Funding Europe’s “second renaissance”: Barcelona’s Kembara hits €750 million first close for €1 billion DeepTech fund

Rahul Raj / eu-startups - Barcelona-based Kembara, which claims to be Europe’s largest dedicated DeepTech growth fund, today announced a €750M first close toward its €1 billion target. The fund is now actively investing in “breakthrough” DeepTech science and engineering companies.…

4 wks / sifted

SpaceX, Palantir backers launch €750M Kembara deeptech fund. But diversity is missing

4 wks / techfundingnews / Sofia Chesnokova

Mundi Ventures closes on €750M for Kembara, its largest deep tech and climate fund

4 wks / techcrunch / Anna Heim

Russian Spy Satellites Have Intercepted EU Communications Satellites

msmash / slashdot - European security officials believe two Russian space vehicles have intercepted the communications of at least a dozen key satellites over the continent. From a report: Officials believe that the likely interceptions, which have not previously been report…

#cybersecurity #defensetech #aerospace #security #europe #russia #telecommunications #encryption #eu #satellite

Russia suspected of intercepting EU satellites

4 wks / semafor / Tom Chivers

Russian Spy Satellites Have Intercepted EU Communications Satellites

4 wks / slashdot / msmash

Russian spy satellites have intercepted EU communications satellites

4 wks / arstechnica / Sam Jones, Peggy Hollinger, and Ian Bott, Financial Times

Russian Luch satellites target European vital connectivity

4 wks / telecomstechnews / Ryan Daws

Spain considers social media ban for under-16s, joining others in Europe

techxplore - Spain plans to ban social media access for children under 16, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday, in a move designed to shield young people from the harms of online content.

#techpolicy #social #government #europe #mentalhealth #censorship #contentmoderation #eu #digitalprivacy #regulation

Spain Ban Policy (10)
Tech Titans' Backlash (3)
All Other Stories

Spain Ban Policy

Spain to Ban Social Media for Under-16s, Greece Considers Similar Move

4 wks / medianama / Prabhanu Kumar Das

Europe follows Albo in social media ban

4 wks / news.com.au

Spain Follows Australia in Banning Children From Social Media. Crackdown Could Begin Next Week

4 wks / cnet / Tyler Graham

Spain to Ban Under-16s on Social Media as the World Goes All in on Age Verification

4 wks / gizmodo / Bruce Gil

Spain becomes first country in Europe to ban social media for under-16s

4 wks / reddit / /u/Dr_Neurol

Spain considers social media ban for under-16s, joining others in Europe

4 wks / techxplore

Spain set to ban social media for children under 16

4 wks / engadget / Andre Revilla

Spain becomes first country in Europe to ban social media for under-16s

4 wks / cnbc

Spain moves to ban under 16’s from social media

4 wks / politico / Aitor Hernández-Morales

Spain to ban social media access for under-16s, PM Sanchez says

4 wks / reddit / /u/vriska1

Tech Titans' Backlash

Elon Musk's feud with European leaders intensifies

4 wks / semafor / Tom Chivers

Spain plans under-16 social media ban, Elon Musk calls prime minister a "tyrant"

4 wks / techspot

‘Favour’: Billionaire Gates on social media ban

4 wks / news.com.au

All Other Stories

Spain to Ban Under-16s on Social Media as the World Goes All in on Age Verification

4 wks / bsky / @gizmodo.com / gizmodo.com

EU Gives Google Six Months to Open Up Android and Search to Rivals

Paul Thurrott / thurrott - The European Commission (EC) announced today that Google has six months to open up Android to rival AI services.The post EU Gives Google Six Months to Open Up Android and Search to Rivals appeared first on Thurrott.com.

#ai #techpolicy #google #android #antitrust #genai #alphabet #digitalmarketsact #eu #api

EU steps in to make sure Google gives rivals access to AI services and data

5 wks / techxplore

Google access for rival AI providers targeted in new DMA specification actions

5 wks / globalcompetitionreview / Bethan John

EU Orders Google to Open Android and Search Data to AI Rivals

5 wks / winbuzzer / Markus Kasanmascheff

EU Gives Google Six Months to Open Up Android and Search to Rivals

5 wks / thurrott / Paul Thurrott

The EU tells Google to give external AI assistants the same access to Android as Gemini has

5 wks / engadget / Kris Holt

EU steps in to make sure Google gives rivals access to AI services and data

5 wks / go

EU gives Google guidelines for AI and search data under DMA

5 wks / techzine / Berry Zwets

EU investigates X for sexual AI images made by Grok

Mels Dees / techzine - The European Union has launched a formal investigation into social media platform X for possible violations of European legislation on illegal and harmful content. The investigation was prompted by public outrage after manipulated, sexually suggestive ima…

#techpolicy #social #internet #censorship #contentmoderation #xai #elonmusk #grokai #eu #regulation

Child Safety and Legal Crackdowns (2)
EU Probe: Oversight of Grok AI Failures (3)
Nonconsensual Nudification Trends (2)
All Other Stories

EU probes Elon Musk’s X following Grok sexual images

Eliza Gkritsi / politico - European Commission's move follows explosion of sexually explicit deepfakes of women and children.

