Good news from around Europe
Ford has an AI assistant and new hands-free BlueCruise tech on the way Ford says the new generation of BlueCruise will be 30% cheaper to build than the current technology. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/ford-has-an-ai-assistant-and-new-hands-free-bluecruise-tech-on-the-way/
Google and Character.AI negotiate first major settlements in teen chatbot death cases The settlements are among the first tied to lawsuits accusing AI companies of harming users. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/google-and-character-ai-negotiate-first-major-settlements-in-teen-chatbot-death-cases/
Waymo is rebranding its Zeekr robotaxi It sounds like “Oh hi.” Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/waymo-is-rebranding-its-zeekr-robotaxi/
Larry Page loosens business ties to CA amid state’s proposed wealth tax, report Larry Page is reportedly moving assets out of California over concern the state will vote in a tax on billionaires. Powered by WPeMatico https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/larry-page-loosens-business-ties-to-ca-amid-states-proposed-wealth-tax-report/
UK bets £210M on cybersecurity to unlock digital government — and £45B in productivity savings The UK Government has unveiled a £210 million cyber action plan to secure online public services and protect people’s data as more services move online. The plan aims to strengthen defences across departments, respond faster
UK AI firm Faculty to be acquired by consulting giant Accenture A UK AI firm that advises OpenAI and other frontier AI model companies on AI safety is to be acquired by IT consulting giant Accenture. Faculty, which also worked with Vote Leave on the Brexit referendum, was co-founded in
GIN e-bikes raises €215k in dept funding to expand PLUTO e-bike subscriptions in London Toloka.vc, a Ukrainian investment syndicate, has announced an investment of €215k in British electric bike company GIN e-bikes, which is scaling a subscription-based electric bike rental service in London under its PLUTO brand. The investment was
BENTELER Group acquires Frankfurt’s ioki to build Europe’s first integrated autonomous public transport platform Salzburg-based BENTELER Group has signed an agreement to acquire Frankfurt’s mobility software provider ioki from Deutsche Bahn. The transaction is expected to close in the near future. With this acquisition, BENTELER subsidiary HOLON, ioki, and Benteler
Milano-based automotive SaaS provider MotorK secures €3 million to bolster its financial position Milano-based MotorK, an AI-centric SaaS provider to the automotive retail industry in the EMEA region, has secured an additional €3 million tranche of financing from its existing lender Atempo Growth. The fresh capital will be utilised to
10 Belgian startups to watch in 2026 and beyond Like every year, we take a country-by-country look at the teams and technologies shaping the continent’s entrepreneurial landscape. In 2026, we start this journey by turning our attention to Belgium, a country known for its strong research institutions, thriving tech hubs,