European female-founded startups have raised 9.7 billion euros so far in 2026, nearly matching the full-year total from the previous year, with deep-tech categories leading the growth.
Ola Electric is shifting from company-owned outlets to a dealer-led retail model, targeting 500 dealerships within two quarters as it looks to reinvigorate slowing sales.
South Korean gaming giant KRAFTON has committed $250 million toward Indian artificial intelligence and deeptech startups, extending its long-running bet on India's technology ecosystem beyond gaming.
Bengaluru-based sneaker label Comet has raised INR 100 crore in a Series B round led by Verlinvest, with angel backing from Urban Company and Snap executives, as it doubles its retail footprint.
Noida-based edtech startup YoLearn.ai has raised an undisclosed seed round led by ABP Education, which will convert its school textbooks into AI tutors accessible in 22 Indian languages.
Brussels-based Backbone has raised €4 million in pre-seed funding to build an AI-driven compliance platform that consolidates certifications, lab results and audit data for food manufacturers.
Berlin-based investor Auxxo has closed its second Female Catalyst Fund at €33.3 million, one of the largest direct funds dedicated to backing pre-seed and seed female-founded startups.
Auckland-based Outlier Space has raised NZ$10.5 million in pre-seed funding, backed by GD1, Airtree and Investible, to build orbital manufacturing technology.
Munich-based Zeit AI has raised a €5 million seed round from Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital Scout Fund and other investors to build enterprise AI and data infrastructure tooling.
D2C ayurvedic beauty brand The Ayurveda Co, along with sister brand Khadi Essentials, has formally shut down more than a year after ceasing operations, with cofounder Param Bhargava citing overexpansion.