Dutch car-sharing platform SnappCar, which claims to be the largest of its kind in the Netherlands, has been fully acquired by AutoBinck Group a shareholder in the scaleup since its founding in 2011. The ownership change also sees the return of SnappCars founder, Victor van Tol, in the role of the CEO. Van Told told local newspaper mt/sprout that the acquisition will enable faster decisions and eliminate the need for external investments. AutoBinck, which specialises in mobility and energy solu

A startup promising universal AI compute has joined Frances thriving artificial intelligence sector. Paris-based FlexAI emerged from stealth today with a 28.5mn war chest and an ambitious plan to unlock the future of machine intelligence. To pick that lock, FlexAI is rearchitecting compute infrastructure. The plans centrepiece is an on-demand cloud service. Set to launch later this year, the product will enable developers to build and train AI applications with heterogeneous compute architecture

Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In todays episode, Ioanna and Andrii talk about the potentially good news about ASMLs future in the Netherlands, the latest developments at Stability AI, carbon capture solutions, and much more. The guest of the show is Sebastian Aristotelis, whose title is co-founder and Lead Archite

Its safe to say that the age of generative AI is well and truly upon us, rapidly changing the world of work as we know it. According to the World Economic Forums 2023 Future of Jobs Report, more than 75% of companies are looking to adopt technologies like AI in the next five years, so its no surprise that career opportunities in the space are exploding, especially for developers. But which programming language is leading the way? Python is without a doubt the most buzzed-about language for AI de

A British startup aimsto launch science satellites into space in 2025 after raising a fresh 2mn. BlueSkiesSpace has devised a unique business plan for the stargazers. They will be the first-ever science satellites that provide data directly to researchers via a membership model, the company said. The approach offers a new route tothe secrets of our universe. Currently, researchers rely on government agencies such as NASA and ESA to access space data. Unfortunately, this supply doesnt meet the de

In a major win for the Dutch tech industry, chip giant ASML intends to remain and further expand in the Netherlands. The chip machine manufacturer has signed a non-binding letter of intent with the City Council of Eindhoven, eyeing a potential expansion at the Brainport Industries Campus (BIC), west of the city. Located at Eindhovens Brainport region a major tech and innovation hub in Europe BIC is dedicated to the high-tech manufacturing industry. For ASML, BIC represents an interesting optio

Yesterday, the EU issued TikTok an ultimatum. The Chinese-owned social media app was given just 24 hours to outline the mental health risks related to its new app TikTok Lite or face huge daily fines. This is the EUs second probe into TikTok under the Digital Service Act (DSA). The DSA is a new law to protect users from harmful or illegal online content. It requires large platforms like TikTok to submit a risk assessment before launching any major new features. The EUs latest gripe with the Chin

Grindr is being sued. The LGBTQ+ dating app is accused of sharing its users medical data with advertisers. This data includes their HIV status. UK law firm Austen Hays filed the claim at Londons High Court yesterday. The class action lawsuit represents hundreds of users of the app. Austen Hays claims that US-based Grindr breached UK data protection law by selling sensitive data to third parties without users consent. Aside from medical facts, this includes info about peoples ethnicity, sex life,

I am really into (my friends might say somewhat obsessed with) coffee. Not just for the hits of caffeine that fuel our productivity-enthralled capitalist society, but also for the taste, as well as different styles of brewing (although my Swedish roots make me partial to a pour-over). Sadly, I do not often get to write about it, as even though coffee roasting and brewing rely on technological engineering tech startups and coffee hardly ever intersect in the news. Enter Helsinki-based Kaffa Roa

All of us will face the consequences of runaway climate change unless, maybe, youre living in one of Elon Musks new homes on Mars. But for the rest of us poor souls, tackling global heating is pretty much the top priority. The bad news is we are not on track to limit global temperatures rising to 1.5C to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. A new report has also revealed that temperatures in Europe are rising twice as fast as the rest of the world. Drastic cuts in emissions

In an attempt to reduce the workload of GPs, the UK is planning to introduce a new National Health Service (NHS) algorithm that will enable self-issued sick notes. The move is part of the governments effort to reform the sick note system, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is seeking not only to alleviate GPs, but also end the sick note culture. We need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do not what you cant, Sunak said during a speech last week. According to NH

New data published today by Dealroom reveal that European VC investment rose 5% year-on-year for the first quarter of 2024. Whats more, the Netherlands is showing a particularly strong comeback. Amsterdam funding rose a highly encouraging 107%. Overall, European VC investment reached $13.7bn in Q1 2024, an increase fuelled to a great extent by the energy transition. Energy was the biggest sector for tech startup and scaleup investment for the fourth quarter in a row, having raised $3.1bn in the

