Summary: This week (23–29 March), Europe’s leading funding rounds.

Summary: This week (23–29 March), Europe’s leading funding rounds.

      A week that encompassed semiconductor physics, orbital logistics, defense interceptors, and carob-based chocolate highlights the current diversity of capital in Europe and its neighboring regions. The overarching theme is not confined to a specific sector but rather a shared instinct: support the infrastructure layer, which could involve chip interconnections, satellite transfer vehicles, or the AI framework that supports enterprise operations.

      Kandou AI – $225M Series A | Lausanne, Switzerland

      Kandou AI, a Swiss semiconductor firm established in 2011 and recently renamed from Kandou Bus, has successfully secured $225 million in a Series A round led by Maverick Silicon, with strategic contributions from SoftBank, Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems, and Alchip Technologies, bringing the company's valuation to $400 million. Their copper interconnect technology utilizes a signaling method called Chord, which can double or quadruple bandwidth while halving power usage, positioning it as a viable alternative to the expected dominance of optical interconnects in AI infrastructure.

      Air Street Capital – $232M Fund III close | London, UK

      Air Street Capital has finalized its third fund at $232 million, making it the largest venture fund ever raised by a solo GP in Europe, as reported by Sifted. The London-based firm, led by Nathan Benaich, invests in AI-centric companies at their earliest stages, providing initial investments ranging from $500,000 to $15 million, along with a small allocation for growth-stage investments of up to $25 million.

      Granola – $125M Series C | London, UK

      Granola, an AI meeting application based in London, has secured $125 million in a Series C round led by Danny Rimer at Index Ventures, elevating the company's valuation to $1.5 billion—an increase from $250 million less than a year ago. This funding round brings total investments to $192 million and repositions Granola's meeting recordings as essential enterprise AI infrastructure rather than merely a productivity tool.

      Ysios Capital InceptionBio – €100M fund | Barcelona, Spain

      Ysios Capital, the largest life sciences venture capital firm in Spain, has launched InceptionBio, a €100 million fund strictly for developing biotech firms from spinouts of Spanish universities and research centers, with CDTI as a cornerstone limited partner. The fund focuses on the riskiest phase in biotech, converting lab discoveries into viable companies with sufficient resources to attract institutional investors through preclinical data.

      Credo Ventures – $88M Fund V close | Prague, Czech Republic

      Credo Ventures has closed its fifth fund, totaling $88 million, its largest to date and an increase from the €75 million fourth fund completed in 2022. This continues its 15-year mission of providing the first institutional investment for founders from Central and Eastern Europe and their diaspora. The firm, based in Prague and Krakow, has previously backed companies like UiPath and ElevenLabs, typically investing between $1 million to $5 million at pre-seed stages.

      360 Capital – €85M deeptech fund | Paris, France

      360 Capital, the Paris-Milan VC managing over €500 million in assets, has secured €85 million for a new deeptech fund supported by at least one European defense contractor. The firm is shifting towards dual-use technologies at the intersection of software, hardware, and national security, marking a clear integration of European defense priorities into its deeptech investment strategy, a trend emerging among various continental funds.

      PaperShell – €40.3M EU Innovation Fund grant | Tibro, Sweden

      PaperShell, a Swedish deeptech firm producing structural composite materials from kraft paper and an agricultural waste-derived biobinder, has entered into a Grant Agreement with the European Commission under the EU Innovation Fund. This agreement unlocks €40.3 million out of an €83 million project aimed at expanding its Tibro facility to a capacity of 23,000 tonnes per year by 2030. The company claims the material is stronger than plastics and lighter than aluminum, and it is already NATO-certified for use in construction, defense, electronics, and transport.

      PAVE Space – $40M seed | Renens, Switzerland

      PAVE Space, a Swiss startup founded in 2024 and emerging from EPFL’s student rocketry program, has raised $40 million in one of the largest seed rounds in European space history, led by Visionaries Club and Creandum. The company aims to create a fleet of orbital transfer vehicles to shift satellites from their launch orbit to their operational orbit in under 24 hours, significantly faster than the six to twelve months common with current onboard electric propulsion.

      Lace Lithography – $40M Series A | Bergen, Norway

      Lace Lithography, a Norwegian startup established in 2023 by physicist Bodil Holst, has raised $40 million in a Series A round led by Atomico, with Microsoft’s M12 also involved, to advance a chip-pattern

Summary: This week (23–29 March), Europe’s leading funding rounds.

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A study indicates that AI chatbots are progressively disregarding human input, although we're not yet at the level of Skynet. A study indicates that AI chatbots are progressively disregarding human input, although we're not yet at the level of Skynet. AI often tends to exaggerate, and you’re certainly not the only one who notices it. Summary: Leading funding rounds in Europe during the week of 23–29 March. Summary: Leading funding rounds in Europe during the week of 23–29 March. From Kandou AI's $225 million investment in copper interconnects to Foreverland's cocoa-free chocolate, here are Europe's most significant funding rounds for the week of March 23-29. A study indicates that AI chatbots are progressively disregarding human input, although we haven't reached the point of Skynet yet. A study indicates that AI chatbots are progressively disregarding human input, although we haven't reached the point of Skynet yet. AI often tends to bluff, and you’re not the only one who notices it. A study indicates that AI chatbots are progressively overlooking human input, though we are not yet facing a situation like Skynet. A study indicates that AI chatbots are progressively overlooking human input, though we are not yet facing a situation like Skynet. AI often tends to exaggerate, and you’re not the only one who has noticed this. Summary: The leading funding rounds in Europe for the week of March 23–29. Summary: The leading funding rounds in Europe for the week of March 23–29. From Kandou AI's $225 million investment in copper interconnects to Foreverland's cocoa-free chocolate, here are the most significant funding rounds in Europe for the week of March 23-29.

Summary: This week (23–29 March), Europe’s leading funding rounds.

From Kandou AI's $225 million investment in copper interconnect to Foreverland's cocoa-free chocolate, here are Europe's most significant funding rounds for the week of March 23-29.