Good news from around Europe
39 European startups Balderton admires outside its portfolio Powered by WPeMatico https://sifted.eu/articles/38-european-startups-balderton-admires-outside-its-portfolio
Reid Hoffman is leaving Microsoft’s board to go ‘founder mode’ with startup Manus After a very profitable decade on Microsoft’s board, Reid Hoffman is stepping down to focus on his AI drug discovery startup Manus. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/reid-hoffman-is-leaving-microsofts-board-to-go-founder-mode-with-startup-manus/
Founders share VC horror stories, and some are naming names A massive viral conversation sharing VC horror stories has taken place this week on X. Some are weird. Some are infuriating. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/founders-share-vc-horror-stories-and-some-are-naming-names/
Former cyber executive turned whistleblower accuses IBM of covering up several data breaches IBM and two of its subsidiary companies were allegedly breached during the mid-2010s — a lawsuit filed by a former cybersecurity executive accuses IBM of not disclosing and actively covering it up. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/former-cyber-executive-turned-whistleblower-accuses-ibm-of-covering-up-several-data-breaches/
Startup Battlefield 200 applications officially close in 3 days Applications for Startup Battlefield 200 officially close on June 8, 11:59 p.m. PT. Don’t wait any longer. Secure your shot at competing on the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 this October at San Francisco’s Moscone West. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/startup-battlefield-200-applications-officially-close-in-3-days/
Google will pay SpaceX $920M per month for compute In a statement, a Google representative described the deal as a result of unexpected demand for its recently launched AI products. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/05/google-will-pay-spacex-920m-per-month-for-compute/
Interreg Euro-MED As You See It: Five Insights From Our Consultation Since 2022, the Interreg Euro-MED Joint Secretariat has annually gathered the perceptions of its stakeholders through a consultation. In 2025, this consultation explored the strengths and areas for improvement in the implementation of the Programme and its strategy for
AethexAI raises $3M to build voice AI infrastructure for Africa and the Middle East AethexAI, a UK voice AI infrastructure company building for enterprises across emerging markets, today announced a $3 million pre-seed round led by 4DX Ventures and the launch of its platform. The round included participation from Enza
OSS Resistance: it’s time companies treat open source maintenance as real work Mike McQuaid has a message for open source maintainers at profitable companies: “Stop asking permission to fix what your employer already depends on.” Open source software underpins critical infrastructure across the global economy, powering everything from public services
Cleantech: 10 companies that raised the most in 2025 European cleantech companies raised €3.1 billion in 2025, with investment activity concentrated around clean energy infrastructure, industrial decarbonisation, advanced materials, recycling technologies, carbon management, and electrification. Large infrastructure and energy-transition projects attracted the biggest rounds of the year, particularly in areas