Raising a funding round does not start when you share your deck. It starts long before that moment, with the reputation, presence, and profile you build in the months leading up to it. Investors form early impressions well before a formal process begins, and those impressions are shaped by how clearly you communicate your vision, The post How to position your startup as “the one to watch” before fundraising appeared first on EU-Startups.

Octopus Energy Group has raised €850 million ($1 billion) for its technology company, Kraken. The round is the first standalone investment into Kraken and values the business at €7.3 billion ($8.65 billion). This transaction establishes Kraken’s formal independence and demerger from Octopus.  The round was led by D1 Capital Partners, with participation from Fidelity International, The post Octopus Energy to spin out AI utility platform Kraken at €7.3B valuation after €850M funding round appeared first on EU-Startups.

There is no denying that European tech sovereignty is in vogue. After years of voices from the sidelines warning of the risks of Europe being invisible in the echelons of big tech, such warnings have gone mainstream. But what does it mean to be a European company? For every homegrown champion startup built in and The post A call for broader thinking: The dangers of narrow sovereignty in European tech appeared first on EU-Startups.

NanoXplore, a French fabless company, has secured €20 million in funding to speed up its diversification into the defence sector by developing security-focused products and to back its strategic external growth plans in Europe. The funding was raised from European defence company MBDA and the Defence Innovation Fund managed by Bpifrance. “As an independent French The post French chipmaker NanoXplore raises €20 million to expand into defence and strengthen Europe’s electronic sovereignty appeared first on EU-Startups.

Europe’s decarbonisation journey is often told through the lens of renewable generation, smart grids and electric passenger cars. Yet one of the biggest and least transformed sectors is only now shifting gears: heavy-duty road freight. Trucks are the backbone of European logistics and the arteries of modern trade. They are also among the hardest segments The post Charging ahead: Why the next European electric wave will run on 18 wheels appeared first on EU-Startups.

European food retail remains one of the most dynamic and strategic sectors within the continental economy, with grocery sales in Europe growing by around 2.4% in 2024 and food sales volumes staying broadly stable following the post-pandemic recovery. At the same time, the sector is being reshaped by digitalisation, sustainability requirements, and changing consumer expectations around The post How Europe’s food retailers are turning startup innovation into real-world impact (Sponsored) appeared first on EU-Startups.