The EIB`s investment is supported by the InvestEU programme, which aims to trigger more than €372 billion in additional investment across Europe until 2027, including in new technologies. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is teaming up with private investors to support the development of innovative electrolysis technologies needed for Europe`s green transition. With the Germany-based Sunfire, the EU-Bank has signed a first agreement worth up to €100 million to advance Sunfire`s solid oxide electrolysers towards serial production. The EIB`s investment is supported by the InvestEU programme, which aims to trigger more than €372 billion in additional investment across Europe until 2027, including in new technologies. In addition, Sunfire secured additional €215million in a Series E equity financing round. The agreement will support Sunfire develop electrolysers to produce green hydrogen more energy- and cost-effectively for industry processes, replacing the use of fossil fuels in high energy consuming sectors like chemicals and steel. Likely clients would include fertilizer/ammonia or methanol producers, energy majors and steel mills that are seeking to decarbonize their production. https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/2849330-germany-eib-signs-100m-deal-to-support-sunfire-produce-green-hydrogen

Lithuania-based cybersecurity startup, Cyber Upgrade, has successfully secured €650,000 in pre- seed funding to bolster its mission of providing inclusive and accessible cybersecurity solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and FinTech companies. The investment round saw participation from venture capital firms FIRSTPICK, NGL Ventures, and several notable business angels. Cyber Upgrade, led by Aurimas Bakas and Andrius Minkevičius, former co-founders of Paysolut, a core banking system provider acquired by SumUp, aims to revolutionise cybersecurity for SMEs and FinTechs. https://fintech.global/2024/02/12/lithuanias-cyber-upgrade-raises-e650k-to-strengthen-sme-cybersecurity-solutions/

The new fund under management by Future Energy Ventures is targeting €250 million ($271 million). Alongside E.ON, the European Investment Fund (EIF) also is an anchor investor with both holding a mid-double-digit million euro stake, according to a release. The capital of the fund is allocated entirely towards investments across three core themes with clear decarbonisation potential – future energy, future cities and future technologies. With an average initial ticket size of between €1-10 million for early-stage investments in start-ups and scale-ups, it aims to target 30 new investments to develop and implement digital solutions to drive the energy transition in innovation hubs of Europe, North America and the Middle East. Have you read? Powering the future: Overcoming challenges with grid digitalisation and DER management Energy Transitions Podcast: Overcoming funding pitfalls for net-zero projects “This is a milestone for E.ON on our way to making the new world of energy work. Having access to climate tech and the resulting digital solutions is a central cornerstone of our innovation initiatives through which we continuously integrate new technologies and startup solutions into the E.ON business,” says Thomas Birr, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at E.ON. “The newly established fund which is open for external investors builds on our success of the existing venture portfolio and is the next important step for E.ON to broaden impact through collaboration.” With the fund, E.ON anticipates further expanding its expertise in the field of innovation and through the innovation ecosystem, bring new partners on board. Future Energy Ventures has been active in the energy tech ecosystem for E.ON and innogy since its formation in 2016 as an in-house investment advisor and subsequently transitioning to an independent venture capital company, and regards this new fund as “the next step on our journey”. “The clean energy economy is the greatest business opportunity of our generation, and we are excited to be raising our second fund at this pivotal moment,” says Jan Lozek, founder and Managing Partner. Source:https://www.smart-energy.com/industry-sectors/digitalisation/e-on-backs-new-e110m-fund-for-digitalisation-of-the-energy-transition/

BNVC is a catalyst for the best nights that create happiness. What is the best night of your life? Was it summer or winter? What were you doing? Where were you? It likely involved a memorable location — new or familiar — people, and perhaps amazing food, possibly the haze of alcohol or another erm, stimulant, and/or entertainment. It probably wasn't spent alone at home on your laptop or mobile phone. But what will your best night look like in 2030? Lorrain de Silva, managing director at Best Nights VC (BNVC), believes that in 2030, nightlife won't be digital, alone at home wearing VR glasses. He shared: "There can be certain events in which VR and AR are crucial, but it's not replacing night life. People should sweat; people should come together in person." Best Nights VC (BNVC) was established in 2021 as the rebranded VC unit of Mast-Jägermeister SE, It works to seek out startups pioneering new approaches, enhancing experiences, and enabling more social experiences for people pursuing their best nights. It was founded in Berlin, the city with the most foreign startup founders outside of Silicon Valley. However, venture investment in nightlife differs from investing in a venue or club night and focuses on investment in community building. Source: https://tech.eu/2024/02/15/this-vc-firm-wants-to-fund-the-best-night-of-your-life/

Assemblio, a pioneering software company, has recently secured a significant seed funding round of €2.1 million to revolutionize assembly planning with its innovative technology, the Assembly Composer software. Learn how Assemblio's cutting-edge AI technology is set to transform the traditional assembly planning process across multiple sectors. Assemblio, a pioneering software company, has recently secured a significant seed funding round of €2.1 million, marking a major milestone in the company's journey. This funding round was led by LEA Partners, with contributions from Mätch VC, Cross Atlantic Angels, Silver Scale, Integra, and several business angels. Assemblio's innovative technology, developed at Fraunhofer IPA, aims to transform the traditional assembly planning process across multiple sectors by introducing automation and efficiency. Assemblio's product, the Assembly Composer software, leverages cutting-edge AI technology to automate the generation of assembly plans. This breakthrough significantly reduces the time and cost associated with conventional methods, enabling plans to be created in minutes instead of weeks. By doing so, Assemblio has garnered attention from large industrial customers, including Krones and Bosch, demonstrating the software's potential to make a substantial impact on the industry. Source: https://bnnbreaking.com/tech/assemblio-raises-21-million-seed-funding-to-revolutionize-assembly-planning-with-ai

Łódzkie-based company 1.security has raised a pre-seed funding round of $500,000 from German-Polish Sunfish Partners. The investment will enable its SaaS solution to enhance cybersecurity in Microsoft 365 environments. The company told AIN.Capital the details of the deal. Launched by Adam Żaczek and Mateusz Olek, 1.security offers the SaaS product that addresses the challenges in permission management. The solution works in environments related to OneDrive and SharePoint, undertaking the objects like groups, files, folders, and shared drives, as well as the complexities of managing internal and external collaborators. According to the company, its platform extends the capabilities of Microsoft 365 in areas like mitigating permission creep, improving visibility and control over access rights, and introducing collaborative tools. The product was developed in partnership with German cybersecurity firm CISOCON. Christian Matthies, co-founder of CISOCON, claims that the product is highly needed, making it easier to manage permissions and to ensure that only the right people have access to sensitive information. https://ain.capital/2024/02/27/1-security-raises-500k-sunfish-partners/

Germany experienced a notable shift in venture capital (VC) investment trends in January 2024 despite a decline in the number of deals compared to the same month in the previous year. While deal volume decreased, the total value of investments surged, showcasing resilience amidst global market uncertainties. This contrasted with declines seen in major markets like the US, China, the UK, and India. However, despite this growth, there is a pressing need for an innovation strategy to cultivate unicorn startups, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. https://www.investorideas.com/news/2024/main/02282Germany-VC-Investment.asp