The Next Web TNW

Europe’s space launch industry is set to reopen for business today. Arianespace’s heavy rocket Ariane 6 is scheduled to blast off at 16:24 GMT (17:24 CET) from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. Originally scheduled for December, the Ariane 6 mission was delayed first to February 26 and subsequently to March 3 due to issues in transporting the satellite to the launchpad. However, just minutes before Monday’s launch, engineers identified an “anomaly” in one of the refueling pipes, postponing the launch further. If today’s attempt is successful, it will mark Ariane 6’s first-ever commercial launch. The heavy-lift rocket made its maiden flight in July last year — restoring sovereign access to space for Europe.  Ariane 6 will be carrying CSO-3, a French military spy satellite capable of taking high resolution images of Earth. The probe is the final piece of a three-satellite system designed to improve France’s ability to monitor global activities from space. The first two probes were launched aboard Russian Soyuz rockets in 2018 and 2020. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, Europe has been unable to access Soyuz rockets. Meanwhile, the retirement of the Ariane 5 in 2023 and delays to the new Vega-C small-launch vehicle left the continent without independent access to space. Europe was forced to rely on Elon Musk’s SpaceX for over a year. The Ariane 6 mission In 2023, Europe completed only three successful orbital launches — its lowest total since 2004. The US, meanwhile, had 109 — the most a single country has ever made. However, with Ariane 6 now up-and-running and Vega-C having launched in December, things are looking up for Europe’s space capabilities. And it’s not just publicly-funded missions that are on track. German startup Isar Aerospace is ready to blast Europe’s first privately-funded rocket in orbit from Andøya Spaceport in Norway, pending regulatory signoff. Isar is one of several startups like PLD Space and Rocket Factory Augsburg looking to provide a local alternative to SpaceX. Both of those companies are also set to launch for the first time this year.  The progress of European rocket startups — and veterans like Arianespace and Avio (the company behind Vega-C) — couldn’t come at a better time. European states have long sought to strengthen their security autonomy, a priority that has gained renewed urgency following the Trump administration’s thawing relations with Russia. However, Europe might not be able to replace SpaceX altogether. Ariane 6, unlike SpaceX rockets, is not reusable. And while Europe is fostering private companies with reusable, light-lift rockets, it likely won’t have a reusable heavy-lift option until the 2030s, when a successor to Ariane 6 may emerge.  Nevertheless, while not a panacea for Europe’s autonomy in space, the boost in local capabilities is still good news for the region’s broader space tech sector. “The increased access [to space] will no doubt accelerate the pace of innovation and deployment of new space technologies in Europe,” Mark Boggett, the CEO of investment firm Seraphim Space, previously told TNW.  The progress could also yield immense financial rewards. McKinsey and the World Economic Forum expect the global space economy to rise from $630 billion in value in 2023 to $1.8 trillion by 2035. source

In the run-up to every International Women’s Day (IWD), new data is released on gender inequity in tech. Frequently, the findings are disheartening. This week, one report estimated that female founders in Europe secured just 12% of last year’s total VC funding. Another calculated that overlooking women-led deep tech firms over the past decade cost the economy €198.8bn. Yet there are also reasons for optimism. One is that the investment landscape is showing signs of progress. According to the Female Innovation Index, last year saw a 7% increase in round size and a 15% rise in M&A activity for tech firms founded by women. Another source of hope is the transformative technologies emerging from their companies. As IWD approaches, we spoke to four women propelling powerful innovations in TNW’s home country, the Netherlands, about their work — and why the tech sector must do more for gender equity. Anne Berends, co-founder and CTO at SunLED Life Science TNW Conference – Groups get the best fun and the best deals Bring your team and multiply your efficiency to cover more grounds and collect new leads. Anne Berends has a rare blend of academic expertise and business nous. As a materials scientist and program director at Dutch LED pioneer Seaborough, she substantiated a compelling hypothesis: near-infrared light can improve our health and well-being. Under her watch, the idea grew into a new spin-off company: SunLED Life Science. As the co-founder and CTO, Berends shapes the technological and strategic direction of the business. She makes a clear case for supporting