of renewable energy generation capacity coupled with 350 MW of energy storage. Funding support is only offered for the storage component. The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy has launched two renewables-plus-storage tenders to the tune of BGN 535 million ($298 million), accepting bids from companies in all sectors except agriculture, forestry, and fishery. The first tender, with a total budget of BGN 107.6 million, will finance the construction of solar and wind projects and co-located energy storage facilities with installed capacities between 200 kW and 2 MW. The procedure seeks to facilitate the development of at least 200 MW of renewable energy production and 100 MW of energy storage. The second procurement exercise, with a budget of BGN 427.5 million, will support new solar and wind projects and energy storage facilities with a total installed capacity of more than 200 kW. The procedure aims to develop at least 940 MW of renewable energy generation and at least 200 MW of energy storage. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/03/15/bulgaria-launches-renewables-plus-storage-tenders/

The founders of Saarbrücken, Germany-based Seawater Cubes, a startup that has developed a plug-and-play recirculating aquaculture system for fish, are seeking EUR 3 million (USD 3.3 million) in funding to scale up production and marketing. Seawater Cubes was founded in 2018 by business and marketing specialist Carolin Ackermann, automation technologist Kai Wagner, and mechanical engineer Christian Steinbach. Through the development of their fully automated RAS design, they hope to decentralize small-scale fish farming, making commercial RAS fish production more feasible around the world. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/aquaculture/german-startup-seawater-cubes-offers-landlocked-consumers-a-way-to-grow-fresh-fish-on-a-small-scale

Germany-based Xaver, a fintech startup, has introduced its B2B AI platform for life insurance and private pensions as well as secured €5M in a pre-seed round of funding. Xaver claims that this round is Europe’s largest fintech pre-seed funding of 2024 to date. The German fintech platform empowers banks, insurers, and brokers to enhance operational and sales efficiency by up to 65 per cent through AI utilisation and innovative private pension products, aiming to address Europe’s pension gap. Additional investors include several former C-level executives from banks and insurers, such as Martin Blessing (Commerzbank, UBS), Thomas Münkel (Allianz Group, UNIQA), and Matthias Setzer (Meta, PayPal). Founders including Julian Teicke (Wefox), Raffaele Terrone (Scalapay), Felix Ohswald (GoStudent), Elmar Broscheit (Gorillas, Macquarie), Michael Wax (Forto), Jessica Holzbach (Penta/Pile), Tushar Ahluwalia (Razor Group), and Christian Reber (Pitch, Superlist), as well as Mario Götze, are also among the investors. https://siliconcanals.com/crowdfunding/xaver-secures-5m/

German startup Domum has developed a novel parking and solar charging solution for e-bikes and e-scooters. It said its E-Box solution for e-bikes is market-ready, while its Station-X system for e-bikes and e- scooters is expected to be ready in the summer. The E-box includes one 330 W solar module and can charge up to four e-bikes. It is made of galvanized steel and Bluetooth-controlled locks for e-bikes and manual bikes. Its footprint corresponds to about half of a standard car parking space. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/03/22/german-startup-unveils-pv-charging-parking-system-for-e-scooters-bikes/

Berlin-based World Fund has filled its coffers with €300M, in what it claims to be the largest first- time fund raised by any climate tech VC in European history. Founded in 2021, World Fund invests in startups building tech to decarbonise industries from energy and buildings to transport and agriculture. It has already backed 15 early-stage companies, including SpaceForge, which manufactures materials in orbit, and Slovenian startup Juicy Marbles, which makes fake meat whole cuts. World Fund looks to bridge the gap by focusing on the larger sums startups need to scale. Investing in climate tech should give it a head start — the sector remains one of the most resilient despite muted VC activity. https://thenextweb.com/news/german-climate-tech-vc-raises-record-breaking-e300m-first-fund

Private equity groups Advent International and CVC Capital have teamed up to bid for Partner in Pet Food (PPF), a maker of animal food owned by Cinven, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The talks are ongoing although there is no certainty that a deal will be reached, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Cinven had previously sought a valuation of roughly 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion) for the business, the report added. Hungary-headquartered PPF was created via a series of acquisitions between 2000 and 2006. The pet food maker operates across Europe, including France, Italy and Germany according to its website. https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/advent-cvc-make-joint-bid-european-pet-food-business-owned-by-cinven-ft-reports-2024-03-24/

Berlin-based Fuchs & Eule, a company that wants as many homeowners as possible to make their homes energy efficient, has secured a multi-million Euro funding in its Series A round to capitalise on the rising demand for green home renovations. The investment amount remains undisclosed. The round was led by Amsterdam-based SET Ventures, with Realyze Ventures and Picus Capital also contributing. https://siliconcanals.com/crowdfunding/fuchs-amp-eule-raises-funding/