Startup news for the weekend week 23/2026

Funding

Merantix Capital closes €103 million fund for European AI start-ups

Berlin-based venture capital firm Merantix Capital has announced the closing of a new €103 million AI fund. The capital will be used to support around 40 early-stage (pre-seed and seed) European startups developing AI-native solutions for core industries such as logistics, manufacturing, energy, finance and healthcare. The investment strategy is split equally between financing founders from the company's own venture studio and direct investments. The strategic investors (LPs) include Union Investment, Jungheinrich, KPMG Germany, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Initial investments have already been made in companies such as Droidrun, Arqh and Outpost Bio.

LIQID closes third venture capital fund for 100 million euros

Digital asset manager LIQID has closed its third venture capital fund with a volume of more than 100 million euros. The LIQID Venture III fund invests in technology companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Stripe and Lovable via selected international VC managers. Investments are planned in around 30 target funds and more than 1,000 private technology companies with a focus on the areas of artificial intelligence, software, healthcare, energy and defense. The fund is aimed at semi-professional and professional investors with a minimum investment of 200,000 euros and is intended to facilitate access to venture capital investments, which were previously reserved primarily for institutional investors.

Oatsome reaches financing target ahead of schedule

The Frankfurt-based better-for-you food start-up Oatsome has oversubscribed its current crowd-investing campaign ahead of schedule and reached its original financing target of 500,000 euros. The financing round will run until June 12 on OneCrowd and can grow to up to 800,000 euros. At the same time, the company is pushing ahead with its product development and is launching Lovely Caramel Creme, an organic plant-based spread based on monk fruit, which, according to Oatsome, contains 84% less sugar than comparable products and does not contain any artificial sweeteners. The market launch at a major drugstore chain in Germany and Austria is planned for July. According to Oatsome, the company benefited from profitable, double-digit growth, additional retail listings and new product categories in the first quarter of 2026. Investors can participate via a digital bond with an annual interest rate of 8 percent and a possible performance-related bonus.

Freshflow receives 10 million US dollars for AI in food retail

The Berlin-based startup has completed Series A financing of 10 million US dollars. With its AI specially developed for fresh produce, the company supports supermarkets with orders and inventory management, which it claims can reduce food waste by up to 30 percent and increase sales. The capital will be used to extend the platform to other fresh produce categories, expand in Europe and grow the team. The solution is already being used by nine retail companies in Germany and France.

Awards & Events

GITEX AI Europe brings tech and investment community to Berlin

GITEX AI Europe will take place on June 30 and July 1, 2026 at Messe Berlin and will bring together companies, start-ups, investors, research institutions and political decision-makers from all over the world. The event is considered one of the most important platforms for digital innovation and artificial intelligence in Europe. The AI Everything Germany, GISEC Europe, North Star Europe and GITEX Quantum Expo formats will be held in parallel. Around 1,400 exhibitors, 750 start-ups and 600 investors from more than 100 countries are expected to attend. In addition to exhibitions, the focus will be on networking, workshops, investor meetings and training opportunities. Registration via our event database or directly via gitexeurope.com

Astrolight qualifies for Startup World Cup finals in Silicon Valley

Lithuanian space and defense tech company Astrolight has won the national preliminary round of the Startup World Cup and will compete for a USD 1 million investment at the world final in San Francisco in November 2026. The company develops laser communication solutions for satellite, ground and maritime applications and benefits from the increasing demand for powerful data connections in space. Astrolight is already working with the European Space Agency (ESA), satellite manufacturers and industry partners, has launched several laser terminals into space and is involved in projects for optical communication networks and ground stations. The company sees laser communication as a key technology for future satellite constellations, defense applications and data-intensive infrastructures in orbit

Mergers & Acquisitions

Salesforce acquires Contentful and strengthens its AI platform

The CRM and AI provider Salesforce has signed a binding agreement to acquire the content platform Contentful. With the acquisition, Salesforce intends to expand its AI and customer experience platform with a native content layer that links customer data, AI and digital content more closely together. Contentful will be integrated into the Salesforce platform in future and will enable personalized content for web, mobile, email and other channels to be delivered automatically and in real time. By combining Contentful's API-based architecture with Salesforce solutions such as Data 360 and Agentforce, companies will be able to create individual customer experiences much faster and more scalably in future. The acquisition is still subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of Salesforce's 2027 financial year.

SITA acquires AI specialist Big Blue Analytics

SITA has acquired the AI provider Big Blue Analytics, thereby expanding its portfolio for the operational disruption management of airlines. Its OCCam platform simultaneously analyzes factors such as aircraft, crews, passengers and maintenance in the event of flight disruptions and creates automated recovery plans. According to the company, this enables airlines to reduce disruption costs by up to 30 percent. With the acquisition, SITA is pursuing the goal of building an intelligent operations control center that combines planning, monitoring and disruption management in an integrated, AI-supported solution.

Nestlé fully acquires yfood and drives global expansion

Nestlé is acquiring all shares in the Munich-based smart food brand yfood and intends to significantly accelerate its international expansion. yfood, already active in 30 countries and with sales of around 150 million euros (2025), will remain an independent brand, but will benefit more from Nestlé's global infrastructure and distribution in future. The founders will remain on board for the time being, while operational management will be transferred to Nestlé manager Jolanda Schwirtz once the transaction has been completed. The aim is to develop yfood into a global smart food brand in the area of wholesome drinkable meals.

