Pixel-Flo, a University of Sheffield spin-out developing MicroLED manufacturing technology, secured £5.25 million in seed funding led by Northern Gritstone. The company aims to address manufacturing challenges in MicroLED displays through its Continuous-Flow Mass Transfer process.
German startup QuantumDiamonds, spun out of the Technical University of Munich, raised €15 million in equity funding to accelerate growth. The round complements €76 million in EU-backed non-dilutive state funding, totaling €91 million. Funds will scale production and support a new testing facility in Munich, aligning with EU efforts to reduce reliance on US technology.
Tentris, a Bielefeld-based startup developing next-generation graph databases for enterprises, discusses its origins, victory in the STARTUPLAND-Pitch-Contest, and future growth strategies in an interview.
Romania joins as a founding state of the Defense, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), which will establish a regional office in Bucharest. The bank will provide funding for defense, energy, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, offering new financial opportunities for Romanian startups and SMEs in strategic sectors.
Hard2beat, a Polish VC fund investing in early-stage deep tech companies, organized THE MOAT event to connect European deep tech startups with venture capital investors in Warsaw.
Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilding giant, acquires a 61.95% majority stake in WSense, a Rome-based deeptech scaleup specializing in underwater communication systems. The acquisition follows prior investments and a 2026 strategic partnership. WSense will maintain operational autonomy while leveraging Fincantieri’s industrial expertise and global markets.
Porelio, a Germany-based deeptech startup developing advanced materials for industrial separation and water treatment, raised €2.4 million in a pre-seed round led by Faber. The funding will scale its patented continuous-flow manufacturing process for Functionalized Ordered Mesoporous Silicas (FOMS), which capture pollutants like PFAS and recover precious metals more efficiently than existing methods.
Swiss photonics startup Aylight has raised €4.5 million in a pre-seed funding round to advance its chip-scale multiwavelength laser technology for AI data-center optical interconnects and high-precision sensing.
Ubtech Robotics launched its humanoid robot U1, emphasizing its realistic appearance and emotional simulation capabilities. Despite high pre-orders, the robot faces technical challenges in performing complex household tasks. The company aims to expand into Europe, leveraging its status as a pioneer in humanoid robotics. The product’s high price and current limitations position it as a niche luxury rather than a mass-market item.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence partnered with Intelic to adopt a software-first strategy for military drones, aiming to enhance interoperability and reduce deployment timelines. The three-year agreement focuses on integrating diverse drone systems using Intelic’s NEXUS command-and-control software, which has been tested in Ukraine.