Sigma Software Tech Digest – February 14, 2025

From ソフトバンク ’s $40B OpenAI investment to Bpifrance ’s $10B push into AI, global tech is making bold moves. The UK tech sector remains a powerhouse, securing €17.5B in 2024, while Ukrainian-founded Crown raised €2M in its first round. In North America, Semgrep landed $100M to advance AI-powered security scanning. Meanwhile, Cherry Ventures launched a $500M fund to propel Europe’s first trillion-dollar company.

Read the full digest to stay ahead of the latest trends!

North America:

• ソフトバンク ?set to invest?$40B?in OpenAI at $260B?valuation
• Joe Lonsdale ’s 8VC seeking?$1B for new fund
• Tidal Vision ?Raises?$140M Series B Funding
• Semgrep ?Raises?$100M?for AI Security Scanning Platform
• Nextworld?Secures?$65M in Series F for 2025 Growth

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The UK & Ireland:

• The UK tech ecosystem remains a global leader, raising €17.5B in 2024, as read in Tech.EU article
• Oxford-based Sophos ?acquires?Dell-owned Secureworks in $859M?deal
• British regulators?greenlight?Coinbase exchange in the UK

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Nordics:

• Swedish Froda ?grabs?€150M from EIF to close SME financing gap in Europe
• Norwegian company Visma ?expands?into France with Evoliz acquisition
• Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Waabi ?Announce?Strategic Partnership to Advance Autonomous Freight Transport

Ukraine:

• Leading Ukrainian TelCo Kyivstar.Tech ?plans to buy?medcom company?Tabletki.ua, that has more than 10M users
• Crown, a Ukrainian-founded and Paris-based company?has?raised?€2M in its first funding round
• Ukrainian VC firm TA Ventures and ICLUB Global invest?$4M in healthtech startup Berry Street

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France:

• Bpifrance will?invest?$10B in the French AI ecosystem by 2029

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DACH:

• Munich-based Hitachi Ventures ?raises?$400M fund to invest in everything from fusion to AI
• German Banking-as-a-Service platform Solaris SE has?secured?a €140M?financing round
• The Munich-based Green Mobility Holding (GMH) is?taking over?the Austrian company LeaseMyBike
• Amsterdam’s waste tech company Seenons ?expands?into Switzerland with CP Recycling acquisition

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European Union

• Cherry Ventures ?launches?$500M in funds to propel Europe’s first trillion-dollar company
• BlackRock is?preparing to launch?a bitcoin-linked stock market investment product (ETP) in Europe
• European VC firm Emblem ?raises?$85M for its initial fund

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Middle East:

• UAE sees 40%?increase?in AI specialists
• Saudi Arabia?partners?with US to enhance aviation sector

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LATAM:

• Brazilian fintech NeoSpace AI ?raised?a $18M round led by Itaú
• Mexican solar startup Niko Energy ?raised?$8M in equity funding led by QED Investors