#techpolicy #aiethics #genai #europe #contentmoderation #xai #elonmusk #grokai #eu #safety

Digital Services Act enforcement in deepfake investigations (2)
EU probes of X over Grok's explicit deepfake abuses (16)
Investigations into xAI's role in generating sexual deepfakes (2)
Payment, CSAM enforcement challenges amid deepfake controversies (1)
All Other Stories

Digital Services Act enforcement in deepfake investigations

EU Launches DSA Investigation Into Elon Musk’s Grok Over AI Deepfakes

5 wks / winbuzzer / Markus Kasanmascheff

European Commission opens new investigation into X over Grok

5 wks / the-decoder / Maximilian Schreiner

EU probes of X over Grok's explicit deepfake abuses

X faces EU investigation over Grok’s sexualized deepfakes

5 wks / theverge / Emma Roth

EU opens investigation into Elon Musk's X over Grok deepfakes

5 wks / semafor / J.D. Capelouto

Elon Musk’s Grok Is Under EU Investigation Over Sexual Deepfakes

5 wks / gizmodo / Ece Yildirim

EU launches investigation into X over Grok-generated sexual images

5 wks / bleepingcomputer / Sergiu Gatlan

'Violent' and 'unacceptable': Elon Musk's X under fire over sexualized deepfakes

5 wks / qz / Shannon Carroll

The EU is investigating Grok and X over potentially illegal deepfakes

5 wks / engadget / Steve Dent

Regulators Are Going After Grok and X — Just Not Together

5 wks / techpolicy

EU looking into Elon Musk's X after Grok produces deepfake sex images

5 wks / theregister / Lindsay Clark

EU Investigates Musk’s Grok Over Sexual AI Deepfakes

5 wks / eweek / eWEEK Staff

EU launches formal investigation into X and Grok over sexual images

5 wks / therecord

European Union opens investigation into Musk's AI chatbot Grok over sexual deepfakes

5 wks / go

EU investigates Elon Musk's X over Grok AI sexual deepfakes

5 wks / ycombinator

Elon Musk’s X probed by EU over sexually explicit images on Grok

5 wks / cnbc

EU investigates Elon Musk's X over Grok AI sexual deepfakes

5 wks / bbc

Elon Musk’s X Faces EU Inquiry Over Sexualized AI Images Generated by Grok

5 wks / nytimes / Adam Satariano

EU probes Elon Musk’s X following Grok sexual images

5 wks / politico / Eliza Gkritsi

Investigations into xAI's role in generating sexual deepfakes

EU launches formal investigation of xAI over Grok's sexualized deepfakes

5 wks / arstechnica / Barbara Moens, Financial Times

EU opens formal probe into Musk’s xAI over Grok deepfakes

5 wks / ft

Payment, CSAM enforcement challenges amid deepfake controversies

Payment processors were against CSAM until Grok started making it

5 wks / theverge / Elizabeth Lopatto

All Other Stories

wrote about an apparent policy change in the payments industry www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

5 wks / bsky / @lopatto.bsky.social / lopatto.bsky.social

The EU is the latest regulator to investigate X’s Grok over AI-generated sexual abuse. Ramsha Jahangir reports on where governments stand — and what the fragmented response shows about the challenges of protecting children online across borders. www.techp

5 wks / bsky / @justinhendrix.bsky.social / justinhendrix.bsky.social

5 wks / bsky / @techpolicypress.bsky.social / techpolicypress.bsky.social

EU launches formal investigation into X and Grok over sexual images

5 wks / bsky / @infosec.skyfleet.blue / infosec.skyfleet.blue

Binance Files for MiCA License in Greece Ahead of July 1 EU Deadline

Simon Chandler / decrypt - Binance’s application for MiCA is reportedly being fast-tracked, after the exchange established a holding company in Greece in December.

