If I told you that one of Europe’s biggest startups was launching a new marketplace for travel experiences — think food tours, camel rides and museum tickets — I doubt you'd guess that it was Revolut.
And yet today the continent’s biggest neobank is doing just that.
The move might sound strange, but it takes Revolut one step closer to becoming a "super-app" — a one-stop shop for everything you could possibly want to spend money on. Experiences today, transport tomorrow?
There’s also been unexpected news from its competitor Monzo this week; Bloomberg reports the neobank is in early merger discussions with Danish neobank Lunar as a means to expand into Europe. (Monzo declined to comment; but if you want to send us a tip, hit reply!)
M&A is far from the mind of the once-acquisitive speedy grocery giant Getir, however. Employees tell Sifted the company’s UK entity has more or less run out of cash, and is roping in HQ employees to help clear stock from closed warehouses. Now that one I reckon some of you did see coming. From the Sifted newsroom today:
— Amy, editor |
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR SANA
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Sana AI is a universal workplace assistant. Ask it to search across all your apps, summarise your live meetings, query your data, suggest KPI improvements, and much, much more. |
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😬 Stability AI is sued by its cofounder. Cyril Hodes, who left the AI scaleup in 2021, has sued the company and its CEO Emad Mostaque for a “brazenly deceitful” share sale which, he claims, meant his stake in the company was “fraudulently purchased” for well below market value. |
📲 Could Revolut be one step closer to super-app status? The neobank has added a new marketplace that allows users to book experiences, like hot air balloon rides or a trip up the Eiffel Tower, within its app. |
🩺 Losses at Kry grew in 2022 — but profitability looms, its annual report says. The digital health startup had a rocky 2022: it laid off hundreds of employees and pulled out of two key markets. Despite that, COO Kalle Conneryd-Lundgren tell us it'll reach profitability by the end of 2024; here's how it'll get there, and what else it plans for the future.
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🧬 $60m for AI that will speed up biomedical research. UK-based Causaly's AI-powered research platform is designed to save scientists from sifting through thousands of scientific publications as they identify, create and test new drugs. Its new $60m Series B round was led by ICONIQ Growth, with previous investors including Index Ventures, Marathon Ventures and EBRD also pitching in.
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Are you ready to grow your headcount but don’t know where to start? This Sifted Talks will dig into how to attract and recruit a top-tier team alongside Pitch, Vinted, Deel and Northzone. |
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🇫🇷 Why Paris could become Europe's AI hub. Generative AI startups have increasingly been populating the French capital — but what is it about the city of love that has these founders entranced? |
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💰 Pre-seed and seed - GET Protocol, a Dutch NFT ticketing platform, has raised a $4.5m seed round led by Flow Ventures.
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French Fairlyne, a platform that helps resell non-refundable travel tickets, has raised $3m led by Speedinvest.
- UK-based quantum sensor startup Delta g, which uses its tech to build underground maps, has secured £1.5m in pre-seed cash.
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Textile upcycling startup Re-Fresh Global, based in Germany, has raised €1.1m in pre-seed funding from investors including Serpentine.vc and Earlybird.
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💰 Undisclosed -
French Microoled, which makes microdisplays for AR/VR devices, has raised €21m from investors including Jolt Capital, Bpifrance and Cipio Partners.
- Billy Grace, an AI platform for marketing teams based in the Netherlands, has raised €2.3m from Fortino Capital.
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RideTandem, a UK startup that makes local transport available for private group use, has raised £2.3m led by Blackfinch Ventures.
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💰 Other -
sennder, a German logistical platform for the freight industry, has renewed its joint venture with Poste Italiane with the aim of generating €2.3bn in revenue over the next 10 years.
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Sadia Nowshin Editorial Assistant |
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