News
Daily digest of all European digital development news

The European Commission is selling out on digital rights
The European Commission's digital omnibus proposals weaken human rights safeguards in crucial digital legislation, including the GDPR and AI Act. These revisions scrap consent requirements for online tracking and narrow the definition of personal data, potentially impacting citizen privacy.

Commission accepts TikTok's commitments on advertising transparency under the Digital Services Act
The European Commission secured TikTok's commitment to boost advertising transparency under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The platform must provide full ad content, update repositories within 24 hours, and offer detailed targeting criteria.

Having set a Dragons’ Den record, London’s yuv attracts €10 million to accelerate salon-focused tech
London-based beauty tech firm yuv secured €10 million in Series A funding to expand its smart hair color lab system. This investment allows yuv to grow its salon-focused technology across the UK and into the US market.

When data relate to us?
The CJEU ruling reinforces the importance of GDPR in the age of AI and data spaces. The judgment clarifies what constitutes personal data, impacting how privacy-enhancing technologies will be governed.

Superbo secures strategic investment from Deep Capital to build the future of enterprise automation
UK-based AI startup Superbo secured a strategic investment from Deep Capital to build enterprise automation. The funding will accelerate the adoption of their Agentic AI-powered intelligence and scale operations across EMEA and the US.

FORMEL SKIN joins MANUAL to expand from skin health to whole-body care
UK healthtech platform MANUAL acquired FORMEL SKIN, Germany's largest digital dermatology provider. This move unites two fast-growing healthtechs with plans to build a leading unified health platform....

Distortion of Competition: The EU is investigating Meta due to WhatsApp AI
Brussels launches an antitrust investigation into Meta, alleging the company is abusing WhatsApp's dominance. The probe focuses on claims that Meta favors its own AI, potentially hindering competitors.

Government-wide monitor Generative AI
The Dutch government's first Generative AI monitor revealed a surge in AI adoption across public sector organizations. Applications jumped from 8 to 81 in a year, with municipalities leading in chatbots and internal AI assistants....

F1 and NHL backers fuel Track Titan’s gaming-to-motorsport vision with €4.4 million
Track Titan, an AI-powered platform for motorsport, secured a €4. 4 million seed round from investors including F1 and NHL backers....

AI rules on WhatsApp: EU Commission initiates investigation against Meta
Brussels is investigating Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, for potential violations of EU competition law. The probe examines whether Meta's practices align with digital market regulations.

Entrepreneurs launch European “venture studio”
A new venture studio called The Flywheel launches in Greece to co-found industrial AI startups with up to €300,000 in initial investment. The studio aims to bridge the gap between European tech talent and scalable companies.

The EU is probing Meta over WhatsApp’s AI chatbot restrictions
The EU is probing Meta over concerns its WhatsApp AI chatbot restrictions could violate antitrust laws and harm competition. Meta's policy, which took effect in October, prohibits third-party AI chatbots, potentially favoring its own "Meta AI" service and leading to potential fines of $16....

WhatsApp pushes Meta AI's competitors out, the European Union opens an investigation
Brussels launches an antitrust investigation into Meta following WhatsApp's ban on AI services like ChatGPT. This move targets restrictions within WhatsApp Business Solution, potentially stifling competition in the AI sector.

EU probes Meta over WhatsApp AI policy
Brussels is probing Meta's new AI policy on WhatsApp, fearing it may stifle competition within the European Economic Area. The investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of tech giants' use of AI across their platforms.

Curvestone AI closes a $4M round to enhance AI reliability for regulated industries
London-based Curvestone AI secured $4 million in seed funding to boost AI reliability for regulated sectors. The company's tech ensures dependable automation for document-heavy workflows, partnering with law and mortgage services.

eBay, H&M and Louis Vuitton partner with newly minted French unicorn Brevo as it secures €500 million
Paris-based Brevo, a customer engagement software innovator, becomes a unicorn after securing €500 million in funding. The company aims to accelerate its product roadmap, particularly leveraging AI, and compete with US players.

French CRM outfit Brevo hits unicorn status
French CRM company Brevo achieved unicorn status after securing €500M in funding, with General Atlantic and Oakley Capital joining as investors. The Paris-based company, valued at at least $1B, plans to expand its all-in-one CRM platform and pursue further acquisitions.

Hypercritical raises £2M to modernise software engineering for heavy industry
London-based Hypercritical secured £2 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate its machine learning model for generating control software. The AI-driven platform enables faster, more cost-efficient software development in sectors like aerospace, with plans to double its team.

Track Titan raises $5M for AI-powered motorsport tracking platform
Track Titan, an AI-powered motorsport tracking platform, secured $5 million in a seed round led by Partech and Game Changers Ventures. The platform, used by over 200,000 users, provides AI coaching to gamers and drivers, helping improve lap times in games and real-world racing.

New unicorn Brevo raises $583M to challenge CRM giants
Brevo, the Paris-based CRM provider, has raised $583 million in funding, achieving unicorn status and becoming a major challenger. This round will fuel Brevo's expansion and intensify its competition with established CRM giants.