#crypto #techpolicy #government #finance #europe #payments #law #eu #crypto

USD1 Surpasses PayPal’s PYUSD; Binance Announces $40M Incentive

6 wks / parameter / Maxwell Mutuma

Binance Plans to Relaunch Tokenized Stock Trading After 2021 Pause

6 wks / parameter / Maxwell Mutuma

Binance plans to bring back tokenized stock trading after 2021 retreat

6 wks / coindesk / Helene Braun

Binance Files for MiCA License in Greece Ahead of July 1 EU Deadline

6 wks / decrypt / Simon Chandler

Binance applies for EU crypto license in Greece under MiCA framework

6 wks / coindesk / Olivier Acuna

Binance applies for EU crypto license in Greece under MiCA framework

6 wks / theblock / Naga Avan-Nomayo

Ireland Wants To Give Its Cops Spyware, Ability To Crack Encrypted Messages

msmash / slashdot - The Irish government is planning to bolster its police's ability to intercept communications, including encrypted messages, and provide a legal basis for spyware use. From a report: The Communications (Interception and Lawful Access) Bill is being framed …

#cybersecurity #dataprivacy #techpolicy #government #europe #police #law #encryption #eu #digitalprivacy

Ireland Wants To Give Its Cops Spyware, Ability To Crack Encrypted Messages

6 wks / slashdot / msmash

Ireland wants to give its cops spyware, ability to crack encrypted messages

6 wks / ycombinator

Ireland wants to give its cops spyware, ability to crack encrypted messages

6 wks / theregister / Connor Jones

German VC Ananda Impact Ventures completes €73 million first close to back European impact startups

David Cendon Garcia / eu-startups - Munich-based VC Ananda Impact Ventures has secured €73 million in the first close of its fifth Core Impact Fund, well above its €50 million target and securing the largest first close in the firm’s 16-year history in order to invest in frontier tech from …

#startups #vc #privateequity #business #europe #economy #eu

Ananda Impact Ventures Raises €73M In First Close Of Fifth Core Impact Fund

6 wks / startuprise / Kailee Rainse

Ananda Impact Ventures secures €73M first close for fifth Core Impact Fund

6 wks / tech / Tamara Djurickovic

German VC Ananda Impact Ventures completes €73 million first close to back European impact startups

6 wks / eu-startups / David Cendon Garcia

Ananda Impact Ventures bags €73M first close for fifth fund

6 wks / techfundingnews / Sofia Chesnokova

Vanagon Ventures Raises €20M To Support Europe’s Deep-Tech Pre-Seed Startups

Kailee Rainse / startuprise - Vanagon Ventures, a Munich-based venture capital firm, has announced the final close of its €20 million Fund I, created specifically to support deep tech and AI startups at the pre-seed and seed stages. Vanagon intends to invest up to €500,000 per company…

#startups #innovation #privateequity #business #deeptech #europe #technology #eu

Munich’s Vanagon Ventures secures €20 million to target Europe’s pre-Seed DeepTech and AI gap

6 wks / eu-startups / David Cendon Garcia

As Europe’s longstanding alliance with the US falters, its push to become a self-sufficient AI superpower has become more urgent. www.wired.com/story/europe...

6 wks / bsky / @wired.com / wired.com

Sinpex raises €10M Series A to redefine KYB automation for Europe’s AML era

6 wks / tech / Cate Lawrence

London Startup Elyos AI Raises €11.1M Funding

6 wks / startuprise / Kailee Rainse

The Race to Build the DeepSeek of Europe Is On

6 wks / wired / Joel Khalili

YC-backed UK startup Elyos AI raises €11.1 million to build AI agents for trades and field services

6 wks / eu-startups / Rahul Raj

Vanagon Ventures Raises €20M To Support Europe’s Deep-Tech Pre-Seed Startups

6 wks / startuprise / Kailee Rainse

After DeepSeek

6 wks / scmp

Vanagon Ventures closes €20M fund to fill Europe’s deep tech pre-seed gap

6 wks / techfundingnews / Sofia Chesnokova

Exclusive: Ananda Impact Ventures closes €73m for new deeptech fund

6 wks / sifted

TikTok is ready to roll out age checking in Europe

Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson / betanews - Social media platforms are under global pressure to take care of younger users on their platforms, and this is very much the case in Europe. TikTok is about to start rolling out age checks in the region in a bid to keep regulators happy. TikTok’s owner, B…

#dataprivacy #techpolicy #tiktok #bytedance #europe #contentmoderation #eu #safety #digitalprivacy #regulation

TikTok is ready to roll out age checking in Europe

7 wks / betanews / Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

TikTok tightens age verification across Europe

7 wks / engadget / Kris Holt

Italian regulators are investigating Activision Blizzard's monetization practices