women in tech. “Half of the population is female, and girls consistently outperform boys in school,” she says. “The reality is that while there are countless women with brilliant, entrepreneurial ideas, they remain underrepresented in the startup world. This isn’t just a diversity issue; it’s a missed opportunity. When female founders are rare, valuable innovation and economic potential are left untapped.” To unlock this talent, she continues, funding access must improve. “It’s time for VCs and [private equity] firms to recognise this and actively invest in the next generation of women-led venture — because the talent is there, waiting to be unlocked.” Kiki Lauwers, CEO at Thorizon Like Berends, Kiki Lauwers has a glittering resume of business and scientific credentials. She holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Delft University of Technology and an MBA from INSEAD. After working at McKinsey, online retailer bol.com, and audiovisual business Kinly, she joined deep tech scaleup Thorizon as CEO in 2023. The company is developing a nuclear reactor with an unusual power source: molten salt. The approach could realise the dream of sustainable, and green nuclear energy. Lauwers sees two sides to her position as a woman leader in tech. “Being ‘different’ has its advantages — people remember you, and with all-male panels fading out, I get more opportunities to speak. But I also have to fight bias. I’m not here because I’m a woman; I’m here despite it,” she says. “Every day, I push against biases that I’m less technical, smart, persistent, or experienced. In a recent interview I was quoted as the ‘Belgian woman, and my peer was quoted as the ‘engineer from Delft’. I am an engineer with an MBA degree, a former strategy consultant with a lot of management experience, but sometimes, I do wonder if securing funding would be easier if my name were Peter.” Beyond the ethical issues, Lauwers emphasises the business argument for greater equality. “Europe’s deep tech sector needs all the talent it can get, which means encouraging more women to pursue STEM and highlighting engineering role models,” she says. “I’m proud that Thorizon has over 30% female employees.” Esther Bisschop, co-founder of Th3rd Esther Bisschop is an entrepreneur with a flair for storytelling. She deployed these skills to turn her startup — Th3rd — into a global leader in 3D scanning software. Th3rd’s digital models were a hit with clothing brands. Social media giants also recognised the tech’s value. In 2022, Snap acquired the Amsterdam-based business as part of a drive to embed AR into e-commerce. Bisschop points to the societal benefits of diversity in tech. “The world’s most pressing challenges won’t be solved by a select few, they require all of us. To build a better future, we need founders of different genders, backgrounds, ages, and cultures to drive innovation,” she says. “Investing in women founders isn’t just about fairness, it’s about unlocking the full potential of entrepreneurship.” Lea Milovich, CEO and co-founder at FlowBeams Lea Milovich has over 15 years of experience as a senior business development manager, team leader, and startup coach. In 2023, she added “founder” to her extensive list of professional achievements. The company she built — FlowBeams — began with the idea of removing tattoos without needles. The concept evolved into a non-invasive injection system for cosmetic and pharmaceutical treatments. Milovich highlights the benefits of being a woman leader. “Being a female founder means navigating uncharted waters with hidden and declared biases. However, for me it has brought a unique perspective where resilience drives innovation much stronger,” she says. “I truly believe that, to unlock the potential of the tech ecosystem, we must actively invest in brave and brilliant women that are willing to risk their time and reputation, not as a gesture, but as a strategic imperative.” This year’s TNW Conference features a Women in Tech ticket. The pass provides 50% off access to the event, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. TNW is also hosting a Female Founders’ Brunch on March 15. You can register here to attend. source

