Founder Holidays, Investor Database & more!

Hi there!

A bit earlier than usual, here comes your weekly dose of European startup news, insights and opportunities:

??? Holiday Poll: A few minutes ago, we asked the founders among our 107k LinkedIn followers how much holidays they'll take this summer. The results might surprise you! :)

?? New Investor Database: After many weeks of research, we just lauched?a dedicated Investor Database - featuring 4,000 European VC firms, accelerators and corporate VCs. Our CLUB members get full/unrestricted access!

?? BIND’s 9th call for applications: Are you working on disruptive tech and looking to grow and gain corporate clients? The Basque Open Innovation Platform has launched its 9th call for applications. They are looking for startups and scale-ups with cutting-edge technologies in areas such as AI, IoT, Robotics, and more. Applications are now open until September 6!

???Smarter solutions for safer cities: Europe has long been recognised as one of the safest continents in the world. However, evolving security challenges in urban environments require new and innovative measures. Here we introduce you to 10 promising startups revolutionising the safety and security landscape.

?? Traveltech:?The FutureTravel Pitch Competition is still accepting applications until July 31st. If you are (or know) a promising travel/hospitality startup, make sure to apply now. The finals will be held at this year's FutureTravel Summit on November 28 in Barcelona!

?? AI Funding Boom continues:?

• Krakow-based Digital First AI?just got €3.5 million to leverage AI for marketing strategies and ad content
• Paris-based Presti secured €3.2 million seed for product photography made by AI
• Berlin-based fitness app TRAIT snapped €1 million for an empathetic AI training platform
• Manchester-based CultureAI raised €9.1 million to evolve the way organisations manage human cyber risk
• London-based fashion tech Hey Savi bagged €2.6 million for AI-powered?for its search and recommendation platform
• Portuguese startup sqill an “all-in-one” AI-based content creation platform just raised €2 million
• Tallinn-based fintech Mifundo secured €2.5 million to unlock cross-border lending with their AI-based data platform

???Greentech Funding Rounds:?

• Berlin-based Grover?just secured €50 million additional funding to make rental commerce lead the circular economy
• London-based climate tech 44.01 landed €33.9 million to eliminate CO2 by turning it into rock
• Copenhagen-based Again raised €39.4 million to build full-scale decarbonisation plants
• Paris-based Syntetica raised €4.2 million to scale nylon recycling for the global clothing market

???Fresh VC Funds:?Budapest-based Lead Ventures?just launched a €100 million fund to strengthen the central and Eastern European ecosystem. ZAKA unveiled its 1st fund of €15 million aimed at supporting early-stage startups across Europe and the US, and?13books Capital closed a new €144 million fund to invest in fintech from seed to Series A.

??Are you building a business? Achieving ISO 27001 compliance can help you win bigger deals, enter new markets, and prove security practices to customers anywhere in the world, but it can also cost you real time and money! Download Vanta’s ISO 27001 checklist to learn about successfully implementing an Information Security Management System and streamlining ISO 27001 certification with automation.

???EU-Startups Podcast: In?episode 77 we've been joined by Dominik Angerer, Co-Founder and CEO of StoryBlok - an Austrian soonicorn which empowers developers and marketers to create better content experiences across any digital channel. They have raised over €130 million in funding so far, providing highly customisable content blocks and visual editing tools to clients, including Adidas, and Tesla.

?? EU-Startups Summit / Youtube: We just published a nice video with impressions from this year's EU-Startups Summit?(See you again on April 24-24 in Malta!). And by the way: The EU-Startups Youtube account is about to reach 5,000 subscribers. Are you one of them yet?

That's all we had to share with you this week.

Sunny greetings from Barcelona,

The EU-Startups Team