Good news from around Europe
N26 co-founder Valentin Stalf exits CEO role following investor row One of the co-founders of German challenger bank N26 is standing down as CEO, following reports of a dispute with some of its investors over the founders’ handling of regulatory issues. Valentin Stalf, who co-founded N26, Germany’s most valuable fintech, with Maximilian Tayenthal in
Starling Bank snaps up UK accounting startup Ember Starling Bank is buying a UK accounting startup, as it looks to provide a beefed-up offering for its small business customers. London-based Ember, founded in 2018, provides tax and bookkeeping software. Ember is backed by N26 investor Valar Ventures, fintech investor Viola Fintech and
Robinhood launches stock-insights “Digests” tool Robinhood is launching a tool for investors, which analyses breaking news, analyst reports and Robinhood’s proprietary data to summarise why a stock is moving. The tool is the first UK product launched by Robinhood Cortex, Robinhood’s investment assistant, which it launched in the US earlier this year.
Oxford-based SugaROx secured €1.1 million to accelerate the production of its crop-enhancing biostimulants SugaROx, an Oxford-based agri-biotech spinout, has secured an additional €1.1 million (£1 million) in a seed round extension to accelerate the development and production of its crop-enhancing biostimulant, targeting improvements in food production and sustainability. The round
GDPR & EU AI Act: A 2025 checklist for teams who transcribe customer calls (Sponsored) By 2025, teams that transcribe customer calls face more than just an operational task. They face legal and ethical responsibilities. Both the GDPR and the EU AI Act shape how voice data and transcripts are
Manchester-based PhovIR secures €4.6 million to bring optical fingerprinting to everyday devices PhovIR, a University of Manchester spinout developing advanced Near Infra-Red (NIR) optical sensor technology, has raised over €4.6 million (£4 million) in an oversubscribed seed round led by Northern Gritstone and SCVC. The funding marks a significant milestone
The “will” factor: How to hire people who care as much as you do Imagine joining a startup team where everyone’s rowing in the same direction, except one person. They’re technically capable, but disengaged. They stick to the minimum, avoid ambiguity, and rarely take initiative. Over time, that lack of
Berlin-based WALLROUND secures €4.2 million to digitise and streamline energy-efficient building renovations WALLROUND, a Berlin-based startup aiming to digitise and streamline energy-efficient building renovations, has raised an oversubscribed €4.2 million seed round to fuel its mission of building Europe’s largest energy renovation franchise. The round was led by early-stage venture
Labubu brought Pop Mart 4.7B yuan in profits in 2025 Chinese toy manufacturer Pop Mart International Group Ltd. recorded significant growth in financial performance in the first half of 2025 thanks to high demand for Labubu dolls. The company’s revenue increased by 204% to 13.88 billion yuan ($1.93 billion) compared
Apple has protected data encryption. Britain will not force the company to open iCloud The United Kingdom has agreed to abandon an order requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted data of iCloud users. The decision was made after pressure from Donald Trump’s administration, the Financial Times reports. At the