In a bold turn of phrase and deed, Paris has quietly told Silicon Valley “au revoir.”  On January 26, 2026, France’s Ministry of Finance announced that by 2027, all public servants will switch from U.S. video apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom to a homegrown platform called Visio.  No more license renewals for Teams, Zoom, Webex, or Meet, just one unified, French-built solution.  In one stroke, a long-discussed slogan “digital sovereignty” has leapt off the podium and into practice. This is not a press release; it’s a watershed moment: Europe’s second-biggest economy is wagering that, when it comes to critical…

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Shortly after launch, TNW Council is already seeing clear, early signals from its concierge model, signals that underline a fundamental truth often overlooked in the startup ecosystem: founders operating at €1 to 10 million and leaders scaling companies between €10 to 100 million are solving entirely different problems. From the first concierge-led conversations, a consistent pattern emerged. Founders in the €1 to 10M range are primarily seeking: practical growth strategies clarity on positioning, channels, and prioritization hands-on experience that helps them avoid early-stage execution mistakes In contrast, leaders operating at €10 to 100M are no longer asking for growth playbooks.…

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Slush, the Finnish nonprofit behind one of the most influential startup gatherings in Europe, has named Noora Saksa as its new Chief Executive Officer, a shift that indicates a strategic evolution for the organisation as it expands beyond its flagship event model. Saksa assumes the top role after years as Slush’s Chief Operating & Financial Officer and Head of Partnerships, where she managed core operations, finances, and ecosystem programmes. Her trajectory within the organisation reflects a deep operational understanding of Slush’s mission: to connect founders, investors, and builders in ways that help founders advance on their journeys. In stepping into…

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Warsaw, Poland 26 January 2026 – Rainbow Weather has raised $5.5 million in seed funding to push weather forecasting further into the short-term, high-precision territory it believes the industry still underserves. The Warsaw-based climate tech startup focuses on hyperlocal, minute-by-minute forecasts, zeroing in on what happens in the next few hours rather than days out. The round was backed by a syndicate of investors, including Yuri Gurski, founder of Flo Health, one of Europe’s best-known consumer tech unicorns. Rainbow Weather’s core product is a mobile app that delivers four-hour precipitation forecasts calculated from the exact moment a user checks the…

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London-based AI video startup Synthesia has raised $200 million in a Series E round, nearly doubling its valuation to around $4 billion and cementing its position as one of Europe’s most valuable AI companies. The round was led by Google Ventures, with participation from existing investors, underscoring continued appetite for applied AI products that have already found a clear commercial use. Synthesia builds generative AI tools that let companies create videos using AI-generated avatars instead of cameras, studios, or presenters. The technology has found a strong foothold in corporate training, internal communications, and product explainers, areas where speed, scale, and…

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