Cooperations & partnerships

Futury and La French Tech Frankfurt combine their startup networks

Startup Factory Futury and La French Tech Frankfurt have entered into a strategic partnership to expand cooperation between the German and French innovation ecosystems. The official launch took place at the Germany & France Space & Defense Night in Frankfurt with more than 130 participants from startup, investor, industry and research networks. The aim of the cooperation is to promote cross-border connections, investments, pilot projects and market entries for start-ups. The next step will be a joint appearance at VivaTech in Paris. In addition, La French Tech Frankfurt will have a permanent location in the Futury Startup Space to further strengthen networking between founders, companies and investors from both countries.

Personnel

Cargoboard brings in logistics veteran Dominik Dörflein for international expansion

The digital transport platform Cargoboard is strengthening its management team with Dominik Dörflein as its new Head of Expansion. The long-standing Schäflein manager brings with him more than 23 years of experience in international freight forwarding and network logistics and will drive forward the company's European expansion. Cargoboard already has around 5,000 international customers and is aiming for a turnover of 100 million euros by 2027, with around 20 percent coming from international business. With Dörflein, the company aims to further strengthen its position as a digital logistics platform in Europe and accelerate the expansion of its cross-border network.

Proxima Fusion brings ex-Alan CFO Sergei Galperin into the management team

The Munich-based fusion energy start-up Proxima Fusion has appointed Sergei Galperin as Chief Financial Officer. The former J.P. Morgan consultant, Alan CFO and Ribbit Capital investor will be responsible for the financial strategy for the company's next growth phase. The focus will be on financing key development projects such as the Stellarator Model Coil until 2027 and the Alpha demonstration reactor, which is expected to achieve a permanent net energy gain from fusion for the first time in the early 2030s. The appointment strengthens Proxima Fusion's management team as it moves towards building a commercial fusion energy company in Europe.

Ambienta brings private equity expert Jérôme Losson on board

The asset manager Ambienta, which specializes in sustainable investments, has appointed Jérôme Losson as Partner and Head of Portfolio Operations for the Private Equity division. The former KKR and BC Partners manager will drive the value enhancement and operational development of the portfolio - particularly in the areas of digitalization, artificial intelligence, cyber security and operational excellence. The appointment strengthens Ambienta's value creation capabilities as the platform continues to grow.

Further exciting news

ARX Robotics expands production and doubles its workforce

Munich-based defense tech provider ARX Robotics is pushing ahead with its expansion in Europe and preparing for the next phase of growth. The company plans to double its workforce by the end of 2026, is opening a new headquarters and production site in Munich and aims to increase its production capacity in Germany fivefold. At the same time, ARX Robotics is expanding its presence in core European markets as well as in Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The company is also opening a representative office in Berlin to strengthen the exchange with politicians, the armed forces and industry partners. To accompany the expansion, ARX Robotics is introducing a new brand identity and launching a Europe-wide recruiting and brand initiative. The background to this is the increasing demand for autonomous defense systems as well as several orders and partnerships in the European defense sector.

NATO partner significantly increases order with STARK

The Berlin-based defense tech company STARK announces the significant expansion of an existing order for its Virtus loitering ammunition by a NATO member state. Following the successful delivery of the first systems, the European ally quadrupled the order volume. According to STARK, the decision confirms the operational readiness and scalability of the technology. The company develops AI-supported, software-based unmanned systems and was already awarded a framework contract to supply several thousand systems for Bundeswehr Brigade 45 in early 2026.

Inno KI achieves 1 million euros in recurring annual revenue without external investors

Two years after it was founded, Lower Saxony-based Inno KI GmbH has reached the one million euro annual recurring revenue (ARR) mark. The company financed its growth exclusively from its own funds and deliberately avoided venture capital or other external investors. The proceeds from AI consulting and training are used to further develop the innoGPT platform, which is currently growing by around 30% per month, according to the company. The GDPR-compliant platform bundles various AI models on an infrastructure hosted in Germany and is used by more than 1,000 companies and over 600 professional users. In addition to the software, Inno KI also offers consulting and change management services for the introduction of AI solutions in companies.

Custodia brings AI to the market without cloud risk

Swiss startup Custodia has launched Sentinel, a local AI appliance for executives, family offices, research institutions and other organizations with particularly sensitive data. Unlike cloud-based AI services, Sentinel processes documents and queries entirely on its own hardware, without any connection to external servers or AI providers. Users can integrate thousands of internal documents and let the AI work specifically on this knowledge base, while all data remains under their control. The company is thus positioning Sentinel as a response to growing demands for data protection, data sovereignty and regulatory compliance. Following initial pilot projects with researchers, consultants and companies, the system is now available to selected customers. In the future, Custodia is also planning functions for autonomous AI workflows and a version for use in larger organizations.

CleanLoop takes off in Germany

The Austrian re-use start-up CleanLoop is expanding into Germany and bringing its digital marketplace for used catering and cleaning equipment to a market worth billions. Companies can use the platform to resell functioning machines and unused cleaning products or purchase them at a significantly lower price. The aim is to reduce wasted resources and cut costs at the same time. The company, which was founded in 2025, is supported by Austria's national goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, who is an investor in the potential of the circular economy. We already reported on Manuel Neuer and his partnership with a start-up at the start of the week. Following its successful launch in Austria, CleanLoop now wants to benefit from the growing demand for sustainable and economical procurement solutions in Germany.