AI warfare push makes Helsing one of Europe’s 5 most valuable tech firms

Jun17
by on June 17, 2025 at 4:09 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Munich-based defence tech startup Helsing has raised €600mn as geopolitical tensions trigger a flood of capital into AI warfare. The large investment was led by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s VC firm Prima Materia. It brings the company’s total raised to north of €1.3bn, building on a €450mn funding round in July last year.  Helsing didn’t disclose its updated valuation. However, according to the Financial Times, the unicorn company is now worth €12bn, making it one of Europe’s five most valuable private tech companies.  Prima Materia was one of Helsing’s earliest backers — a move that sparked boycotts among artists on…

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Artificial solar eclipse engineered in Europe offers new look at Sun

Jun16
by on June 16, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Posted In: Space


Two satellites equipped with European tech have delicately pulled off an artificial solar eclipse — giving scientists unmatched views of the Sun’s scorching corona. The European Space Agency (ESA) developed the probes alongside more than 40 space tech firms. Among them are a trio of startups, which contributed several key technologies for the mission: sensors for solar tracking, light detectors to fine-tune positioning, and software that orchestrated the satellites’ intricate flight path. Launched from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre last year, the expedition — Proba-3 — could mark a new era for solar science. The Sun’s inner corona, coloured artificially…

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Opinion: Space startups are pivoting to defence. That’s great for innovation

Jun13
by on June 13, 2025 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Insider


A few months ago, at the SmallSat Symposium, a panel issued a sobering warning to space startups: do not chase defence dollars at the expense of long-term sustainability. Why? Because companies, particularly in the space sector, might be tempted to follow the money rather than focus on producing valuable products and services with broader, longer-term applications. It’s of course true that any company should be wary of “leaning in” too closely to what seem like passing fads. But the warning overlooks an important reality: the shift towards defence investing is not a trend. It’s a transformation in space and space…

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Quantum art, multiball, and AI selfies: TNW 2025’s best side quests

Jun12
by on June 12, 2025 at 4:14 pm
Posted In: Insider


Qubits, entanglement, superposition, trapped ions, Schrödinger’s cat. These terms sound strange because the world of quantum mechanics — where things can exist in multiple states at once — is strange.  Thankfully, a group of students from TU Delft are bringing these powerful sub-atomic phenomena to life at TNW Conference through an exhibition of abstract artworks. Their project, Emergence Delft, blends science and creativity into a mind-bending exploration of quantum reality. A centrepiece of the exhibition is Coexist — a mesmerising light installation that captures the elusive nature of quantum mechanics through colour, interaction, and design. At its heart, Coexist tackles…

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European VCs just made a record bet on this fusion energy underdog

Jun11
by on June 11, 2025 at 4:36 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Two years ago, German startup Proxima Fusion emerged from stealth with big ambitions to make a little-known stellarator fusion machine a serious contender in the race for commercial fusion energy. Today, the Munich-based company secured Europe’s largest-ever private investment in fusion power — a €130mn Series A funding round from big-name investors including Balderton Capital, Cherry Ventures, and Plural.  Daniel Waterhouse, partner at Balderton Capital, said he now thinks Proxima has taken its place as the leading “European contender” in the global race to commercial fusion. Proxima was the first company to spin out from the Max Planck Institute of…

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