Andre Revilla / engadget - The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has opened two investigations into Microsoft-owned game studio Activision Blizzard, centered around the mobile games Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty: Mobile. The AGCM alleges the free-to-play games use "misleading…

#gaming #techpolicy #antitrust #government #business #europe #law #eu #regulation

Italy investigates Activision Blizzard for pushing in-game purchases

7 wks / techcrunch / Ram Iyer

Italian regulators are investigating Activision Blizzard's monetization practices

7 wks / engadget / Andre Revilla

Europe’s Largest Defense Fund for Startups Set for €500 Million

Christina Kyriasoglou / bloomberg - German investor Digital Transformation Capital Partners GmbH is on track to raise Europe’s largest-ever dedicated venture capital fund for defense startups, signing its first big backers for a fund targeting €500 million ($580 million).

#startups #cybersecurity #innovation #digitaltransformation #defensetech #privateequity #finance #deeptech #europe #eu

German growth investor DTCP raises €300m for new defence fund — which it hopes will be Europe’s largest

7 wks / sifted

With their new €500 million fund, Germany’s DTCP raises the bar for European defense and resilience capital

7 wks / eu-startups / David Cendon Garcia

DTCP expands into defence with €20M-per-deal Fund for security and dual-use startups

7 wks / tech / Cate Lawrence

Europe’s Largest Defense Fund for Startups Set for €500 Million

7 wks / bloomberg / Christina Kyriasoglou

Amsterdam’s Optics11 Raises €25M EIB Loan To Boost Europe’s Subsea And Energy Security

Kailee Rainse / startuprise - The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €25 million venture debt agreement with Amsterdam-based Optics11, a DeepTech scale-up developing advanced fibre optic sensing solutions. The Dutch company will use the funding to advance research and develop…

#startups #innovation #banking #energy #business #finance #deeptech #europe #technology #eu

Amsterdam’s Optics11 Raises €25M EIB Loan To Boost Europe’s Subsea And Energy Security

7 wks / startuprise / Kailee Rainse

Amsterdam-based Optics11 secures €25 million EIB loan to strengthen Europe’s subsea and energy security

7 wks / eu-startups / Rahul Raj

Italy's Privacy Watchdog, Scourge of US Big Tech, Hit By Corruption Probe

BeauHD / slashdot - The powerful data privacy watchdog in Italy long known for aggressively policing U.S. and Chinese AI giants is under investigation for possible corruption and embezzlement. Reuters reports: Rome prosecutors are investigating the agency's president, Pasqua…

#dataprivacy #techpolicy #government #gdpr #europe #privacy #law #eu #digitalprivacy #regulation

Italy's Privacy Watchdog, Scourge of US Big Tech, Hit By Corruption Probe

7 wks / slashdot / BeauHD

Italy's privacy watchdog, scourge of US big tech, hit by corruption probe

7 wks / ycombinator

AWS Launches Independent European Cloud to Meet Sovereignty Requirements

PYMNTS / pymnts - AWS has launched the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, an independent cloud located in the European Union and designed to help customers meet the EU’s sovereignty requirements. The cloud is physically and logically separate from other AWS regions, and it feat…

#cloud #dataprivacy #techpolicy #cloudsec #amazon #datacenter #gdpr #europe #eu #regulation

AWS Launches Independent European Cloud to Meet Sovereignty Requirements

7 wks / pymnts / PYMNTS

AWS European Sovereign Cloud

7 wks / ycombinator

Amazon Launches AWS European Sovereign Cloud

7 wks / thurrott / Laurent Giret

AWS flips switch on Euro cloud as customers fret about digital sovereignty

Lindsay Clark / theregister - EU-only ops, German subsidiaries, and a pinky promise your data won't end up in Uncle Sam's hands Amid continued trade and geopolitical volatility between Europe and the US, Amazon Web Services is making its European Sovereign Cloud generally available to…

#cloud #dataprivacy #techpolicy #cloudsec #amazon #government #datacenter #europe #eu #regulation

Amazon expands 'sovereign cloud' in Europe

7 wks / techxplore

London Stock Exchange Group signs new data deal with AWS

7 wks / uktech / Oscar Hornstein

AWS flips switch on Euro cloud as customers fret about digital sovereignty

7 wks / theregister / Lindsay Clark

AWS expanding in Belgium, Netherlands and Portugal, amid sovereign cloud launch

7 wks / siliconrepublic / Laura Varley

Is the AWS European Sovereign Cloud sovereign enough?

