Roko Karanusic
Hey - welcome to the thirty-fifth edition of VC Angle Weekly Updates! We’re moving weekly briefings to Sundays from now on.
As always, we're keeping tabs on what actually matters across 🇪🇺 European tech, as well as relevant global tech news. If something broke the news this week and it's worth your time, it's probably below. Scroll on for the deals, reads, and reports you'll want on your radar.
In This Edition:Merge Labs raises $252M led by OpenAI for non-invasive brain interfaces
Parloa triples to $3B valuation in 8 months on $350M Series D
osapiens hits unicorn status on $100M sustainability compliance raise
DTCP launches €500M defense fund, Europe’s largest private security VC initiative
McKinsey: Europe’s sovereign AI opportunity worth €480B by 2030
UK venture capital rebounds 35% to $23.6B in 2025
⏱️ 4:47 Reading Time
💥 Main Events Past Week
Neuralink rival Merge Labs raises $252M led by OpenAI
Sam Altman’s brain-computer interface startup Merge Labs raised $252M in a round led by OpenAI, where Altman serves as CEO, with backing from Bain Capital and Valve founder Gabe Newell. Unlike Neuralink’s surgical implants, Merge is pursuing non-invasive brain-interface technology and starting with healthcare applications before expanding to consumer use.
Berlin’s Parloa triples valuation to $3B in 8 months on $350M Series D
Berlin-based customer service AI startup Parloa raised $350M Series D led by General Catalyst, tripling its valuation to $3B just eight months after reaching $1B unicorn status. The company generates over $50M ARR serving enterprise customers including Allianz, Booking.com, and SAP, competing against Sierra ($10B valuation) and Decagon (reportedly raising at $4B+) in the race to automate the 17M-agent global contact center market.
German osapiens reaches unicorn status on $100M Series C
German enterprise software firm osapiens raised $100M Series C led by Decarbonization Partners, reaching unicorn status. Founded in 2019, the company’s cloud-based platform integrates 25+ software solutions helping companies manage supply chains and comply with sustainability regulations including EUDR, CSRD, and CSDDD, serving 2,400+ customers globally with 550+ employees across Europe and the US.
📰 Other News
- DTCP launches €500M defense tech fund, Europe's largest private VC initiative for security technologies
- European Commission commits €307M under Horizon Europe to fund trustworthy AI, quantum technologies, and next-gen AI agents
- Mistral AI CEO says being non-American is competitive advantage in Europe
- Wikipedia signs AI content partnerships with Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity, and Mistral AI
- Almost 10 VC funds were born out of Speedinvest
- Novo Nordisk Foundation commits €736M to Copenhagen's BioInnovation Institute