Just a decade ago, the worlds biggest tech beast was a relative minnow. Microsoft had become notorious for disappointing product launches, stagnant innovation, and losing top talent. Thefirst true software giant was becoming a big tech dinosaur. Fast forward to 2024 and Microsoft is the planets most valuable business. Under the leadership of CEO Satya Nadella, stock has soared by over 1,000% in 10 years. In January, the company reached a $3 trillion market cap larger than the whole GDP of Franc

Britain is exploring new curbs on exporting and funding sensitive technologies amid growing tensions with China. Oliver Dowden, the UKs deputy prime minister, launched a review of the restrictions on Thursday. He warned that hostile states could use British funds and tech for military and intelligence projects that threaten national security. Our open economy is being targeted by state-based actors and their proxies, Dowden said in a speech at the Chatham House think tank in London. Across our i

For the past two years, I have worked at a company whose workforce hails from around the globe, including the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Im the only team member based in Santa Marta, on Colombias Caribbean coast, and I work remotely like many of my colleagues on the other continents. The experience has opened my eyes to a dynamic blend of workplace norms and cultures, but has also posed some challenges. Differing time zones, humour and customs, access to technology, communication

Dutch startupMeatable has hosted the first legally approved tasting of cultivated meat in Europe. On the menu was a lab-grown pork sausage. Meatable says the produce is indistinguishable from traditional meat, but causes no harm to animals or the environment. To replicate the flavours and textures of livestock, Meatable first extracts a single cell sample from a pig. The sample is then cultivated in a bioreactor. Over time, the sample multiplies and forms real muscle tissue, which is shaped into

AI threatens to decimate the translation profession, according to a new survey by a British union. Almost four in ten translators (36%) said theyve already lost work due to generative AI. Nearly half of them (43%) said the tech has decreased their income. They fear far worse is to come. Over three-quarters of translators (77%) believe GenAI will negatively impact future income from their creative work. The survey was conducted by the Society of Authors (SoA), the UKs largest trade union for tran

California-based quantum circuitry company Rigetti has brought a commercially available quantum computer to the UK. Only the second in the country, it was installed in collaboration with Oxford Instruments NanoScience a cryogenics company that provides the cooling needed for superconducting qubits. The system, supported by grants from the UK government, is Rigettis first UK-based quantum computer and will be accessible via the companys cloud computing services. When it comes to quantum computin

Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In todays episode, Linnea and Andrii talk about artificial general intelligence, repairable airbuds, some Wolverine nerdery, drone delivery adoption, and much more. The guest of the show is Caroline Viarouge, CEO at EIT Manufacturing. A big part of the conversation focused on the coo

Amid the semiconductor industrys slowdown and increasing geopolitical tensions, Dutch chip machine-maker ASML reported a decrease both in sales and profits. Europes most valuable tech company saw orders fall to 3.6bn in the first quarter of 2024, down from 9.2bn in the previous quarter. Its net profit also dropped to 1.2bn a 37% decrease compared to Q4 2023. We see 2024 as a transition, ASMLs President and CEO Peter Wennink said in a statement. Wennink expects a stronger second half of the year

Under orders from the EU, tech giants have launched 11 advertising transparency tools. None of them are fit for purpose, according to a new study from Mozilla. The tools provide libraries of data about online adverts. By exploring the repositories, researchers can identify the funders and techniques behind the ads. At least, thats the idea. The libraries are obligatory under the EUs Digital Services Act (DSA), a law designed to safeguard online environments. By shining a light onad content and t

A British drone maker plans to launch air taxis in 2026 after raising a whopping $110mn. Skyports has already flown electricvertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on delivery and monitoring trials. The new funding brings commercial air taxis closer to the services on offer. The first flights are slated to take off in the United Arab Emirates. Earlier this year, Skyports inked a deal with authorities in Dubai to build four vertiports ahead of the launch of air taxi services in 2026. Skypor

Berlin-based Ecosia, best known as the tree-planting search engine, has teamed up with French startup Kanop to monitor its reforestation efforts from space. With around 20 million users, Ecosia is the worlds largest not-for-profit search engine. It is also one of the biggest tree-planters in the world. The company claims to have planted 200 million trees since its inception in 2009. To date, Ecosia has monitored its tree-planting efforts using ground-based observations. But with the help of Kano

More than 50 European VCs and startups have joined forces to launch Climate Brick a new community designed to fast-track investment in green technologies. Climate Brick launched today along with what its founders claim to be one of the most comprehensive climate tech studies ever conducted. The report, featuring interviews with 100 climate experts and 3,000 companies, offers a roadmap for climate tech startups looking to scale. We really needed a common vocabulary and playbook for climate tech,

The boom of artificial intelligence has spurred a regulatory frenzy across the globe and Europe is at the forefront of the developments. Both the EU and the UK are attempting to find the elusive balance between leveraging AIs growth and mitigating potential risks but their approaches differ significantly. The former has opted for a hands-on, risk-based approach, whereas the latter has promised a pro-innovation stance. However, with news emerging that the UK government is now drafting new rules

