From bricklaying robots to zero-carbon cement, startups are shaking up construction in a high-tech bid to build better, greener structures.  One of these early-stage ventures is Finland-based Aisti. Founded in 2019, the company has come up with a way to make acoustic tiles that are “carbon-negative.” Acoustic panels are a common construction material used to reduce noise and improve sound quality in buildings. Aisti has raised €29mn in a mix of VC and debt funding to build its first industrial-scale factory in Kitee, a small town about four hours northeast of Helsinki.  The startup plans to bring the tiles to market…

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Rome-based venture capital firm Scientifica has launched a €200mn fund to support startups in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and other frontier technologies. The fund, set to launch early next year, will provide early-stage companies with both financial backing and access to advanced lab spaces. Scientifica’s fund is based on a “Zero CapEx” model. Startups can use Scientifica’s 4,000 m² of laboratories and a network of 70 certified labs in Italy without incurring upfront costs. The aim is to reduce barriers to innovation by giving early-stage access to cutting-edge tools and facilities. The model reflects a growing trend of venture capital firms supporting…

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If you live in Europe and you use a neobank, you’ve likely been interacting with Upvest’s investment products without even knowing it. The Berlin-based startup runs a stock-trading API that integrates into some of the biggest fintechs in Europe — Revolut, N26, Bunq, Plum, Raisin, Shares and Vivid. Through these banks, some 50 million users have access use the company’s investment products, it said. Amid a broader neobank boom, Upvest today announced it has raised €100M in a Series C funding round led by Hedosophia and joined by Sapphire Ventures. Existing investors, Bessemer Venture Partners, BlackRock, Earlybird, HV Capital, Motive Ventures, and Notion Capital also chipped…

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On a warm day in October, three corporates and two startups gathered together in the TNW offices for the conclusion of the one-hundred-day Vodafone IoT Challenge. Innovation is something all businesses want, but few actually have time for. We read about the advanced new tools and technologies collecting richer insights and making things faster and easier than ever before. But, when it comes down to it, day-to-day tasks always end up taking precedence over the effort and progress we could make for tomorrow. The real challenge is simply committing to the time it takes to innovate. That’s why Facilicom Group,…

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Amsterdam-based startup CarbonX has secured €4mn to industrialise a new anode material that could help Europe reduce its reliance on China for graphite, a substance which makes up half the weight of a typical lithium-ion battery.  Netherlands-based VC Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam led the round. It’s an extension on CarbonX’s €10mn capital injection announced in February, capping off the funding round at a cosy €14mn.   Graphite is the go-to material for lithium-ion battery anodes, which is the negative electrode responsible for storing and releasing electrons during the charging and discharging process. Its found in batteries that power everything from EVs…

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