Europe must take bigger bets on young founders to build tomorrow’s tech giants, industry leaders urged today. Speaking at TNW Conference, investors and CEOs called for stronger support for entrepreneurial ambition — before Europe’s best ideas and brightest minds head elsewhere. Kieran Hill, General Partner at 20VC — a venture capital firm founded by podcast host Harry Stebbings — urged the continent’s institutions to expand their appetite for risk. “We need to change how we sell ambition,” he said. Hill believes changing this mindset is key to producing Europe’s next business leaders. He warned that today’s talented founders often want…

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A saliva-based fertility tracker has received regulatory approval for use as a contraceptive in Europe. Developed by Berlin-based startup Inne, the at-home testing device — called the “Minilab” — tracks daily changes in progesterone levels, a hormone that plays a key role in regulating the menstrual cycle. It’s billed as a non-invasive alternative to hormonal birth control methods like the pill — and early tests have shown promising results. A year-long clinical study involving 300 women over 1,500 cycles found Inne’s at-home fertility tracker to be 100% effective when used perfectly, and 92% effective for typical use. That’s similar to the…

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Swedish energy tech pioneer Flower has won TECH5 — the “Champions League of Technology.” The company clinched the title of Europe’s hottest scaleup after developing a novel way to store energy and stabilise the grid. Flower works with clients running battery storage systems — including EV fleets, home batteries, solar parks, and data centres — to push power back into the grid when demand spikes. The Stockholm-based business applies its software platform to portfolios of energy assets, uncovering insights that guide storage and management strategies. This improves predictability and flexibility for both energy producers and consumers. The result is a more balanced…

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Without water, the average human would die after about five days. Without energy, our society as we know it would collapse. But what about a world without AI? According to British business leaders, the consequences would be equally catastrophic. A new report by London-based software firm Endava, surveying 500 entrepreneurs, found that two-thirds of respondents rank AI as socially vital — on par with water and electricity. A whopping 93% of the respondents want industry and government to implement AI as fast as possible. Meanwhile, 84% of say they use AI as a “companion” or conversation partner at least once…

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A Swedish startup is taking defence tech back to basics — by building the country’s first TNT factory since the Cold War. Stockholm-based Swebal has secured a €3mn investment for the plant, slated to enter full operation in late 2027. Located in Nora, a town about three hours from the capital, the factory is expected to produce more than 4,000 tonnes of TNT a year. Investors in the facility include the co-founder of venture capital firm EQT, Thomas von Koch, serial entrepreneur Pär Svärdson, and Sweden’s former army chief, Major General Karl Engelbrektson.   Joakim Sjöblom, Swebal’s founder, said the…

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