Startupnews week 43 - 2024

RIVE Private Investment invests in terralayr AG. Mintos partnership with Upvest. Neoshare AG strengthens management team. Tekkie Award 2024/2025. Lieferando cooperates with CURE. 24 million dollar Series A for TollBit. BiltOn secures 15 million dollars in Series B. Aunetic acquires Swedish compliance specialist Qnister. General Catalyst raises 8 billion dollars. 1.7 million pre-seed investment in ExoMatter.

Vanagon Ventures leads €1.7m pre-seed investment in ExoMatter

Vanagon Ventures, specialized in deep tech investments, together with Bayern Kapital and other investors, has led a pre-seed round of 1.7 million euros in the AI startup ExoMatter. ExoMatter is revolutionizing materials research using AI and quantum mechanical modeling to discover new, sustainable materials. The start-up shortens the development process by up to 90% and is already working with DAX companies such as Airbus and Infineon. The funding will help ExoMatter to automate and further scale its platform.

Financing rounds

BiltOn secures 15 million dollars in Series B funding

BiltOn, formerly Beti, has closed a 15 million dollar Series B financing round. The investment, led by PSG Equity, supports the further development of the construction project management and risk management software. The goal is to help construction companies manage labor, safety requirements, compliance and reduce insurance claims. BiltOn, which already supports over 1,200 construction companies worldwide, offers a variety of features including 3D facial recognition for employee verification, automated time tracking and safety checklists. With the funding, BiltOn plans to further expand its reach in the U.S. and globally.

24 million dollar Series A for TollBit

TollBit, a marketplace for AI companies and publishers, has received 24 million dollars in a Series A funding round led by Lightspeed. The platform enables AI companies to pay publishers in real time for the use of their content, while publishers can monitor and monetize AI bot traffic. Over 200 publishers, including TIME and ADWEEK, are already using the system, which enables fast and transparent licensing without lengthy negotiations. The aim is to promote the sustainable monetization of content in the digital age.

RIVE Private Investment invests in terralayr AG

RIVE Private Investment becomes the first infrastructure investor in terralayr AG, a German company that develops and operates large-scale battery storage systems. Together they aim to finance terralayr's project portfolio, which includes over 5 GW of development contracts. Terralayr offers an "energy flexibility as a service" platform that enables electricity producers, grid operators and large consumers, such as data centers, to provide flexibility services without having to operate their own facilities.

Cooperations, M & A

Mintos partnership with Upvest

The Latvian multi-asset platform Mintos is partnering with investment infrastructure provider Upvest to optimize the management of its ETF portfolios in Europe. By integrating Upvest's investment API, Mintos can automate its processes and increase the efficiency of its ETF offerings. This will allow the platform to continue to provide users with secure and flexible access to diversified portfolios. The collaboration marks an important step for Mintos to further scale and consolidate its position as the European investment solution for retail investors.

Lieferando cooperates with CURE

Lieferando is expanding its range to include health and care products and is cooperating with the health tech start-up CURE. Customers can now conveniently order over-the-counter medicines and other pharmacy items via the Lieferando app. The service is starting with 60 pharmacies in 18 German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt. The more than 500 products on offer include cold medicines, Covid tests, baby food and cosmetics. Deliveries are usually made within 45 minutes. This partnership is intended to support the digitalization of the pharmacy sector and significantly expand Lieferando's offering.

Aunetic acquires Swedish compliance specialist Qnister

Aunetic, a provider of governance software, has announced the acquisition of Swedish compliance specialist Qnister. Qnister, founded in 2017, offers software solutions for GDPR compliance and whistleblowing services and is aimed at small and medium-sized companies in various industries. With this acquisition, Aunetic strengthens its presence in the Swedish market and expands its product portfolio in the area of compliance software. The integration of Qnister is expected to drive Aunetic's growth in the European market and expand its expertise in key areas such as sanctions screening and contract management.

Personnel

Neoshare AG strengthens management team

neoshare AG is expanding its team with Andreas Trumpp and Dr. Tobias Dichtl, two renowned experts for market analysis and strategy development in the real estate sector. Both will assume the position of Co-Heads of Market Intelligence & Foresight at the turn of the year. Trumpp, who previously worked as Managing Director at Colliers, brings 20 years of experience to the role. Dichtl, also from Colliers, is an expert in international real estate markets and investment strategies. With their data-driven approaches, they want to further expand neoshare's technology-based consulting approach and transform the real estate industry in the long term.

Fund

General Catalyst raises 8 billion dollars to support global innovation

General Catalyst, a global investment firm, has committed $8 billion to its largest fund to date to support innovative founders from early-stage to large-scale transformation projects. The funds will be allocated to a variety of areas, including $4.5 billion for startups and growth companies, $1.5 billion for business incubation and $2 billion for specialized technology investments. General Catalyst plans to use these funds to drive the development of key technologies and the transformation of entire industries.

What else has happened

Polish startup launches first fully autonomous drone on the market

The Polish start-up DefendEye has developed the first fully autonomous drone that does not require any configuration or trained pilots. Controlled by an integrated artificial intelligence (AI), the drone can fly autonomously, recognize and track people and carry out rescue and defense missions. With a launch system that is activated automatically, it offers versatile applications in areas such as security, rescue operations, agriculture and infrastructure inspections. The drone enables fast and efficient operations, revolutionizing the drone market and making complex missions more accessible and cost-effective.

Tekkie Award 2024/2025: puzzling, networking and winning

The Tekkie Award 2024/2025 offers puzzle enthusiasts the opportunity to network with top companies and win attractive prizes. Eight challenging puzzles have been available at tekkie-award.de since October 25, 2024. Participants who qualify by January 3, 2025 can not only win gadgets such as an iPhone 16 or a PlayStation 5 at the live final on January 24, 2025, but also discover valuable career opportunities. The competition is aimed at anyone interested in STEM and is organized by Fulda-based Tekkieversum GmbH.