EIC Scaling Club

Building a stronger European deep tech community

Syndicate One

Founding Member

Tech.eu

Tech.eu is the premier source of European tech news, data analysis and market intelligence. We help investors, corporates, policymakers and other professionals navigate a fragmented region with vast potential.

Tech.eu combines solid editorial products with data-driven market intelligence reports across investment stages, geographies and sectors, as well as bespoke event, research and consultancy services.

Follow us here: http://tech.eu/

Founder

BeCentral

BeCentral is a new hub for digital transformation - at personal, team and company level - where talent development, entrepreneurship and innovation blend into a unique mix. It's a grass-roots initiative from 28 co-founders who are committed to boost the Belgian digital scene. 

For more information: http://www.becentral.org/

Co-founder

World Economic Forum

As part of the World Economic Forum's Digital Europe initiative, the 'Digital Leaders of Europe' community - comprised of founders, investors, corporate executives and policy-makers - have identified innovation funding as one of the key issues for European companies in its 2019 Innovate Europe report. 

Now, the new 'Bridging the Gap in European Scale-up Funding' paper explores further how this relates to growth-stage companies (scale-ups), especially those using scientific innovation to address environmental challenges.

More info >> https://tech.eu/features/32138/green-growth-world-economic-forum-releases-report-outlining-ways-to-scale-up-funding-for-europes-next-scale-ups/

Digital Leaders of Europe (Member)

Startup Europe Lens

Startup Europe Lens is a (now defunct) international non-profit organisation, seated in Brussels, with its mission to facilitate direct, regular and constructive dialogue between European policymakers and tech startup entrepreneurs, particularly those in emerging regions and maturing ecosystems.

As the name suggests, the goal of the organisation is to focus on European startups and to shine a light on what the EU can do to help entrepreneurs from all corners of Europe build and scale technology businesses that can compete and potentially lead on a global level.

Co-founder and President

I'm currently an advisor / minor shareholder of a select number of interesting tech startups, including Checkthis (Frontback), Maily.com, Argus Labs (Jini.co), Showpad.com and Oxynade.com.

Startup Advisor and Investor

The Next Web

European Editor

Virtualization.com

I run the problog Virtualization.com a leading industry resource with news, reports and insights on the virtualization / cloud computing sector.

Managing Editor

TechCrunch

Editor

European tech journalist running the region's premier information portal and market intelligence platform, Tech.eu. Ask me anything about the technology industry and startup ecosystems in Europe! 

I regularly travel for conferences, to present data on the European tech scene, moderate panels or interview executives, investors and policymakers. Get in touch if you would like to discuss.

I am also part of the founding team behind BeCentral, the digital campus located in Brussels Central Station that has helped thousands of people learn technologies, grow a startup and have a positive impact on society.

With the Syndicate One seed investment group, I also try to help ambitious Belgian early-stage tech companies realise their visions.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗤𝟭 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮
Funding has fluctuated in recent years, but what is the data from Q1 2024 saying about how the year will unfold?

The Q1 has shown encouraging investment patterns, with European tech companies raising €29.9 billion across 970 deals.

For context, €14.7 billion was raised in Q1 2023, and €33.1 billion in Q1 2022—
significant recovery from the previous year and suggesting a promising year ahead.

𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗤𝟭 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰

👉 Download the full report here: https://bit.ly/4aF1ozS

▶︎ 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 emerged as the standout month, amassing €17 billion in funding through 326 deals, marking a 20% increase from January 2023.
▶︎ 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆, though slightly challenging, secured €8.5 billion with 338 transactions, a significant 95% rise from February 2023.
▶︎ 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 witnessed €4.4 billion in funding across 304 deals, echoing February's 95% growth from the previous year.

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗤𝟭
📌 Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt (€5 billion)
📌 H2 Green Steel (€4.5 billion)
📌 French firm ACC (€4.4 billion)
📌 German Greentech unicorn Enpal (€1 billion)

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗤𝟭
📌 Sweden leads with €12.3 billion (50 deals)
📌 France follows with €5.7 billion (80 deals)
📌 Germany collected €3.6 billion (160 deals)
📌 Netherlands €1.2 billion (72 deals)

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗤𝟭
📌 Cleantech on top with €12.4 billion
📌 Transportation €6.3 billion
📌 Fintech €2.6 billion
📌 Energy €1.8 billion
📌 Software €1.3 billion

The dominance of cleantech, securing €12.4 billion, signals a significant shift towards sustainability and environmental technologies.

Investing in these areas aligns with global trends towards decarbonization and offers the potential for high impact and high returns.

Overall, the data hints at resilience and increased willingness of investors to commit substantial resources.

Get the February report: https://bit.ly/3PLOFU8

Thoughts?

Credit: Tech.eu

#Venturecapital #AI #Deeptech #Startups

Follow us for strategies and resources for Deep Tech founders and VCs!

And get access to exclusive content on deep tech startups like ATMOS Space Cargo, planqc, smedo GmbH, and SENISCA in our newsletter:

🗻 https://lnkd.in/dtTX49AF

Robin Wauters

Thank you, Commissioner Iliana Ivanova, for the kind words, sharing the list of the first 48 EIC Scaling Club-supported deep tech scale-ups, and welcoming the selected companies last night at our Ignition Forum event in Brussels.

