Startup news for the weekend week 10/26

Funding

Cellbox Solutions receives 3.5 million euros

The Cologne-based life science company Cellbox Solutions has completed the first part of its Series A financing round and raised around 3.5 million euros. The round was led by the digital business angel network Companisto, with existing investor NRW.BANK also participating. The company intends to use the capital to expand production and sales internationally and to open up new fields of application, for example in cell and gene therapy and in-vitro fertilization. At the same time, Cellbox Solutions is strengthening its management team: Dr. Bernd Muehlenweg is taking on the role of Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer and will drive international scaling.

emproof appoints new CEO and secures financing for international expansion

Bochum-based embedded security specialist emproof has appointed Marc Schieder as CEO and closed a financing round with a European investor consortium. The round is led by Auriga Cyber Ventures; Dutch SecFund is a new participant, while High-Tech Gründerfonds and TIN Capital are increasing their commitment. With the fresh capital, emproof intends to drive forward its international scaling, strengthen sales and compliance and further develop the product platform. The company protects embedded systems at binary level against reverse engineering and manipulation.

Antiverse raises 9.3 million US dollars for AI-supported antibody development

The British biotech company Antiverse has raised 9.3 million US dollars in a Series A round, led by Soulmates Ventures, with participation from other investors. The capital will be used to expand the AI-based platform for the development of therapeutic antibodies against previously difficult-to-treat targets such as GPCRs and ion channels, as well as to advance proprietary programs to in vivo efficacy studies. Antiverse combines machine learning with its own laboratories in a "lab-in-the-loop" approach in which antibodies for specific disease targets are designed, produced and tested under realistic conditions. The company is also collaborating with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to develop novel antibodies against CFTR in cystic fibrosis.

Flink raises 100 million US dollars and reports profitability

The Berlin-based delivery service Flink has completed a financing round of around 100 million US dollars. It is led by Prosus and other existing investors; Btomorrow Ventures is a new addition. The valuation is around 900 million US dollars. At the same time, Flink announced that it is profitable on an EBITDA basis, having focused its business model on operational efficiency and cost discipline over the past two years. A selective expansion in Germany is planned for 2026, with a focus on profitable regions.

Mutable Tactics receives 2.1 million dollars in pre-seed funding

Space and deep tech investment firm Seraphim Space has led a 2.1 million dollar pre-seed funding round for start-up Mutable Tactics. Other investors include the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, Koro Capital, Entrepreneurs First and Transpose Platform. Mutable Tactics develops software that enables mixed fleets of unmanned systems to operate as coordinated teams, even with limited communication and uncertain GPS, while maintaining effective human control. The aim is to make autonomous systems more efficient and scalable in complex operational scenarios.

UniverCell secures 30 million euros for battery cell production

The battery technology start-up UniverCell has completed a financing round of 30 million euros to drive forward the expansion of its battery cell production in Germany. The capital will primarily be invested in a new production facility near Kiel and strengthen the European battery value chain. Investors include the Deeptech & Climate Fund and the EU innovation program European Innovation Council.

Awards & Events

QIMP High-Tech Incubator launches second application round until March 15

Braunschweig Zukunft GmbH has opened the second round of its QIMP High-Tech Incubator and is looking for growth-oriented start-ups in quantum technologies, IT, mobility and production technology. The program, initiated jointly with the Technische Universität Braunschweig and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, supports young companies in the scaling phase with coaching, access to research infrastructure and funding of up to 300,000 euros, in particular to bridge the critical development phase between research and market entry. The offer is financed by the state of Lower Saxony with co-financing from the European Union. Applications can be submitted until March 15, 2026; start-ups based or intending to be based in Lower Saxony that are no more than five years old can take part.

Saxon Founder Award 2026: 116 applications submitted

A total of 116 applications from all over Saxony have been received for the Saxon Founder Award 2026, which is awarded by the Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Climate Protection - an increase of 17 percent compared to the previous year. The innovation platform futureSAX GmbH is currently formally reviewing the submissions before a jury of around 100 experts evaluates the projects and announces the nominees at the beginning of April. The IT/software, life sciences and services sectors are particularly well represented; 48 entries also come from rural areas. The award ceremony will take place on June 17, 2026 as part of the Saxon Innovation Conference at Messe Dresden.

"Kölner Rahmen" promotes digitalization and sustainability with 150,000 euros

KölnBusiness supports companies in Cologne in digital and sustainable innovation projects with the "Kölner Rahmen" funding program. A total of 150,000 euros is available, whereby individual projects can be funded with up to 10,000 euros without any own contribution. The program, which is open to all sectors, is aimed both at providers of corresponding solutions and at companies that want to implement their own transformation. The next application phase will run from February 23 to April 26, 2026. Examples from previous rounds range from composting toilets for public spaces and VR-supported craft training to vertical farming and software for green roofs.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Flowpay acquires Tapline and expands SME financing in Europe

Prague-based fintech Flowpay acquires German startup Tapline to expand its financing platform for small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe. Tapline offers revenue-based financing solutions specifically for high-growth AI, SaaS and technology companies, where repayments are flexibly adapted to the business development and do not require collateral or equity levy. Through the acquisition, Flowpay is adding technology-driven financing models to its existing SME-focused offering, strengthening its presence in Germany and the UK and plans to gradually integrate Tapline's technology and team into its own portfolio.

Cooperations & partnerships

thermondo and Energy Metering drive forward nationwide smart meter rollout

The heat pump installer thermondo and Energy Metering, Octopus Energy's competitive metering point operator, are launching a partnership for the nationwide installation of smart metering systems. thermondo's new customers will receive a smart meter before their heat pump is installed at no extra cost; Energy Metering will take care of financing and installation. Several thousand installations are planned for 2026. The devices enable transparent consumption recording and the use of dynamic electricity tariffs with savings potential. The background to this is legal installation obligations, while Germany has so far lagged well behind its targets for the smart meter rollout.

CODE and Soonami cooperate to promote AI and Web3 start-ups

Berlin's CODE University of Applied Sciences is entering into a partnership with Swiss venture builder Soonami (Foundance AG) to help students move from project idea to funded startup. Soonami contributes its international network of mentors, investors and infrastructure and has already supported over 5,000 founders with the "Venturethon" program. Venturethon Edition 9, a ten-day remote program for AI and Web3 teams with mentoring, cloud and API credits and funding opportunities of up to 125,000 US dollars, will kick off the program. The collaboration is intended to offer students practical support in building scalable companies and will be further expanded in the long term.

Personnel

S2data brings ex-Mercedes manager Marc-Oliver Nandy onto the advisory board

The Graz-based AI logistics software company S2data has appointed Marc-Oliver Nandy, former Head of Global Supply Chain at Mercedes-Benz AG, to its strategic advisory board. Nandy will provide the company with long-term support for international scaling and, in particular, expansion in the automotive sector. With his experience in global logistics, digitalization and transformation, he brings extensive OEM expertise to the table. S2data develops an AI-based SaaS platform to optimize transport and supply chain processes, helping companies to reduce costs and emissions and increase transparency along the entire value chain.

Further news

Vivid reaches 100,000 SME customers and expands treasury offering

The Berlin-based financial platform Vivid has gained more than 100,000 small and medium-sized enterprises as customers in less than two years and is further expanding its liquidity management offering. Business customers can now earn interest of up to 5% p.a. on balances in US dollars and British pounds and up to 4% p.a. on balances in euros. At the same time, Vivid is expanding its treasury offering to include over 100 additional investment assets such as ETFs and money market funds and, for the first time, is making the functions fully available in the web browser with enhanced analysis and reporting tools.