Startup News for the Weekend, Week 37/26
Funding
Furo Secures Four Million Euros for Battery Storage Software
The Munich-based energy software startup Furo, formerly Lumera Energy, has closed a funding round totaling four million euros. The round was led by TQ Ventures, with additional participation from Neo, Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners, and CDTM Venture Capital. Furo develops software for controlling commercial and industrial battery storage systems that forecasts electricity prices and weather conditions, automatically operates the storage systems based on this data, and markets available capacity. According to the company, more than 800 companies use the platform at over 6,000 locations in Germany and Europe. The startup, founded in 2025, plans to use the capital for product development, expansion into additional European markets, and growing its team.
Legal AI Startup Grubel Raises €3 Million in Pre-Seed Funding
The legal AI startup Grubel has raised three million euros in a pre-seed round. The funding round was led by Berlin-based early-stage investor Point Nine, with participation from business angels such as Jeff Dean, Databricks co-founder Ion Stoica, Together AI co-founder Chris Ré, and Harvey founders Winston Weinberg and Gabe Pereyra. Grubel develops AI systems designed to automatically specialize in individual legal cases and their specific data, parties, and legal frameworks. The company was founded by AI researchers Moritz Hardt, Reinhard Heckel, Vedant Nanda, and Navid Rekabsaz.
The Exploration Company Raises $450 Million
The European space startup The Exploration Company (TEC) has raised $450 million in a Series C funding round. According to the company, this is the largest Series C round to date for a European space company. The round is led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Atomico, and the Scaleup Europe Fund managed by EQT. The capital will primarily be used to advance the reusable Nyx space capsule.
Positive Secures 106 Million Euros for Further Growth
The European marketing software provider Positive has completed a bank refinancing of 106 million euros. The financing replaces a structured financing agreement of 75 million euros agreed upon in 2022, extends existing maturities, and provides additional capital for further acquisitions. Over the past five years, Positive has acquired more than twelve companies and now generates annual revenue of approximately 70 million euros, primarily from recurring SaaS revenue. The company employs more than 400 people in France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.
Awards & Events
NeulandPro Connect Brings AI, SMEs, and Startups to Berlin
NeulandPro Connect will take place on October 16 and 17, 2026, at the WECC Berlin. More than 1,000 participants from the SME sector, the startup scene, technology, research, and the creator community are expected to attend. The program includes more than 20 keynote speeches and over 30 workshops, as well as two hackathons, an AI short film competition, and live robotics demonstrations. Speakers on stage will include digital expert Sascha Lobo, as well as representatives from Meta, Databricks, and Deutsche Bahn, and Dr. Julia Freudenberg from the Hacker School. The event will be complemented by a Deal Day and Hiring Day to facilitate business connections, partnerships, and talent recruitment, as well as an after-show party. For the address, registration, and all other details, see the Startbase Events.
Constructor University Takes Second Place in Autonomous Race at Imola
Constructor University’s autonomous racing team took second place at the European premiere of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) in Imola, Italy. The team led by Ilya Schimcik and robotics professor Andreas Birk started last among the five participating teams and worked its way up to second place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. In this racing series, identical Dallara Super Formula cars compete without drivers and are controlled autonomously using radar, LiDAR, and camera data. At Imola, the cars achieved lap times of up to 1:37 minutes. For Constructor, this marks a repeat of its previous best A2RL result from 2024. The season finale will take place in October in Abu Dhabi.
Hamburg Startup Award Goes to MicroHarvest, Willke, and Michael R. Neumann
The 2026 Hamburg Startup Award honors the biotech scale-up MicroHarvest, the Willke Group, and entrepreneur Michael R. Neumann. MicroHarvest receives the award in the “Startup” category. Founded in 2021, the company produces alternative proteins using biomass fermentation and is currently setting up an industrial production facility in Leuna. The track construction and rail infrastructure specialist Willke is being honored as a rising star; the company currently employs more than 600 people and generates approximately 175 million euros in revenue in Germany. The Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Michael R. Neumann, who developed the Neumann Coffee Group into a globally active green coffee trader with more than 3,300 employees today.
GründerGeflecht Brings Kassel’s Startup Scene Together
The next GründerGeflecht event will take place on September 17 at Deck4 in Kassel. Starting at 5 p.m., the program will focus on entrepreneurship, startups, health, and business succession. Diana Plettenberg will give a presentation on pitching and will also assist the scholarship recipients in preparing their presentations beforehand. Sebastian Döring will present Techniker Krankenkasse’s startup initiatives and provide insights into the Social Pizza events.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Main Capital Partners Acquires Majority Stake in VWE Automotive
Software investor Main Capital Partners is acquiring a majority stake in the Dutch automotive software provider VWE Automotive. Founded in 1993, the company employs around 150 people and serves more than 10,000 customers, including car dealers, leasing companies, insurers, repair shops, and fleet operators. With its MijnVWE platform, the company offers software, data, and transaction solutions for processes throughout the vehicle lifecycle.
Lexroom Expands with Two Acquisitions in Europe
The Italian legal AI company Lexroom is acquiring full ownership of the French provider Query Juriste and the Bulgarian company Praven Intelekt. These are the first acquisitions since Lexroom’s founding and, following its expansion into Germany and Spain, extend its presence to a total of five European markets. Query Juriste brings nearly 300 clients and approximately 1,000 paying users to the table, while Praven Intelekt adds more than 900 clients. The founders and teams of both companies are joining Lexroom and will be responsible for further developing their respective markets.
Main Capital Partners Acquires Majority Stake in Orgvue
The Dutch software investor Main Capital Partners is acquiring a majority stake in the London-based workforce management provider Orgvue, marking its first platform investment in the British market. Orgvue employs around 250 people and serves nearly 200 major international clients as well as more than 50 consulting partners. The cloud-based software helps companies plan and optimize their workforce and organizational structures. Together with the existing management team, Main plans to drive product development and international expansion, as well as grow the business with enterprise customers.
SONNTAG Energy Acquires GridParity’s Agri-PV Business
Lindau-based SONNTAG Energy GmbH is acquiring GridParity AG’s agri-PV business unit following the company’s insolvency. The transaction includes, among other things, the “Agri-PV” brand, the associated domains, and the existing website. SONNTAG Energy plans to further develop existing projects and more closely integrate agri-photovoltaics with battery storage and energy trading to make more efficient use of grid connections and improve the economic viability of the systems. The company builds farm-based Agri-PV systems, typically with one to two megawatts of photovoltaic and storage capacity. Projects already planned with GridParity will also be reviewed and, where possible, continued. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
More News
Menopause app Frieda Menova to be available by prescription in the future
The therapy app Frieda Menova, developed by the Berlin-based femtech company Frieda Health, has been added to the DiGA directory of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and can therefore be prescribed by a doctor. Statutory health insurance providers cover the costs of the 12-week digital therapy program, which is based on cognitive behavioral therapy and is designed to help women cope with hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, and other menopausal symptoms.
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