Onwards and upwards, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)! 🚀 

https://lnkd.in/gCRFsXuF

Yours truly,

EurA AG, Hello Tomorrow, Tech Tour, EuroQuity - Bpifrance, IESE Business School and Webrazzi / Tech.eu.

Gilles Le Cocguen; William Stevens; Teresa Cunha; Nicolette Komitska; Denitsa Nenkova; Yasemin Baran; Iva Tchetinova; Ricardo Greenfield; Valentin Marin; Etienne Pebrier; Josemaria Siota; Alberto Garcia Picazo; Alizée Blanchin; Lucas MAURICE; Carmo Cupertino de Miranda; Oriana B.; Cristiana Gonçalves; Rute Mata João; Márcia Macieira; Robin Wauters; Irmak Acar 

#EICScalingClub - #EIC - #EICFund - #EUeic - #FirstCohort


Looking for the next big thing in AI?

At Tech.eu. we get a lot of press pitches from startups working in AI — primarily generative AI. I'm always looking for something different, so my interest was piqued when I came across Opteran, a UK startup that has developed an approach to AI based on a decade of research into insect brainstems.

Opteran reverse-engineers biological systems onto silicon, enabling machines to see, sense, navigate, avoid collisions, and make decisions better than existing AI approaches. It calls this 'natural intelligence' — also known as brain biomimicry.

I spoke to David Rajan, Opteran CEO, to find out more.

tech.eu • 6 min read

The third wave of AI is here: Opteran's "Natural Intelligence" inspired by insect brainstems

When you get a whole lot of skilled, ambitious, and dare I say competitive folks collaborating from the startup, VC and policy world working to accelerate world-changing climatetech, you know you're going to end up with something good. 

Many of the innovations that shape modern life were built on common frameworks, but there is not yet an adequate blueprint for bringing climate technologies to scale. 

The Climate Brick has launched an actionable framework to de-mystify climate tech scaling.  I spoke to Sandra Malmberg 👋  and Ted Persson, Partners at EQT Ventures to learn more.

tech.eu • 5 min read

50 leading European climatetech founders and investors launch Climate Brick

Now you know where to find me this week as it's time for Riga!

And I’m excited to share that I’ll be speaking at TechChill Muse stage on April 18th at 14:40.

Together with Robin Wauters we will explore some hottest trends in eco innovations, climate tech, sustainability in business and how all of the above helps moving towards a circular economy. 

We’ll cover things from figuring out how to start an innovative company and navigate all the challenges on the way to making it a profitable business. 

Let’s have a conversation about integrating sustainability into the core of business models and make a step towards a greener, brighter future 🌿

Plastic is bad, but a lot of bio alternatives also high intensive or require factories to replace their existing manufacturing equipment. 

But now UK company Bpacks has found a way forward with sustainable packaging made from bark. 

Bpacks is a circular economy startup that has developed the world's first bark packaging technology, which integrates easily into existing production streams. 

Bark-based materials are fully compatible with current equipment for plastic packaging production, facilitating the shift to eco-packaging.

I spoke to Lev Bolshakov and Aleksandra Nešić to find out more. 

tech.eu • 3 min read

How circular economy startup Bpacks is utilising bark to reduce plastic waste

So how did European tech do in the first quarter of the year?

"On paper, Q1 2024 looks like a good quarter for investments in Europe, which almost returned to Q1 2022 levels, albeit with a higher average ticket size.

However, the main drivers in Q1 2024 were large loans granted to large scale ups or even established corporations. In particular, this quarter saw significant funding rounds representing cleantech maturation in product development and commercialisation. 

In Q1 2024, European tech companies raised €29.9 billion over 970 deals."

Link in comments

Where Startups Meet Investors: The Tech.eu Summit London 2024 Startup Stage https://buff.ly/3TZQQWm

𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗦 
𝘈𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 1: 𝘌𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘱 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘫𝘬?

Heb je ooit gedroomd van het starten van je eigen tech-bedrijf? Vraag je je af wat de geheimen zijn achter succesvolle startups? Dan is deze aflevering perfect voor jou! Robin onthult de do’s en dont’s van het ondernemen en deelt strategieën die het verschil kunnen maken tussen falen en slagen.

Hier is alvast een persoonlijke boodschap van Robin Wauters!

Mis het niet! Te bekijken en te beluisteren op YouTube en Spotify.

Link in de comments! ⬇ 

Produced and released a while ago, but it's been busy... I dropped a new Spirithuis EDM track dubbed 'System Failures'!

If you're interested, you can check it out on Spotify here:

https://lnkd.in/eiCtCDGA

Also on Apple Music and elsewhere of course: https://lnkd.in/egiHveCD

Taplio

Robin Wauters's Linkedin Analytics

Robin Wauters

What is Robin talking about?

Robin Wauters's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Robin Wauters's Linkedin Analytics

Robin Wauters

What is Robin talking about?

Robin Wauters's Best Posts .css-qqfgvy{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);}(last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Robin Wauters's Linkedin Analytics

Robin Wauters's Best Posts (last 30 days)