Swedish podcast platform Acast is expanding its global reach by buying the strategic U.S. network Backyard Ventures for about 200 million Swedish crowns, bringing well‑known personalities like Piers Morgan into its roster and strengthening its claim to be the world’s largest podcast network.
Dutch startup Vangrid secured a $9 million seed round from investors including HashKey, Borderless, Crypto.com Capital, Animoca Brands, Gate Labs and Mapleblock. The funding will help the company scale its decentralised spatial intelligence network that turns smartphones into a distributed data‑capture grid for high‑fidelity mapping needed by Physical AI applications.
Inevitable AI Group, an AI‑native venture studio founded by Nimrod Lehavi and Ofer Bar‑Or, announced a €5.2 million pre‑seed round led by Aleph. The studio, which has already launched five AI‑driven software businesses since its January launch, will use the capital to build and scale dozens more AI‑native SaaS companies across proven software markets.
Portuguese space technology startup Neuraspace raised €15.6 million from private investors and Portuguese recovery funds to expand its AI‑driven Space Domain Awareness and Space Traffic Management platform, boosting capabilities for commercial, institutional and defence satellite operators.
German construction‑tech startup conmeet secured €6 million in seed financing, led by Reimann Investors VC and Smedvig Ventures, to expand its AI‑driven, all‑in‑one platform for mid‑size construction firms across the DACH region.
Nuggit, a UK‑based growth platform for creators, announced a £5 million Creator Support Fund aimed at high‑potential YouTubers who have reached an inflection point for professionalising their media businesses. The fund offers financing together with strategic and operational assistance, building on Nuggit’s existing Creator Operating System that has already helped more than 33 creators grow revenue by an average of 29 % in under a year.
Romanian AI startup DesignVerse announced a $5.5 million seed round led by Begin Capital and plans to launch its enterprise AI platform in the US, targeting sectors such as banking, cybersecurity, aviation and defense.
Spanish deep‑tech startup Onalabs raised over €9.3 million, led by the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), to accelerate the rollout of its non‑invasive, sweat‑based health monitoring platform across Europe.
Nuclear Turbines, a Manchester‑based startup spun out of BAE Systems, announced its first external financing of £15 million led by IQ Capital to develop compact, high‑temperature turbine technology for cheaper modular nuclear power plants.
Romanian fertilizer maker Norofert secured a financing agreement with US fund GEM Global Yield that allows the fund to purchase up to $15 million of shares from major shareholder Vlad Popescu over three years, with the proceeds earmarked for scaling production and expanding into the US and Brazilian markets.