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Two satellite heavyweights are about to form a European rival to Starlink. But they’ll face an uphill battle to compete with Elon Musk’s firm. Luxembourg-based SES’ proposed $3.1bn takeover of Intelsat is set to get the green light from EU officials, Reuters reports. A final verdict is expected by June 10.   SES first announced plans to acquire Luxembourgish-American rival Intelsat in April 2024, calling...

Spanish startup Voltrac has emerged from stealth with an autonomous tractor that lives a double life.  In peacetime, the 3.5-tonne electric vehicle zips around farms, hauling heavy goods and using cameras to gather data on crop health. But when enlisted, the tractor is equally capable of navigating enemy assaults to deliver critical supplies to frontline soldiers. “In Ukraine, for instance, many lives are lost...

This piece is part of our ‘Ask the Expert,’ series where experts share their insights into some of the most pressing questions facing our tech ecosystem. Sign-up for your spot on Santa Meyer-Nandi’s Ask the Expert session about ‘How to burn bright, not out’ at TNW2025 on June 20 at 15:30. In our work—whether shaping sustainable management frameworks, advising climate innovation funds, or guiding...

Klarna’s CEO has warned that software engineers risk being left behind in the AI era — unless they’re also business-savvy. Speaking at SXSW London, Sebastian Siemiatkowski said the talent “who have really accelerated their careers at Klarna” are “business people who have learned to code.” The reason? “They can take their business understanding and turn it into deterministic or probabilistic statements with AI.” This shift,...

European tech leaders are pushing back against high-profile VCs urging founders to work seven days a week — slamming the grindset mentality as everything from “toxic” to “childish.”  “Calling on founders to work insane hours nonstop is just bad advice,” Suranga Chandratillake, general partner at Balderton Capital and former CEO of video search engine Blinkx, told TNW. “Even sprinters don’t sprint all the time...

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified a mixed reality (MR) headset for civil aviation training for the first time — potentially signalling a shift in how pilots are taught.  Built by Finnish startup Varjo, the headset — called XR-4 — replaces the screens in a flight training cockpit, which are smaller, cheaper versions of the full-flight simulators used in the final...

TNW Backstage this week peeks behind the petals of the flower business — but not as you know it. In the latest episode of our podcast, we dig beyond beautiful bouquets to unearth the digital trends, disruptive models, and market moves reshaping the industry. Guiding us through the changes is Aron Gelbard, co-founder and CEO of Bloom & Wild — the UK’s top-rated online...

Britain’s new military tech strategy will fail unless startups are given clear pathways to adoption, experts have warned. Their concerns follow the government’s announcement that defence spending will increase to its highest level since the Cold War. Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out the aims in the new Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which includes plans to boost investment in technologies such as AI, drones,...

Europe has a unique chance to lead in software — but only if it improves its ability to turn startups into profitable businesses. That’s the conclusion of a new report from McKinsey and Boardwave, which warns that unless the region tackles structural barriers, its startups will continue to lag behind global rivals. The report, Europe’s Moonshot Moment, found that the continent has over 280...

Remote-controlled robots could one day build giant solar farms in space, according to a recent trial in the UK. British startup Space Solar conducted the test at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) facilities on the University of Oxford’s Culham Campus, which hosts several fusion research initiatives. The company used two remotely operated robotic arms to assemble a section of the support structure for...

Earlier this month, the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur was abducted in Paris while walking his dog. The attackers, wearing balaclavas, forced him into a van, later severing one of his fingers and sending a video of the mutilation to his son alongside a demand for millions of euros in ransom. The incident joined a growing list of violent crimes in France linked...

Human organs could be bioprinted for transplants within 10 years, according to Lithuanian startup Vital3D. But before reaching human hearts and kidneys, the company is starting with something simpler: regenerating dog skin. Based in Vilnius, Vital3D is already bioprinting functional tissue constructs. Using a proprietary laser system, the startup deposits living cells and biomaterials in precise 3D patterns. The structures mimic natural biological systems...

