Funding & Investments
Bootstrapping, seed rounds, venture capital and non-dilutive grants, explained for founders.

N26 hires Marc Hess as CFO, completing its post-founder management board
N26 has named veteran German banker Marc Hess as chief financial officer from 15 October, filling the last open seat on its management board as the Berlin bank reports its first full year of profit.

Stegra needs more cash to finish Boden plant, swaps in new CEO Hakan Buskhe
A 100-day review by Stegra's new owners found building costs higher than expected, prompting a capital call and the exit of founding CEO Henrik Henriksson for former Saab boss Hakan Buskhe.

Nscale lines up $3.36bn convertible financing before its NYSE listing
The London neocloud has raised $3.36bn in convertible notes led by Third Point, with Nvidia adding $1bn, as it heads toward an IPO that could value it near $35bn.

Marvel Fusion spins out laser subsidiary to commercialize fusion technology
Marvel Fusion has launched Caelora, a wholly owned subsidiary focused on bringing high-energy laser systems to market for fusion and scientific applications. The move establishes an immediate revenue stream while building the industrial supply chain the fusion sector depends on.

Berlin's Parloa raises $350m Series D at $3bn valuation, eight months after its last round
General Catalyst leads a $350m round for the Berlin AI agent platform, pushing its valuation to $3bn and its total funding past $560m in under four years.

Sennder closes C.H. Robinson Europe deal, becomes a top-5 FTL player
Berlin's sennder has finished buying C.H. Robinson's European road freight unit, creating a combined business with €1.4bn in revenue and 1,700 staff.

Bolt bets €25bn on autonomous fleet with Lucid by 2035
The Estonian mobility giant is partnering with Lucid Motors to deploy 25,000 self-driving vehicles across Europe as the first step toward operating 100,000 autonomous cars by the end of the decade.

Bending Spoons closes $1.285bn Airtable deal, its first buy since IPO
The Milan-based roll-up has completed its $1.285bn all-cash purchase of Airtable, the no-code database used by over 500,000 organisations, two months after listing on Nasdaq.

Alan raises €480m from Prosus, hits €5.5bn valuation just months after last round
The Paris health insurer closed a €480m round led by Prosus barely three months after raising €100m, as it pushes into new markets and AI-driven prevention tools.

