Compari.ro, Romania’s leading price comparison platform and part of Heureka Group, announced the winners of the first local edition of the ‘Store of the Year 2025’ competition. GymBeam won the grand prize. The company is transitioning toward a full e-commerce marketplace to unify Romania’s fragmented retail landscape and provide local merchants with a platform to reach wider audiences.
YEP Accelerator announced the opening of a new office in California and launched an international track for growth-stage Ukrainian startups seeking to scale into the US market. The five-week residency program includes coliving and coworking arrangements, access to major tech events, and connections with venture funds offering up to $1.8 million in potential investment. The program is supported by the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
BraveX Aero, a Romanian private aerospace company specializing in advanced unmanned aerial systems with fixed wings and jet propulsion, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Romaero, a historic Romanian aerospace company, to collaborate on developing and scaling unmanned aerial systems for the European defense and security market. The partnership combines BraveX Aero’s technological agility and innovation in autonomous systems with Romaero’s industrial experience and aerospace production infrastructure. BraveX Aero is also pursuing a seed funding round by the end of 2026 and has secured a new order from a major European defense industry player for Romania’s first jet-powered drone capable of speeds up to 500 km/h.
Youropa, an Israeli real estate group, inaugurated a new office in Porto’s Boavista area. The company currently manages five projects under construction or delivery valued at 80 million euros, seven projects in commercialization, and over 100 units available for resale and rental. The group plans to complete six projects in 2026 with over 150 units and deliver eight additional projects by year-end, totaling over 280 units. Youropa also expects to secure over 30 million euros in financing by end of 2026.
Danish peer-to-peer car-sharing platform GoMore has acquired Getaround Europe, creating Europe’s largest P2P car-sharing platform with operations in 11 countries across Northern and Western Europe. The combined company has 5 million users, 70,000 active shared cars, and 1.5 million annual rentals. The acquisition is backed by prominent Danish investors and financing from EIFO and Nordea.
Anybrain is a Portugal-based startup that uses AI and machine learning to detect cheating in multiplayer games and esports events through behavioral input analysis. The company analyzes how players interact with input devices (keyboard, mouse, gamepad, touchscreen) to identify abnormal or synthetic behavior patterns indicative of cheating. Founded in 2019 by André Pimenta Ribeiro, who has a PhD in AI, the company has secured patents in the US, Europe, and South Korea and is currently working with major AAA game studios.
Trade Republic unveiled a new advertising campaign featuring Brad Pitt, where the Hollywood star sits silently in a dark room while voiceover describes the company’s services including free account with card, 2% interest rates, and ability to invest from one euro. Marketing experts estimate the campaign cost between 1-10 million euros based on comparable celebrity endorsement deals. Trade Republic has previously used other celebrities including rapper Luciano, entertainer Bruce Darnell, and actor Sky du Mont.