The European Commission has unveiled ambitious plans to cut red tape and make the EU a more attractive place for tech businesses to scale.  Launched today, the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy comes as the bloc scrambles to attract and retain tech startups amid stiff competition from the US and Asia.  Under the new initiative, the EU has laid out a five-point plan to...

A quarter of European organisations have banned Elon Musk’s generative AI chatbot Grok, according to new research from cybersecurity firm Netskope.  In contrast, the most popular AI app, ChatGPT, is only blocked by 9.8% of organisations in Europe. The runner-up, Google’s Gemini, is banned by 9.2%. Grok has been under the spotlight recently for a string of blunders. They include spreading false claims about...

David Reger, founder and CEO of Munich-based Neura Robotics, is building humanoid robots — and a reputation with a touch of déjà vu. In the German press, he’s sometimes dubbed the “Young Elon Musk.”  It’s a nickname Reger embraces, despite all of the controversy surrounding the world’s richest man. “For me, it’s a positive, not a negative,” he told TNW in an interview. “I...

Sophie Rucker had been living and working in London for five years when a trip to a yoga training school in Bali presented her with an alternative to the rat race. Despite enjoying life in London, witnessing digital nomads balance work with sun, sea, and relaxed vibes in the Indonesian island province prompted her to pursue more freelance work.  At the start of 2020,...

The collapse of Builder.ai exposes the growing threat of “FOMO investing,” according to an expert in tech growth intelligence. Builder had become one of Britain’s best-funded startups, but is now filing for bankruptcy due to financial problems. The insolvency comes after enormous sums were invested into the business. Big-name backers including Microsoft and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund had poured a total of over $500mn...

Again, the German-Danish startup using ancient bacteria to turn CO2 into new chemicals, is building a new bioreactor plant in Texas. The facility will be located at Texas City, a major petrochemicals park located on the Gulf Coast. The industrial centre is run by Diamond Infrastructure Solutions — a joint venture between chemicals giant Dow and Macquarie Asset Management.   “We’re building a global...

Europe’s not lacking talent — it’s lacking confidence. That’s the verdict from Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, who says an “inferiority complex” among European media and investors is holding back the continent’s tech industry. “The main reason why the European tech industry is small is a mistaken assumption of technological inferiority on the part of the European media,” wrote LeCun in an X...

Paris-based AI startup Veesion has secured €38mn to fuel expansion to the US — where it looks to help cure the country’s shoplifting “epidemic.” Veesion’s AI-based computer vision software is trained to spot gestures in security camera feeds, such as a shopper putting an item in their pocket. If it sees something suspicious, the AI pings the store owner or security guard via an...

TNW Backstage returns this week to explore one of tech’s most fascinating frontiers: brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The capabilities of these neural devices are rapidly expanding. They’ve been implanted in skulls and worn as headbands. They’ve measured focus, treated Parkinson’s disease, and enabled paralysed people to control computers with their minds. A range of research labs and tech firms are developing BCIs. Yet the spotlight...

Belgium-based Ravical has secured €7.3mn in pre-seed funding to bring AI agents to professional services firms in tax, legal, accounting, and insurance.  Joris Van Der Gucht, Ravical’s CEO and co-founder, said the “virtual employees” could do 80% of the work in these firms.   “Ravical’s agents take on the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that slow experts down,” he told TNW, citing examples such as retrieving data...

The Dutch startup ecosystem has slipped to 10th place globally and sixth in Europe, according to the newly released Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2025.  The annual report, compiled by research platform StartupBlink, benchmarks the startup strength of over 1,400 cities and 110 countries worldwide.  The US took the top spot globally, with the UK coming in second. Among the European nations, Britain was followed...

Our latest and most advanced technologies — from AI to Industrial IoT, advanced robotics, and self-driving cars — share serious problems: massive energy consumption, limited on-edge capabilities, system hallucinations, and serious accuracy gaps.  One possible solution is emerging in the Netherlands. The country is developing a promising ecosystem for neuromorphic computing, which draws on neuroscience to boost IT efficiencies and performance. Billions of euros are...