Silicon Canals

London-based Primary Portal, a digital platform that modernises equity capital market processes for banks and asset managers, announced that it has completed the first stage of its £7.5M (approximately €8.90M) Series A funding round. Read more about the deal here: https://lnkd.in/gXpuq7UG Deutsche Börse, DFF (Dutch Founders Fund), Flow Traders, Stefan Maassen, John Bentinck van Schoonheten, Ilan Leshem

London-based fintech company Revolut announced that it received its UK banking licence with restrictions from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), the UK banking sector’s regulator. 🚀 With this development, the UK-based fintech company has entered the ‘mobilisation’ stage, also known as ‘Authorisation with Restrictions’. This stage is a common process for new banks in the UK, including Monzo, Starling, and Atom Bank. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gGeu4BgS Daniel Waterhouse, Balderton Capital, Nik Storonsky, Vladyslav Y.

Munich-based deepc, the company specialising in AI operating systems for radiologists and enterprise clinical organisations, has closed its Series A with a $13M (approximately €11.9M) extension round, bringing the company’s total funding to date to $30M approximately €27.6M). Read more about the deal here: https://lnkd.in/gq9DqSA7 Sofinnova Partners, Bertelsmann Investments, KHP Ventures, SwissHealth Ventures, Dr. Franz MJ Pfister, MD, MBA, Simon Turner

Eindhoven-based RE&UP Recycling Technologies, a circular-tech textile recycling venture of SANKO Group, has secured €70M senior loan from Proparco. ♻️🌍 The initial loan of €37M was provided in 2021 for sustainable investments and job creation within the Group’s textile subsidiary. Read more about the deal here: https://lnkd.in/grj6-5wC Fatih Konukoglu, Stéphane Froissardey

The Netherlands-based Payt Software, an accounts receivable SaaS platform, has secured €55M minority investment from Partech’s growth fund. 💰🚀 The platform enhances collection times, reduces bad debt, and improves debtor communication through automated accounts receivable processes, transparency, and efficient communication. Here’s an interview with Payt’s co-founder Sander Kamstra, talking about the inspiration behind founding the company: https://lnkd.in/gkjGwRNq

Zurich-based Lakera, a real-time Generative AI (GenAI) Security company, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $20M (approximately €18.4M) in a Series A funding round. The latest investment round brings the company’s total funding to $30M. 🔒🚀 Read more about the deal here: https://lnkd.in/gkfMU2RP redalpine, Atomico, David Haber, Mateo Rojas-Carulla, Matthias Kraft, Sasha Vidiborskiy

With a #female head of state and prime minister, #Estonia stands as a beacon of gender equality. The stance also extends to its startup ecosystem, where many female founders are making waves. By 2023, female founders in Estonia rose to 17%, surpassing the #European average. 👩⚕️ Health: 30% female founders 📚 EdTech: 24% 📞 Communication: 21% Women hold 40% of startup jobs and 10% of managerial roles, higher than global averages. Here are some standout female-founded Estonian startups making waves: https://lnkd.in/gM7rh7Hu Jobbatical, Allan Mäeots, Karoli Hindriks, Ronald Hindriks, Haut.AI , Anastasia Georgievskaya, Konstantin Kiselev, Certific, Dr Jack Kreindler, Liis Narusk, FoodDocs, Karin Repp, Katrin Liivat, Fyma, Karen K. Burns, Taavi Tammiste, Grünfin, Alvar Lumberg, Karin Nemec, Triin Hertmann, Single.Earth, Andrus Aaslaid, Merit Valdsalu

Job van Hooijdonk, the co-founder of Regreener | B Corp™, announced that he has stepped down from his position as director at the company. 📢 “After 3.5 years of putting my heart and soul into the company, I noticed that my job satisfaction and motivation were rapidly decreasing,” says Hooijdonk in a LinkedIn post. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g2Q35G22 Job van Hooijdonk, Bernard de Wit

Netherlands-based NoPalm Ingredients, a biotechnology company producing yeast oils, has secured €5M in a Seed funding round. 🚀 The Dutch company aims to tackle the environmental and supply chain challenges associated with conventional palm oil, which is present in 60% of supermarket products. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gNgdn47h Rubio Impact Ventures, Fairtree Elevant Ventures, Oost NL, Willow Capital Investments, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Lars Langhout, Prof Dr Jeroen Hugenholtz

Munich-based defence AI company Helsing has secured €450M in a Series C round of funding. 🌍💡 The German company was founded to protect democratic values and open societies, emphasising the importance of freedom of expression and identity. Read more about the deal here: https://lnkd.in/gbg8uwis General Catalyst, Elad Gil, Accel, Saab, Lightspeed, Plural, Greenoaks, Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, Dr. Gundbert Scherf, Niklas Köhler, Torsten Reil