Gene-edited pig livers, synthetic embryos, and 3D-printed tissue implants… the world of organ transplantation is becoming increasingly bizarre as scientists explore high-tech ways to keep people alive.  These experiments are birthing new business opportunities. One company cashing in is University of Oxford spinout OrganOx, which this week secured $142mn in funding to fuel its expansion in the US as it mulls a potential IPO.     OrganOx’s Metra machine pumps oxygenated blood and nutrients through the liver, mimicking natural conditions during a transplant. This helps the organ stay healthier for up to 12 hours longer than traditional methods — giving doctors more time to find a suitable recipient and improving transplant success rates. To date, the technology has been used in more than 5,000 transplant operations.  OrganOx isn’t the only player disrupting organ preservation, which has relied on one technique — static cold storage — for decades.  TNW Conference – Groups get the best fun and the best deals Bring your team and multiply your efficiency to cover more grounds and collect new leads. Across the pond, Paragonix Technologies has developed an organ transportation device that preserves organs by cooling them and then pumping a special preservation solution through them. This helps to keep the organ cells alive and reduces damage during transport or storage, ensuring the organ stays viable for transplant. The tech caught the eye of Swedish medical-equipment giant Getinge, which acquired Paragonix for $477mn last year.  Meanwhile, US biotech scaleup eGenesis, founded in 2015, has raised $456mn to advance xenotransplantation — using CRISPR gene-editing techniques to develop human-compatible organs derived from pigs. Yes, you read that correctly: pig organs for human transplants.  Last year, surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania successfully attached one of eGenesis’ genetically-altered pig livers to a brain-dead person. The organ functioned normally for 72 hours. The team used OrganOx’s machine to carry out the transplant. The endeavor aims to address the chronic shortage of donor organs from humans, potentially saving countless lives.   In December 2024, there were over 104,000 people in the US waiting for an organ donor. Every day, 17 people die waiting.  Craig Marshall, CEO of OrganOx, said that the company is preparing to launch clinical trials for new devices designed to assist kidney transplants, as well as advance its work in genetically-engineered pig livers.  Other companies are taking organ transplantation into the realm of science fiction — and raising some ethical questions in the process. Renewal Bio, a startup from Israel, is using cutting-edge stem-cell science to create synthetic human embryos. The company wants to use the embryos — grown in an artificial womb — as a source for harvesting cells and tissues for medical applications, such as organ transplants.  While Renewal Bio insists that these entities are not intended to develop into human beings, the potential for creating embryos that resemble people raises ethical questions about the limits of scientific experimentation. source

The obscure world of quantum computing is emerging from the lab and into the public domain — fuelled by Big Tech’s recent progress in quantum processors. In the past few months alone, Google launched a chip called Willow, Microsoft unveiled Majorana, and this week, Amazon revealed Ocelot.  While tech giants are making great strides, these companies are still working in dozens of qubits — far from the numbers needed for a practical quantum computer. QuantWare, a startup from the Netherlands, could help them unlock millions more. QuantWare claims to have created a 3D chip architecture that offers the fastest route to a 1-million qubit quantum computer — and plans to sell it to Silicon Valley.    “We need to get to around a million qubits for a quantum computer capable of economically-relevant, world-changing calculations,” said QuantWare’s co-founder and CEO Matthijs Rijlaarsdam. These would be large, megawatt-scale systems, comparable to today’s AI clusters, he said. TNW Conference – Groups get the best fun and the best deals Bring your team and multiply your efficiency to cover more grounds and collect new leads. Qubits, like bits in a regular PC, are the basic units of information in a quantum computer. The more you have, the faster the machine.  “Even Google took five years to double the number of qubits on its chips — from 50 to 100,” said Rijlaarsdam. “If this is the pace of scaling up, we’re not going to get there fast enough.”  Solving the quantum qubit conundrum One of the biggest bottlenecks to scaling quantum computers is making room for more qubits.  Current designs route the electronic signals used to control the qubits to the edge of the chip. But as qubit numbers grow, space runs out.  Then you’ve got components like amplifiers, filters, and mixers that ensure signals are delivered with the right frequency, amplitude, and noise levels to perform accurate quantum calculations. In today’s quantum computers, each component is housed on a separate chip in a separate metal box — resulting in quantum computers growing too large too quickly.  QuantWare’s core offering — vertical integration and optimisation, or VIO — promises to solve quantum’s scaling problem.  The 3D chip architecture replaces edge-based wiring, allowing signals to travel “from above,” producing higher qubit densities. VIO also integrates bulky components like amplifiers and filters onto a single quantum processor or ‘chip’. In effect, it creates the quantum computing version of an integrated circuit in modern PCs.  “We provide the fastest path towards scaling towards a million qubit system,” said Rijlaarsdam. And because VIO enables all those qubits to be integrated into one chip, it will be “exponentially faster” than a system made up of several chips connected together, he said.  QuantWare cofounders Alessandro Bruno (left) and Matthijs Rijlaarsdam. Credit: QuantWare Rijlaarsdam and Alessandro Bruno founded QuantWare in 2020 as a spinoff from TU Delft. The startup makes its own quantum chips and amplifiers, which are already found in quantum computers in 20 countries. It will use VIO to rapidly scale its processors. But it will also offer the technology to companies building their own quantum machines.  Big Tech, big customers As tech giants compete in the race to a viable quantum computer, QuantWare is positioning itself to cash in. The startup aims to become the quantum equivalent of what TSMC is to Apple or Microsoft in classical computing — an enabler, not a competitor.  “Each Big Tech breakthrough reinforces QuantWare’s value proposition,” said Rijlaarsdam. Quantum computing has transformed in recent years from a speculative moonshot into a technology poised to turbo-charge everything from drug discovery to cryptography. Last year, quantum technologies attracted over $49bn in public and private investment.   “Quantum computing is less now a science problem than an engineering problem, and it will quickly become an economic problem: how can we scale as quickly as possible?” said Rijlaarsdam.   Today, QuantWare raised €20mn in Series A funding to further develop VIO and build out its chip fabrication facilities. The round was co-led by Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund and Innovation Quarter. Job van der Voort, founder and CEO of Remote, also came on board as an angel investor. If QuantWare’s bet on 3D chip architecture pays off, it could offer a route to the million-qubit milestone needed to get quantum computers that truly change the world. The race is on.   The next big thing in tech is one of three key themes at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are now on sale. To get 30% off, use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the check-out. source

A British R&D unit that’s been compared to DARPA is funding synthetic muscles, electronic skin, and mechanical hands for a robotics dexterity project. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) today unveiled the 10 teams selected for the programme. Their mission: usher in a new era of dexterity that will transform robotics and human productivity. Members of the group span startups, university labs, public research organisations, and large companies. Collectively, they will receive £52mn to advance the physical dexterity of robots. The funds aim to bridge the software-hardware gap in robotics, which has widened during the AI boom. Robot bodies now lag behind advances in computation. Their failure to match the flexibility, speed, and precision of humans has severely restricted their use. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! Algorithms, meanwhile, are rapidly reaching new levels of intelligence. ARIA wants the hardware to catch up. The agency argues that there’s a pressing need for progress. The proportion of the global population aged over 65 is set to triple by 2100. At the same time, labour shortages for physically demanding jobs are increasing. Robots could provide essential support. The robotics teams Members of the programme have proposed diverse solutions to the challenge. Arthur Robotics, a startup based in London, wants to commercialise an mechnical hand inspired by biology. Focused on manufacturing, the motorised limb blends soft, deformable contact surfaces with rich tactile sensing and reinforcement learning. A team led by Lorenzo Jamone, an associate professor in robotics and AI at University College London, will develop electronic skin. Based on magnetic technology, the skin aims to measure 3D contact forces at multiple points. It can also bend and stretch. Startups from outside the UK are also contributing. Denmark’s Pliantics will create soft linear actuators, which will serve as “artificial muscles” that enhance a robot’s physical interactions. Another set of artificial muscles will be built by Artimus, a US company, alongside researchers from the University of Bristol. Nicholas Kellaris, the co-founder and Chief Research Officer of Artimus, praised the project’s emphasis on cooperation. “This programme is unique in how it encourages and actively facilitates collaboration amongst creators at all levels of development, from fundamental hardware to the simulation, integration, and validation of full solutions,” he said. