
AI Startups Draw Fresh Capital Across US and Europe in Series of Funding Rounds
From Helsinki to Leuven and the US, several AI-focused companies have closed new rounds spanning infrastructure, fintech, recruitment and enterprise operations.
AfroEuropa Newsroom
AfroEuropa desk
A wave of funding announcements has landed across the artificial intelligence sector, with companies in the United States and Europe raising capital to expand platforms serving industries from consumer goods to recruitment.
Verda reaches unicorn status in Finland
Helsinki-based Verda, previously known as DataCrunch, said it raised 164.8 million euros ($189 million) to grow its full-stack AI cloud, a round that made it Europe's newest unicorn, according to EU-Startups. The financing featured an oversubscribed Series B led by Emergence Capital, with participation from MUFG Innovation Partners, Supermicro, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Lifeline Ventures, 6 Degrees Capital, byFounders and Tesi, alongside angel investors including Ola Torudbakken and Mark Saroufim. Founded in 2020 by Ruben Bryon, the company handles data centres, hardware, its cloud platform and AI research. Verda said its Finnish data centres operate on fully renewable energy.
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AI Firms Set to Brief UN Security Council on Technology Risks
Executives from OpenAI, Anthropic and DeepSeek are reported to appear before the UN Security Council this week as it reviews AI risks to global security.
Other highlights
Android 17 Updates Reach Samsung Galaxy S26 and Motorola Phones
Samsung has begun rolling out stable One UI 9 to Galaxy S26 devices in the US, while Motorola brings its Qira AI assistant to more handsets via Android 17.
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