Space nerds delight: you can now play as an astronaut in Fortnite. You can even team up with your buddies to build a lunar habitat based on real future missions of the European Space Agency. Designed by Epic Games, Lunar Horizons is set at the lunar south pole. This is the point on the Moon deemed most suitable for human habitation due to the possible existence of water ice. Epic Games worked with ESAs human and robotic exploration experts to create a lifelike 3D environment for the game. This i

While its commonly said we live in the information era, I like calling it something else: the screen age. Over the past seventy years, weve seen displays seep into almost every aspect of our lives. We had televisions arrive in our homes, reshaping news and entertainment. Hot on their heels came smartphones, which changed communication and how we interact with the world at large. This tech altered the globe in ways we continue to grapple with, but it still doesnt tell the full story of digital di

Dutch ebike maker VanMoof has begun selling ebikes on its own website once more, following an almost year-long hiatus after it went bankrupt in July last year. The models on offer are refreshed versions of the S5 and A5, which were first released in 2022. Although the upgraded ebikes look exactly the same, theyve been re-engineered in almost every aspect, says the companys co-CEO Eliott Wertheimer. While this is just the beginning of VanMoofs lengthy relaunch, the ability to sell bikes directly

A weird technology has emerged as a leader in the quest for net zero. But this form of carbon capture, called Enhanced Rock Weathering (or ERW for short), still requires innovation and government oversight. Society has a knack for embracing new technologies, often driven by a blend of vanity, curiosity, and a desire to be ahead of the curve. Whether its being the first to own the latest gadget or pioneering eco-friendly initiatives like EV charging ports, early adopters pave the way for progres

Homeowners delight: a startup from Slovenia has created what might just be the most badass security camera ever made. The world-first device is called Eve, but she aint no saint. Eve is an AI-powered home security system that fires paintballs and tear gas pellets at intruders. Via computer vision technology that also works at night the cam can recognise individual faces and even animals. Users can designate guests as friend or foe using an app. (Good luck to the kid just trying to get his fris

Ever heard of hybrid matter-photon implementation of verifiable blind quantum computing? No? Neither had we, until today. But it could just be what will make next-generation quantum computers securely accessible to millions of individuals and companies without exposing any of their data. At least, according to scientists at Oxford University Physics. A team of researchers at its UK Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub claim to have hit a major milestone for connecting two separate quantum entit

A space tourism company promising stratospheric balloon rides has unveiled the vehicles capsule design. Halo Space is building the balloon for zero-emission commercial flights to altitudes of up to 40km. Tickets will cost a whopping 150,000 each. On each flight, a pilot and eight passengers will enter the pressurised cabin. The helium balloon will then gradually ascend with minimal G-forces to the stratosphere. From this perch above the sky, passengers will get unique views of the curvature of E

A British R&D unit today unveiled a futuristic vision of quantitative safety guarantees for AI. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) compares the guarantees to the high safety standards in nuclear power and passenger aviation. In the case of machine learning, the standards involve a probabilistic guarantee that no harm will result from a particular action. At the core of ARIAs plan is a gatekeeper AI. This digital sentinel will ensure thatother AI agents only operate within the guar

With the geopolitical landscape turning more unstable by the day, EU relations with China are also becoming increasingly turbulent. At the core of the rising tensions lies the quest for tech supremacy as well as economic and national security. In a world powered by technology, those who lead are those who control the most critical technologies, and their supply chains, EUcompetition chief Margrethe Vestager said during a speech on Tuesday. With cleantech one of the critical technologies for the

A German startup has secured new funding for a peculiar twisted-looking reactor that could prove a quicker path to clean, virtually limitless fusion energy. Proxima Fusion has raised 20mn as it looks to bring its designs for the so-called stellarator fusion reactor to life. We are working to deliver a demonstrator of net-energy production in continuous operation by 2031, and a first-of-a-kind power plant in the mid-2030s, Dr Francesco Sciortino, CEO and co-founder of Proxima Fusion, told TNW via

Theres no escaping the hype around artificial general intelligence. Barely a day passes without a new headlineabout the concept, which envisions computer systems outperforming humans at various cognitive tasks. In the last month alone, a trio of tech luminaries have added fresh proclamations. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggestedAGI would arrive within five years. Ben father of AGI Goertzel forecasted a mere three. Elon Musk typically made the boldest prediction for the tipping point: the end of 202

Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In todays episode, Linnea and Andrii talk abouta promising quantum breakthrough, a public funding disaster in Poland, the first Macintosh in Europe, and much more. The guest of the show is Jean-David Malo, Director of the Executive Agency for EIC and SMEs (EISMEA). Its a long title