Startup Success Stories, Fresh Funds & More

Happy Friday everyone,?

We hope you had an awesome week. The summer is coming to an end, startup funding activities are accelerating again, and my team and I are starting to focus on the organisation of next year's EU-Startups Summit!

While I can't reveal too much about next year's event just yet, here comes your weekly EU-Startups Update with some news and insights that might spark your interest:

???Mars Petcare and EIT Food are currently looking for startups that can upcycle agricultural byproducts to create delicious and nutritious food for dogs and cats. Find out more and apply by September 22nd to win a paid Proof of Concept (POC) partnership with Mars.

?? Fresh VC Funds: European VC Atomico presented two new funds this week totalling €1.12 billion - its largest-ever fundraising. Outward VC raised €60.5 million in first close to help early-stage fintech founders break through. Paris-based VC Wind raised €30 million from EIF for its new early-stage Article 9 fund, and Belgium-based VIVES IUF Fund raised an additional €5 million to invest in Benelux startups.

?? The 4th CEE Startup Voucher is gaining momentum and early-stage European startups have until the 15th of September to jump on board! Don’t miss out on a chance to win €25,000, pitch your startup to an international crowd of over 2,000, and receive feedback to elevate your business. Apply here.

???Software Tools for Startups:?Whether you're just getting off the ground or looking to take things to the next level, in this article we're highlighting?10 practical software tools that can support you.

?? Greentech Funding Boom:?Düsseldorf-based Retraced?just secured €15 million Series A to make fashion supply chains more sustainable. Berlin-based Ucaneo raised €6.75 million to accelerate the development of CO2 removal tech. Amsterdam-based Brineworks just scored €2 million to drive down the cost of e-fuel feedstocks.

?? Energy Innovators: London-based tem. nabbed €12.4 million to make renewable power affordable for UK businesses, London-based energy tech Ogre AI bagged €3 million to enhance grid efficiency, and Lisbon-based Bling Energy raised €2 million to make solar energy more accessible.

?? EU-Startups Podcast: In episode 85 we were joined by Andre Retterath, Partner at Earlybird one of the most active venture capital firms in Europe. With more than €2 billion under management, 8 IPOs, and 31 trade sales. He provides insights discusses the shift from traditional VC to a data-driven approach, and much more.

?? This Week in AI Funding:?Oslo-based Vind AI raised €3 million for their wind park design platform, and?Paris-based Actionable secured €2 million to enhance its customer satisfaction prediction AI.

By the way: Later today, we're recording a special edition of the EU-Startups podcast where 5 selected AI startups will pitch on air in front of an investor jury. We plan to publish this special edition by the end of next week.

Have a nice weekend (soon). Until next time!

Your EU-Startups Team