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to [join] this multi-level and cross-disciplinary approach.” The ARIA model Established in 2023, ARIA funds “high-risk, high-reward” research. The strategy has drawn comparisons to DARPA, a US Department of Defence agency that develops emerging technologies. The Pentagon unit has been involved in a variety of transformative innovations, from the internet and GPS to stealth technology and autonomous vehicles. At ARIA, a diverse array of projects is already underway. One unveiled last year plans to provide “quantitative safety guarantees” for AI with digital gatekeepers. Another aims to create early warning systems for climate tipping points. A third looks to nature to train AI at 0.1% of the cost. With the arrival of the robotics dexterity teams, ARIA is now adding futuristic hardware to its labs. You can find the full list of the concepts in the programme here. source

British autonomous driving startup Wayve is set to establish a testing and development hub in Germany as it prepares to deploy self-driving vehicles in Europe’s largest automotive market.  Wayve’s new hub will be built near Stuttgart, home to big name car brands including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Audi. Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, called it the “perfect place” for the company to accelerate the development and testing of AI-powered driving technology.   “2025 is a year of global expansion for Wayve, and we are incredibly excited to establish operations in Germany,” said Kendall. Wayve is already testing its technology in the UK and the US. The startup’s new testing hub in Baden-Württemberg will focus on refining its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features, including lane change assistance, and advancing automated driving technology. The site also offers access to Germany’s deep pool of software engineering talent, key to the company’s development efforts. TNW Conference – Groups get the best fun and the best deals Bring your team and multiply your efficiency to cover more grounds and collect new leads. Founded in Cambridge in 2017, Wayve fits a regular car with a range of cameras and sensors that interpret the surrounding environment. This data gets fed to Wayve’s so-called “embodied AI” system. Unlike many other self-driving AI models, which have to be trained on each possible driving scenario and are confined to geofenced limits, Wayve’s AI is more free to act and learn on its own. The more the AI “drives,” the better it becomes at responding to hazards. Wayve’s approach to autonomous driving is similar to Tesla’s. But unlike Elon Musk’s firm, Wayve will sell its technology directly to carmakers. This means you won’t have to buy a Tesla to access top spec self-driving tech. “I look forward to partnering with Germany’s world-leading manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to bring safe, scalable, and production-ready AI software to vehicles worldwide,” said Kendall.  The news follows Wayve’s mega $1bn raise in May — the largest-ever single investment in a European AI startup. SoftBank led the Series C round alongside tech giants Nvidia and Microsoft.  “Wayve is a singularly important company for Europe,” Suranga Chandratillake, partner at Balderton and an early investor in Wayve, told TNW at the time.  “Embodied AI will be the next big frontier of artificial intelligence — bringing machine intelligence to the physical world around us and not just the computer screen that large language models are confined to.”   The approach has also attracted attention in the US. In August, Wayve secured a “strategic investment” from Uber, which is integrating autonomous driving tech into its fleet of taxis.     source

Two European sports tech startups are heading to the US for an R&D programme run by media giant Comcast. Ireland’s Orreco will cross the Atlantic with a trove of athletic performance software, while Iceland’s Oz Sports will bring an AI-driven camera system. On arrival, the duo will join Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech, a six-month accelerator.  During the programme, the companies will tap into expertise from various industry leaders. Among them are Comcast broadcasting networks NBC Sports, Sky Sports, and the Golf Channel from Comcast’s broadcasting empire. Further support will come from a star-studded squad of partners, including the Premier League, the PGA Tour, and NASCAR. The diverse lineup of experts is a key selling point. