At TechBBQ, Europe’s AI conversations kept coming back to: Who’s actually in control?
Investors, founders, and operators from across Europe arrived for the annual Nordic TechBBQ conference to talk about how humans can have agency over AI.
Venture
How Sweden built one of Europe’s hottest startup ecosystems
Sophia Bendz, general partner at Cherry Ventures, stopped by Equity to break down the latest in the Swedish tech ecosystem.
a16z creates a $1.1B ‘Machine Age’ fund to ‘accelerate the physical buildout of AI’
The firm, known for its focus on software, is going to start throwing more money at the hardware behind AI.
Fashion startup Atorie raises $9.5M to bring consumers luxury goods without the markup
Shoppers can visit the Atorie website and buy handbags or clothes made from the same material — and coming from the same factory — that manufacturers use in high-end goods.
Capital F closes $17M debut fund with goal to back the future of the ‘female economy’
Capital F, one of the few all-female-led VC firms, announced Wednesday the $17 million close of its debut fund. The firm backs companies building in the “female economy” — or the markets where women drive demand. That mainly falls into three buckets for the firm, Margaret Coblentz, the firm’s co-founder, told TechCrunch — women’s health, […]
What’s driving Sweden’s startup boom, from Lovable to Legora
Vibe-coding darling Lovable just raised $400 million at a $13.3 billion valuation, roughly doubling its worth in eight months. But Lovable isn’t the only Stockholm startup putting up huge numbers lately — legal AI company Legora and health tech startup Neko Health are right there with it. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Dominic-Madori Davis is joined by Sophia Bendz, a partner at Cherry Ventures and longtime fixture of Europe’s startup […]
Ventures Platform goes bigger — and broader — with its second Africa fund
The Pan-African venture firm has raised $83 million and plans to invest in startups beyond its home market of Nigeria.
Fiat Ventures combines venture and advisory divisions into new brand, raises $35M Fund II
In an environment where emerging fund managers struggle to attract LP attention, FGV is betting that a different venture model can help it lure LPs.
Valor, Point72 back General Intuition at $6B valuation as AI startup pushes into robotics
General Intuition, the startup building a foundation model that trains generalized AI agents how to move through space and time, is in talks to raise at a $6 billion pre-money valuation from new investors including Valor Ventures, Point72 Ventures, and Seven Seven Six.
Hugging Face reportedly in talks to be acquired for $13B
Hugging Face has reportedly been fielding acquisition offers that would value the company at around $13B. But with the founders’ feeling of responsibility to community, doubts arise as to whether a sale will happen.