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For decades, access to high-quality deal flow and sophisticated M&A infrastructure has been largely designed for well-connected investors and industry giants. Small businesses and independent founders, particularly those operating outside English-speaking markets, may often find the barriers even higher. Language, geography, and limited access to networks could mean that opportunity stops at the border.  Amidst this trend, Flippa, a platform for buying and selling digital businesses, is rewriting the script and dismantling those barriers. Under the leadership of CEO Blake Hutchison, the company has connected buyers and sellers across continents, linguistic differences, and price points, closing deals from $100,000 up…This story continues at The Next Web

Paris-based fintech Pennylane has just pulled off one of Europe’s most noteworthy funding rounds of the year, announcing €175 million in new capital to accelerate its push into artificial intelligence and expand its footprint across the continent. The round was led by growth investor TCV, with participation from Blackstone Growth and a group of existing backers that includes Sequoia Capital, DST Global, CapitalG and Meritech Capital.  What makes this raise stand out isn’t just the size of the cheque, though €175 million is hard to ignore in a selective funding market, but the strategic timing and purpose behind it. Pennylane…This story continues at The Next Web

In October 2021, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn interpreted the first movement of Beethoven’s 10th unfinished symphony, which was completed with the use of artificial intelligence. A team of computer scientists, music historians, musicologists, and composers developed the ‘Beethoven AI’ to analyze Beethoven’s music style and life, using the sketches he left behind of the 10th symphony, plus works from other composers that had a notable influence on his life, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, to generate pieces that reflect what he would have composed. Beethoven AI, as others AI composition programs, produces music in the same way ChatGPT produces outcomes.…This story continues at The Next Web

As Europe races into the AI era, its policymakers are laying new pipes for the continent’s digital future. The European Commission’s proposed Digital Networks Act (DNA) promises to rewire the EU’s telecom landscape, with big implications for artificial intelligence infrastructure, connectivity equity, and the startup ecosystem.  Exposed as part of a broader push to make Europe “fit for the Digital Age,” the draft law aims to modernize how networks are built and regulated, from 5G towers in rural villages to fiber links between data centers.  I have to say it’s a bold vision of a more connected, innovative Europe, but…This story continues at The Next Web

Berlin’s energy transition sector got a defining boost today as Cloover, a climate fintech based in Berlin, announced it has secured more than $1.2 billion in total capital commitments, combining Series A equity and a substantial debt facility to accelerate the rollout of its software and financing platform across Europe. The financing package includes €18.8 million (approximately $22 million) in Series A equity, led by MMC Ventures and QED Investors, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital, BNVT Capital, Bosch Ventures, Centrotec, and Earthshot Ventures. Alongside that, a €1.02 billion debt facility provided by a major European bank will be deployed directly…This story continues at The Next Web

To many readers, this may sound like a paradox: how can knowledge ever become invaluable? In this article, I want to explore how corporate knowledge, when poorly structured and rigidly transferred, can slowly transform from an asset into a disadvantage. Not only for companies, but especially for employees. And over time, that disadvantage compounds. The journey usually looks familiar. You apply for a job, speak with a recruiter, send your CV, go through interviews, and eventually receive the green-light email: “Congratulations, you’re hired.” This moment takes us directly to the real turning point: the onboarding process. Those first one, two,…This story continues at The Next Web

In a Davos dominated by talk of tariffs, subsidies, and geopolitical risk, Europe used the stage to question its own economic limits. At the World Economic Forum, Ursula von der Leyen put forward one of the clearest signals yet that the European Union is preparing a structural shift in how it treats business, competitiveness, and economic power.  The phrase that stuck, “Europe Inc”, is not the name of a regulation, nor a new Brussels invention ready to roll out. It is a political framing for a shift that the European Commission wants to accelerate. What Europe Inc actually refers to…This story continues at The Next Web

Belgian business software company Odoo, also a unicorn, has reached a fresh milestone. Growth investor General Atlantic has increased its stake in the firm, buying additional shares from regional backer Wallonie Entreprendre and pushing Odoo’s valuation to roughly €7 billion.  This move isn’t a typical funding round where a company raises new capital. Instead, it’s a secondary transaction: General Atlantic bought existing shares that were previously held by Wallonie Entreprendre, the investment arm of Belgium’s Walloon region. After the deal, Wallonie Entreprendre still holds about 3 % of the company.  Odoo was founded in 2002 in Belgium and has grown steadily…This story continues at The Next Web

For a long time, tech events were built around scale. The bigger the crowd, the stronger the perception of success. Attendance numbers became a proxy for impact, and festivals grew year after year because that was what the industry expected. That model no longer fits how tech leaders work today. Over the past years, I have spent time in conversations with founders, executives, and operators who carry real responsibility inside their organizations. As a community builder, I often speak with them before they commit to attending events. Their questions are direct. They want to know who will be in the…This story continues at The Next Web

Venture capital powerhouse Sequoia Capital is preparing to invest in Anthropic, the AI startup best known for its Claude family of large language models, in one of the largest private funding rounds in tech this year. The deal is being led by Singapore’s GIC and U.S. investor Coatue, each contributing roughly $1.5 billion, as part of a planned raise of $25 billion or more at a staggering $350 billion valuation. This move stands out for two reasons: the size and speed of the valuation surge and the fact that Sequoia, already an investor in rival AI builders such as OpenAI…This story continues at The Next Web