Money Buzz! Europa

Tag: startup

  • BaronMerino to start its Kickstarter campaign on July 30

    BaronMerino to start its Kickstarter campaign on July 30

    An Austrian startup develops innovative patented Merino wool blend fabric and now seeks to finance their first clothing collection through crowdfunding.

    After two years in development, BaronMerino is ready to introduce their innovative new fabric that combines Merino wool with a synthetic material developed for use in sports underwear.

    The fibers are bonded together in a patented production process that preserves the natural odor-resistance, temperature regulation and quick drying properties of Merino wool and augments them with the comfort, durability and functionality of Meryl Skinlife.

    Kickstarting the first collection

    The first BaronMerino Collection features a blouse, polo shirt and t-shirt for women and a pullover, polo shirt and t-shirt for men and will be available in five popular colors.

    Recommended retail prices range from €85 to €127 with special discounts for early Kickstarter backers of up to 50%.

    Starting their 28 day Kickstarter campaign on 30th of July with a funding goal of 35.000 euros which will be used to finance the production of the fabric, as well as the manufacture and delivery of the garments.

  • Eugene Kaspersky launches accelerator for tourism startups

    Eugene Kaspersky launches accelerator for tourism startups

    Eugene Kaspersky, founder and CEO of Kaspersky, has launched ‘Kaspersky Exploring Russia’, a tourism startup accelerator.

    The project aims to help the Russian tourism industry in general, and young entrepreneurs in particular, to use this period to expand the opportunities for their businesses.

    The accelerator aims to gather the most interesting and promising tourism projects to then help the creators implement their ideas further.

    How the accelerator works

    Participants will be categorized into four nominations:

    • Technological projects (start-ups) in the field of Travel Tech;
    • Projects that make extreme and leisure tourism more accessible, and that also popularize and create infrastructure for it (Infrastructure Track);
    • Business projects that are socially significant in the fields of travel and tourism (Social Tech);
    • Business projects that have a positive impact on sustainable development (Sustainability).

    The jury – consisting of Eugene himself, Kaspersky representatives, and leading experts in tourism – will select a shortlist of the most promising projects.

    Finalists will get a chance to gain more knowledge on a series of online workshops and lectures. Leading experts in the industry will share their experiences and explain how to create a successful business.

    The finalists will learn everything from how to calculate a financial plan to how to apply a marketing strategy.

    During the program, finalist will not only compete for the main prizes, but also they will be helping themselves attract investment. Even the lecturers themselves could become so interested in projects to start supporting them.

  • Deliverect, a food tech start-up, raises €16.25 million to expand

    Deliverect, a food tech start-up, raises €16.25 million to expand

    Deliverect, a Belgian start-up streamlining the restaurant industry with its online food delivery management software, announced that it has raised €16.25 million in its Series B funding round, led by OMERS Ventures, with existing investors Newion, Smartfin, and the company’s founders also participating.

    Deliverect is a subscription-based service that integrates third-party online ordering platforms like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Glovo, and Doordash into restaurants’ point-of-sale systems, automating the inbound online order flow through a single point.

    It eliminates the requirement for restaurant staff to monitor multiple devices and manually re-enter orders into their existing system, dramatically reducing both staff workload and the probability of errors.

    Deliverect is also used by ”virtual” kitchens. These are essentially delivery-only restaurants where, assuming good food is standard, efficiency is paramount and technology plays a critical role in helping to build up brand loyalty with customers.

    With the number of virtual kitchens on the rise and an increasing number of FMCG businesses and food retailers entering the delivery marketplace, Deliverect aims to become the global gateway for online food ordering and delivery.

    Deliverect, founded in 2018, has processed more than 3.5 million orders since its inception, with UK customers including Absurd Bird, You Me Sushi, Taqueria, and Crêpeaffaire. In addition, the company works with Unilever, which through Deliverect is able to integrate with Deliveroo and Uber Eats and deliver Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum ice creams directly to customers.

  • Health startup MediQuo closes €2M funding round

    Health startup MediQuo closes €2M funding round

    MediQuo secured an investment of 2 million euros at the beginning of January 2020, from several renowned investors from the health sector as well as from various Venture Capital investors and Family Offices, with a track record in the digital health space.

    All existing investors have joined the round. With the new funding round, which includes all current shareholders, MediQuo can continue its momentum as the leading company in the Spanish medical startup sector.

    MediQuo also announces an addition to its management team. Bruno Cuevas will join the company as Co-CEO, along with founder and Co-CEO Dr Guillem Serra. Bruno is the former Vice President of Global Markets at Adevinta/Schibsted, a global group of leading online marketplaces, where he was responsible for an international portfolio of operations in Europe, Asia, Latin America and North Africa.

    He has also been board member in numerous international marketplaces, including Schibsted Spain (Fotocasa, Infojobs, Milanuncios, coches.net, etc.). Before Adevinta, he worked at Groupon and in strategy consulting.

    MediQuo will launch its PRO app

    MediQuo will soon launch its PRO app, which will allow doctors and health professionals to manage consultations online for both their own patients as well as for the users of the app.

    This is in compliance with the European GDPR regulation at all times, thus reinforcing patient and doctor confidentiality.

    With the launch of MediQuo PRO the company aims to reach a total of 14,000 health professionals and to be able to manage 1.5 million patient consultations within the next 15 months.

    This Spanish startup was founded by Guillem Serra, a medical doctor, mathematician, founder and investor in multiple startups, together with Albert Castells and José López, also founders of iSalud.com.

    Since its launch 2 years ago, MediQuo has received 4 million euros in funding. Its app has been installed by nearly 600,000 users and has been able to manage nearly one million medical consultations, multiplying by 10 the sale of premium subscriptions over the last year.

  • Evolution of the Romanian tech startups ecosystem in 2019

    Evolution of the Romanian tech startups ecosystem in 2019

    After years of constant growth, 2019 set a new milestone in the development of the Romanian tech startups ecosystem. It is growing up and attracting investor’s interest, Money Buzz! learned from EY ”Venture Capital and startups in Romania” report.

    ”Funding of Romanian startups became more sustainable and diversified. The pipeline of the local and international ventures is no longer driven by a few small-sizedcompanies in e-commerce and marketplaces, rather it shows a balanced mix of innovative ideas in FinTech, Biometrics, Blockchain, Robotic Process Automation and HR related solutions. Bucharest is the main hub in Romania, driven by its strong digital workforce and diversity”, the report shows.

    Funding is driven by international investors

    Top funding is driven by international investors with only a few local Romanian funds able to participate in Series A+ rounds. Among the local VC funds investing in the ecosystem, we increasingly see more international players scouting the Romanian tech market for investments opportunities.

    In terms of M&A, corporates remain the most relevant exit channel for startups founders and their VC investors. Romanian ventures are sold in rather early stages, whereby the buyers’ headquarters are outside Romania. Besides the missing experience of an international IPO, the local stock exchange market has never been seen as a relevant exit channel for the Romanian tech startups, despite favorable macroeconomic conditions.

    Empowered by the success of UiPath, the first Romanian unicorn, the local tech startups ecosystem is experiencing a radical transformation. We see double-digit growth in the ecosystem indicators: number of startups, new accelerators, capital raising rounds, total funding amount.

    Half of the investment rounds in 2019 are between $100k and $2m. UiPath accounts for 92.5% of total funding

    Source: EY ”Venture Capital and startups in Romania” report.