Germany mobility electric motorbike startup NOVUS announced funding this week, led by 468 Capital. The startup aims to redefine urban mobility and attract non-motorbike riders. 468 Capital has investments in the mobility industry, including the German battery developer CustomCells, which supplies customised premium battery technology for manufacturers such as Lilium and Porsche. CustomCells CEO Dirk Abendroth is also an advisor and angel investor at NOVUS. Further, 468’s presence through local General Partner Florian Leibert will open the US market up for NOVUS. Renowned business angels joining NOVUS including unicorn founders Michael Cassau from Grover and Dirk Schwartz from Chrono24, and former adidas CDO Scott Zalaznik. In the coming weeks, NOVUS will finalise the funding round and integrate the last selected angels and co-investors into its shareholder ecosystem. https://tech.eu/2024/03/21/e-motorbike-novus-aims-to-become-the-apple-of-mobility/

OTB Ventures, a leading early-growth investor in European DeepTech startups, has announced the successful closing of its significantly oversubscribed Fund 2, reaching a total of $185 million. This substantial fundraise signifies a major vote of confidence in Europe’s burgeoning DeepTech ecosystem and positions OTB Ventures at the forefront of its growth. The new fund will target four core sectors critical to Europe’s technological advancement: SpaceTech, Enterprise Automation & AI, Cybersecurity, and FinTech Infrastructure. Mirroring the successful strategy of Fund 1, Fund 2 will primarily focus on Series A investments, providing crucial growth capital to promising startups with validated concepts. However, recognizing the importance of nurturing early-stage innovation, the fund allocates a new 10% to seed funding, allowing OTB to support ventures at their inception. Additionally, over half the capital is reserved for follow-on investments, ensuring continued support for top-performing companies within the OTB portfolio. https://techfundingnews.com/otb-ventures-soars-with-185m-fund-to-augment-europes-deeptech-startups/

Enpal, a German green tech unicorn and leader in residential solar and heat pump solutions, has secured a massive €1.1 billion in financing commitments. This significant investment marks a major step forward in their mission to empower German homeowners with access to clean energy through its innovative financing model and integrated home energy solutions. The €1.1 billion windfall comes from a strategic partnership with three prominent global investment banks: Barclays Europe, Bank of America, and Credit Agricole CIB. Each bank will manage separate ABS warehousing facilities, contributing over €1 billion in senior refinancing commitments. Additionally, the Canadian pension fund manager CPP Investments joins the alliance, providing a crucial €118 million in mezzanine debt, which helps optimise the overall capital structure. https://techfundingnews.com/enpal-raises-e1-1b-in-debt-commitments-to-facilitate-german-solar-and-heat-pump-adoption/

Romanian entrepreneurs will have the chance to get grants through a new Startup Nation 2024 scheme, with a budget of EUR 400 million from the European Union’s funds, approved by the European Commission, the minister of European investments and projects, Adrian Câciu, announced quoted by Startupcafe.ro. The fourth edition of Startup Nation will thus be opened in the second quarter of 2024, by the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEAT), as grant administrator, while the Ministry of European Investments and Projects (MIPE) will bring funding from the European Union. https://www.romania-insider.com/startup-nation-romania-march-2024

Code.Host, the startup founded by the Romanian entrepreneur of Tatar ethnicity Harun Rașid, launched a global B2B marketplace dedicated exclusively to the sale and purchase of software. On this platform, software providers can list their products and set rules of sale and use for buyers. To support the international development and marketing of this product, Harun Rașid is in advanced discussions with major players in the IT field in Romania to finance the platform. Harun Rașid founded several startups, including a software development agency. Previously, he co-founded Activaire, one of the leading music broadcasting rights companies in the United States, with over 100 corporate clients worldwide. https://www.romania-insider.com/romanian-software-trading-platform-march-2024

Solarcont has developed a portable, containerized PV system featuring 240 solar modules on a folding system for easy removal and storage. Solarcont, an Austrian startup, has unveiled Solarcontainer, a portable PV generator that can function as a mobile solar plant independent of the electrical grid. In remote areas, it can guarantee stable power supplies and even almost replace public grids with strong power fluctuations, as well as diesel generators. SolarCont GmbH is an Austrian joint venture set up in 2022 by container technology specialist Gföllner and Austrian PV system supplier Hilber Solar. https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/03/18/austrian-startup-launches-portable-containerized-pv-system/

Dusseldorf, Germany-based Rheinmetall, a company specializing in security and mobility solutions, announced on Monday, March 18, that it has acquired the Dutch startup — REEQ. Through this acquisition, Rheinmetall expands its range of vehicles to include innovative light hybrid vehicles. REEQ will remain a startup within Rheinmetall Group for development, with production in the Netherlands. https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/rheinmetall-acquires-dutch-firm-reeq/