Every January, millions take on Dry January, a ritual of restraint and resetting after the holiday season. If that’s the benchmark for kicking off the year with moderation, Europe’s startup ecosystem clearly didn’t get the memo.  In the opening weeks of 2026, the region saw five startups join the unicorn club, crossing the $1 billion valuation mark across sectors as varied as cybersecurity, cloud optimisation, defence tech, ESG software, and education technology.  January was anything but dry for European companies. This burst of activity signals more than a funding spike; it invites a deeper look at what Europe’s innovation identity…

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G2 acquires Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp from Gartner G2 has completed a major acquisition by purchasing three of the world’s most influential software discovery platforms from Gartner. The move significantly reshapes the global B2B software reviews market and strengthens G2’s position in how companies evaluate and buy software. Noora Saksaa appointed CEO of Slush Slush, one of Europe’s most influential tech and startup events, has named Noora Saksa as its new CEO. The leadership change signals a strategic shift toward expanding Slush beyond its annual event and building a year-round global founder platform. France moves public sector away from…

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The software industry is increasingly questioning the growing influence of G2 following its agreement to acquire Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp from Gartner. The deal, announced in late January and expected to close in Q1 2026, consolidates several of the most influential B2B software discovery platforms under a single owner . How big is G2’s footprint after the acquisition? According to G2’s own disclosures, the combined group will host around 6 million verified software reviews and reach more than 200 million software buyers annually across thousands of categories. Individually, the platforms already commanded significant scale: G2 reports over 3 million…

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We are all familiar with the subscription economy, and it certainly works as a reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were all hooked on our TVs watching Netflix or listening to our favorite music artist on Spotify. Despite how modern it seems to be, the truth is that the subscription economy has been around for some time, surprisingly dating back to around 1800, with the first magazine subscriptions, or the subscriptions for fresh British milk, around 1860. Over the years, the of subscription-based companies has turned the subscription model into an ideal business strategy since it provides unique benefits.…

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Apple confirmed this week that it has acquired Israeli AI startup Q.ai in a deal valued at close to $2 billion, making it one of the company’s largest acquisitions ever, second only to the $3 billion purchase of Beats in 2014.  But check your assumptions: this isn’t Beats 2.0. There’s no new headphone brand to flex. Instead, Apple is paying top dollar for tech that might let your devices understand you without you ever saying a word. ​​These days we put our phones on silent so they won’t disturb us; soon the phone will put us on silent so it…

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