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! On a video call from Comcast’s headquarters in Philadelphia, Jenna Kurath, Head of Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech, said the programme is “powered by partnerships.” “By bringing the best of innovation into our organisation, forging those strategic relationships with emerging startups, and working alongside some of the most elite sports organisations in the world, we’re able to really push us beyond the status quo,” Kurath told TNW. The collaborative approach has one overall target: cultivating a new generation of sports tech. But for the teams involved, the attractions are varied. The selected teams receive new routes to accelerate product development, forge industry relationships, and refine commercial strategies. Their partners gain access to emerging technologies that could enhance future broadcasts and sporting events. Comcast, meanwhile, can get an edge on market trends, strengthen partnerships, unlock new revenue streams, and enhance customer experiences. The company is also investing in startups selected for the programme. Inside the programme The potential benefits have proved alluring for startups. Over 1,600 teams applied to this year’s programme. The cohort was then whittled down to just 10 companies. Kurath breaks down the selection process into three key criteria. “The first is, is it a problem we’re solving? The second is, do we have a line of sight on how we’ll test and pilot that technology over the six-month programme and beyond? But probably most important of all is, is this the team that we believe can do it — and is this the team we want to work alongside?” Orreco impressed the selectors with an AI sports analytics platform. The software interprets camera data, blood biomarkers, GPS, and other data sources. It then provides personalised insights on performance, nutrition, training, sleep, and recovery. OZ Sports, meanwhile, earned a spot on the roster after developing an AI-driven, multi-camera 4K60p HDR production unit for broadcasting. The system offers remote sports coverage in top-notch quality — at a fraction of the price. With Comcast recently winning new rights to NBA and Premier League games, the system could support the expanded coverage. “This is a really cost-effective, efficient way for us to do that and make it the best broadcast experience,” Kurath said. Orreco and Oz Sports join a range of European companies that have entered the programme. Europe’s sports tech roster One recent European graduate is the UK’s Kymira, which developed infrared-infused recovery apparel for the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey team. The gear was initially built for the players, but the benefits have also been tested on front office staff. Another alumnus is Manchester-based Dizplay, meanwhile, makes sports fans active participants in the spectator experience. In partnership with Sky Sports, the startup introduced a “Viewer’s Verdict” for boxing broadcasts, allowing audiences to share real-time opinions and enhance social commentary. This technology could also expand beyond sports, bringing interactivity to live news, talk shows, and other broadcasts. A third British graduate, Tickets for Good, provides a platform that offers discounted tickets to tailored audiences. That could mean sports fans, but it could also serve teachers or first responders.  “We’re always looking for companies that are proving themselves in the grand stage of sports, but when they have extensibility into other areas of our business, it’s just all the more powerful,” Kurath said. For European members of the programme, the accelerator offers a springboard to the world’s biggest market. “A lot of the international companies are very strong within their own specific country, but are looking to break into the US market,” Kurath said. “It is huge, it is nuanced. It is not an easy market. The sports industry is not an easy one to break into, so we’re opening doors for them and giving them really deep customer insights on what it means for your technology to succeed in the US market.” Enterprise innovation is one of three key themes at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are now on sale. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the check-out to get 30% off the price tag. source

As the US and China pursue dominance in the global technology race, concerns are mounting among European founders that the region’s entrenched bureaucracy is impeding its capacity for innovation and growth. The EU is going “overboard on tech regulation,” said Job van der Voort, CEO and founder of Remote, an HR tech company valued at over $3bn. “It’s stifling innovation and it’s a massive risk for Europe.” Van der Voort told TNW that many business leaders share his view. “Most entrepreneurs agree this is a huge problem,” he said.   Indeed, such concerns are being raised with growing frequency. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! At a conference in Paris earlier this month, the likes of Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch and DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis repeatedly called for regulation in Europe that is “flexible enough” to support innovation and competitiveness. A little over a week later, Dutch software unicorn Bird took drastic steps to escape “overregulation,” announcing plans to move most of its operations out of Europe. “I think more companies will be forced to do the same [as Bird],” said van der Voort. “But the biggest impact will be at the early stage.” The founder highlighted the ongoing trend of European startups crossing the Atlantic to scale. Research by London-based VC Hoxton Ventures found that nearly all European startups with over $500mn in revenue — including Spotify, Wise, and Adyen — succeeded by winning the US market.  