📁 Market

Galdera Labs, founded by Klarna veterans, has launched an AI-driven platform for financial modeling, securing €1.5 million in pre-seed funding. The platform addresses inefficiencies in traditional financial models, offering continuous updates and natural language analysis.

Amsterdam-based startup OpenUp, which provides employees with direct anonymous access to psychologists, lifestyle experts, and financial counselors through their employer, has raised €20 million. The funding, led by Smartfin, will be used to scale the platform across Europe, where it already serves over 2,000 organizations.

Uber, Pony.ai, and Verne are partnering to launch a robotaxi service in Europe, starting in Zagreb, Croatia. On-road testing is already underway using Pony.ai’s Gen-7 system on the Arcfox Alpha T5. Uber intends to invest in Verne, with plans to scale to thousands of vehicles.

Sony Honda Mobility has discontinued both its AFEELA 1 sedan and an unnamed follow-up SUV, less than a year after opening a dedicated showroom in California. Honda’s sweeping EV retreat left the joint venture without the technical foundations it needed to build either car.

London-based proptech Giraffe360 has closed a Series B funding round led by Cipio Partners. The company combines a proprietary robotic camera with an AI software stack to produce a full property media kit from a single visit.

Amsterdam-based startup SOUS has raised €4 million to develop an AI platform that supports independent food and beverage operators in managing direct orders, customer discovery, and retention. The round was led by seed + speed Ventures.

Robotic process automation (RPA) remains valid for structured tasks, but artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the sector by handling unstructured data and complex processes. RPA and AI can coexist, with AI interpreting inputs and RPA executing specific tasks. Blue Prism, for example, is adapting its offering towards "intelligent automation".

Coupang, the e-commerce giant, continues its expansion in Taiwan by opening a fourth logistics center. The company is now targeting the central and southern regions of the island to further strengthen its delivery network and improve the efficiency of its logistics operations.

Taiwan's Rapidtek, a company specializing in connectivity solutions, is preparing to expand its global presence by participating in Satellite 2026. The company aims to showcase its capabilities in the satellite communications sector and forge new international partnerships.

China is increasing its share of the global machine tool market, at the expense of Taiwan. The Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted exports, creating new competitive dynamics in the sector. This shift could have significant implications for manufacturers and global supply chains.

The monetization of smart cockpits is proceeding more slowly than expected, leading to a recalibration of strategies globally. This impacts growth forecasts and investments in the automotive sector.

Experts emphasize the need to treat agentic artificial intelligence as a well-established engineering discipline. Companies must adopt a structured approach to the development and deployment of complex AI systems, ensuring reliability and scalability.

The 2025 funding landscape in Finland shows a mix of large late-stage rounds and solid early-stage activity. Deeptech, AI, cleantech and healthcare attract most of the investments, with a growing focus on space, quantum and energy. Nokia, Oura Health and IQM Quantum Computers lead the ranking of companies that raised the most capital.

The Spanish startup Arkadia Space has raised €14.5 million for its green space propulsion system DARK, based on hydrogen peroxide. The system was tested in orbit aboard a SpaceX mission in March 2025, marking a European first.

The 12th edition of the EU-Startups Summit will be held in Valletta, Malta, on May 7-8. The event will include pitch competitions, investor matchmaking, and panels with tech industry experts and startup founders.

Rising GPU costs are prompting India to reassess its artificial intelligence incentives and related hardware policies. This situation could significantly impact the development and adoption of AI solutions in the country.

Component manufacturer Holy Stone anticipates strong revenue growth by 2026, driven by increased demand for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) in artificial intelligence applications. The company aims to capitalize on the growing need for these components in AI systems.

Chip manufacturer Innos is preparing to list on the Taipei Exchange (TPEx) in late April, benefiting from the increasing demand for advanced semiconductor packaging solutions. The move comes during a period of strong expansion in the sector.

Winston Hsu spoke at AI Expo Taiwan 2026, highlighting how rising costs and memory limitations are shifting the focus to inference in the field of artificial intelligence. The challenges related to the deployment of complex models require new strategies to optimize resources.

Giraffe360, specializing in AI-powered real estate marketing solutions, has secured a $10 million Series B funding round. The investment will support the development of the AI platform and expansion into new markets, with the aim of transforming the presentation and marketing of real estate globally.