How European battery startups can thrive alongside Asian giants
How European battery startups can thrive alongside Asian giants

The global battery market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with projections showing the sector will reach $400bn by 2030. Yet European entrepreneurs often feel locked out, watching Chinese giants like CATL dominate headlines with record-breaking I…

The EU’s €2T budget overlooks a key tech pillar: Open source
The EU’s €2T budget overlooks a key tech pillar: Open source

On July 16, the European Commission proposed a €2tn seven-year budget – the largest in the EU’s history – to boost autonomy, competitiveness, and resilience. The spending plan addresses cybersecurity, innovation, and other key digital pillars, but omit…

Opinion: Europe’s VCs must embrace risk — or resign the AI era to US control
Opinion: Europe’s VCs must embrace risk — or resign the AI era to US control

Europe’s AI startups are losing ground to the US — and their own investors are to blame. Only 5% of global venture capital is raised in the EU, according to the European Commission. The US, by contrast, attracts more than half, while China takes 40%. Y…

VCs are growing wary of ‘AI-washing’ – but real innovation is still winning investors
VCs are growing wary of ‘AI-washing’ – but real innovation is still winning investors

Venture capital investment surged to a 10-quarter high of €108.3bn in Q1 2025, fuelled by artificial intelligence, which accounted for over  €44.6bn raised. In recent years, AI has felt like a money-printing machine. Investors, eager to avoid missing o…

Startup wisdom: How to get your startup noticed — 5 principles to master
Startup wisdom: How to get your startup noticed — 5 principles to master

Startup wisdom is a new TNW series offering practical lessons from experts who’ve helped build great companies. This week, Lize Hong, the founder of strategic communications firm Venture Vox, shares her tips on getting startups noticed. Startups don’t …

Founders’ takes: AI isn’t the end of developers — it’s their evolution
Founders’ takes: AI isn’t the end of developers — it’s their evolution

Founders’ takes is a new series featuring expert insights from tech leaders transforming industries with artificial intelligence. In this edition, Steven Kleinveld, founder of applied AI lab Skylark, argues that vibe coding won’t replace developers — i…

Opinion: Europe can lead in tech — if regulation and culture align
Opinion: Europe can lead in tech — if regulation and culture align

As an American born and raised in New York City, I’ve seen the power of US entrepreneurialism to change the world. The ambition, ingenuity, and relentless drive that have powered the country’s economy for generations have also been a global force for p…

The Hot Crazy Matrix explains why investors get tech deals wrong
The Hot Crazy Matrix explains why investors get tech deals wrong

Private equity deals hit an all-time high in 2021, peaking at a total value of more than $1tn, with an average deal size exceeding $1bn for the first time. Founders were media darlings, valuations soared, and investors raced to get a piece of the actio…

Opinion: Trusting an unverified AI agent is like handing your keys to a drunk graduate
Opinion: Trusting an unverified AI agent is like handing your keys to a drunk graduate

AI agents are now being embedded across core business functions globally. Soon, these agents could be scheduling our lives, making key decisions, and negotiating deals on our behalf. The prospect is exciting and ambitious, but it also begs the question…

Bananas, champagne, and robots: Why automation still needs humans
Bananas, champagne, and robots: Why automation still needs humans

Watching robots awkwardly flop around, cause robot body pile-ups on the soccer field, and accidentally lose their heads while taking part in a 1500-metre sprint at the first Robot Humanoid Games in China was not only entertaining, it was a reminder of …