7 wks / techzine / Sander Almekinders

Amazon launches its 'sovereign' cloud in Europe and plots expansion

7 wks / cnbc

French MedTech FineHeart Raises €83 Million Funding

Kailee Rainse / startuprise - FineHeart, a Bordeaux- and Tours-based clinical-stage medical device company focused on cardiovascular technologies, has completed the first closing of its Series C financing round, raising €35 million. Investors in the round include Groupe Pasteur Mutual…

#startups #vc #digitalhealth #health #business #us #europe #technology #eu #medicine

French MedTech FineHeart Raises €83 Million Funding

1 month / startuprise / Kailee Rainse

FineHeart Raises €35M in Series C First Closing; Receives €48M in Grants

1 month / finsmes / FinSMEs

French MedTech FineHeart raises €83 million in private capital and EU grants to fight advanced heart failure

1 month / eu-startups / Rahul Raj

UK regulator asks X about reports its AI makes 'sexualised images of children'

bbc - Elon Musk's social media platform has warned users not to use Grok to generate illegal content.

#techpolicy #aiethics #genai #government #india #law #contentmoderation #xai #grokai #eu

Global Regulatory Investigations (6)
Other Coverage (1)
Platform Accountability (4)
Safe Harbour Policy Threats (3)
All Other Stories

Global Regulatory Investigations

Elon Musk's X faces probes in Europe, India, Malaysia after Grok generated explicit images of women and children

2 months / cnbc

Grok under investigation for sexualized deepfake generation

2 months / mashable

EU Condemns Musk’s Grok for Illegal Sexualized Images of Kids

2 months / bloomberg / Olivia Solon

UK regulator asks X about reports its AI makes 'sexualised images of children'

2 months / bbc

UK watchdog in ‘urgent contact’ with Musk’s X over AI-generated sexualized images of children

2 months / politico / Mizy Clifton

France and Malaysia investigate Grok for sexualized deepfakes

2 months / dataconomy / Kerem Gülen

Other Coverage

Grok's AI CSAM Shitshow

2 months / 404media / Jason Koebler

Platform Accountability

Elon Musk's xAI Refuses to Rein In Grok as Non-Consensual Deepfakes Run Wild

2 months / decrypt / Jose Antonio Lanz

X blames users for Grok-generated CSAM; no fixes announced

2 months / ycombinator

X blames users for Grok-generated CSAM; no fixes announced

2 months / arstechnica / Ashley Belanger

Grok apologizes for sharing sexualized images of children

2 months / techxplore

Safe Harbour Policy Threats

From CSAM to Deepfakes: X Faces Safe Harbor Revoke Threat Over Grok’s Obscene Content

2 months / medianama / Azdhan

Centre Mulls Revoking X’s Safe Harbour Over Grok Misuse: Report

2 months / inc42 / Palak Sharma

One-Minute Daily AI News 1/4/2026

2 months / reddit / /u/Excellent-Target-847

All Other Stories

foreign regulators are on it - usa regulators mum on xAI Grok deepfake porn problems… www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/i...

2 months / bsky / @lorak.bsky.social / lorak.bsky.social

With Grok, Elon Musk has, in a perverse way, sort of succeeded at doing something Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman have tried: Running a social media site where AI is integrated and that people actually use. The major downsides? Yeah, a whole lot:

2 months / bsky / @404media.co / 404media.co

We are experiencing world events like the kidnapping of Maduro through the lens of the most depraved AI you can imagine.

2 months / bsky / @404media.co / 404media.co

All of this is bad: AI models are often trained on images of children, AI is used disproportionately against women, X is generally a cesspool, etc. Elon Musk of all people has not shown any indication that he remotely cares about any of this, and has ev

2 months / bsky / @404media.co / 404media.co

And as this is happening in realtime with real world events, mainstream media have demonstrated that they do not know or care to know the first thing about by writing articles about LLMs. There were dozens of articles explaining that “Grok apologizes,” w

2 months / bsky / @404media.co / 404media.co

www.404media.co/groks-ai-csa...

2 months / bsky / @tepski.tech / tepski.tech

Musk is now peddling paedophilia Anyone remaining on his X site is complicit in this absolute horror

2 months / bsky / @neilmackay.bsky.social / neilmackay.bsky.social

U.K. communications watchdog Ofcom is looking into whether X may be in breach of British online safety regulations following a series of reports that its AI chatbot Grok generated sexually explicit images of children.

2 months / bsky / @politico.eu / politico.eu

France to investigate deepfakes of women stripped naked by Grok

Klara Durand, Océane Herrero, Émile Marzolf / politico - Hundreds of women and teenagers have reported their photos published on social media have been “undressed” by Grok.