Van der Voort believes burdensome tech regulation is encouraging moves beyond the continent. “It’s becoming unattractive to start and maintain a business here,” he said. “That’s why I tell startups to leave Europe if they want to succeed.” Van der Voort has followed his own advice. After he and Marcelo Lebre founded Remote in 2019, the partners decided to base the company in San Francisco. “It was simply easier to start it there,” he said. Remote, which helps businesses hire and manage remote teams, has grown rapidly since then. In 2022, the company raised $300mn in a Series C round that pushed its valuation above $3bn.  “The EU needs to consider its own fate over the next decades,” warned van der Voort. “Regulation standing in the way of innovation — that makes it harder for startups and is incredibly hurtful for the economy.”   Job van der Voort is a former speaker at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are now on sale. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the check-out to get 30% off the price tag. source

Most of us share and store huge amounts of personal data online, from our names and addresses to photos of our loved ones. In many ways, firms like Apple, Google, and Meta are the gatekeepers of this sensitive information. But what happens when the authorities come knocking? It appears that Silicon Valley often rolls over and complies.  Over the last 10 years, Apple, Google, and Meta have handed over data on 3.1 million accounts to the US government, according to a new report by Swiss software company Proton.  The number of times officials have requested user data from Big Tech has skyrocketed by an average of 600% over the same timeframe, Proton found. Meta’s data sharing surged by 675%, marking the largest increase, followed by Apple at 621% and Google at 530%. Apple, Google, and Meta comply with between 80-90% of US government data requests, according to Proton. This potentially includes handing over user emails, files, messages, and other highly personal information.  TNW Conference – Groups get the best fun and the best deals Bring your team and multiply your efficiency to cover more grounds and collect new leads. While data requests also saw an uptick from countries including Germany, France, and the UK, the US took the lion’s share. “All that’s required for the government to find out just about everything it could ever need is a request message to Big Tech in California,” said Raphael Auphan, COO of Proton. “And as long as Big Tech refuses to implement widespread end-to-end encryption, these massive, private data reserves will remain open to abuse.” Data sharing with US authorities has surged since 2014. Credit: Proton Government desires for data Proton — best known for its products ProtonMail, ProtonVPN, and ProtonDrive — has long positioned itself as a privacy-first alternative to Big Tech firms. However, the company also complies with its fair share of government requests for user data.  According to Proton’s own transparency report, it received 13 data requests from Swiss authorities back in 2017, soaring to 6,378 by 2024. Of those, it complied with 5,971 of the requests. That’s 93% — higher than the Big Tech companies highlighted in the new report.  However, unlike Silicon Valley’s giants, Proton encrypts emails, files, and VPN traffic in a way that even the company itself cannot read or access. So, even if authorities demand data, there’s very little it can provide.   “In no circumstances can we share emails, files, contact lists, calendar entries or other personal content,” a Proton spokesperson told TNW. “We cannot share what we do not have.” Moreover, Proton operates under strict Swiss privacy laws, which means foreign governments cannot request data from it without first going through Swiss courts, adding an extra layer of security for users.  But under specific circumstances, the company can hand over metadata about the account, including IP address, email address, and recipient emails. “Proton is dedicated to protecting user privacy but that does not mean it’s a safe haven for illegal activity,” the spokesperson said. “Proton is subject to national laws and has legal obligations, to which we are obliged to comply unless we have legal grounds to contest, which does not happen very often in Switzerland.”   source

Germany’s armed forces have commissioned Bremen-based startup Polaris to develop a two-stage, fully reusable hypersonic space plane — and given the team just three years to build it.  Dubbed Aurora, the 28-metre-long aircraft will be part rocket, part plane — designed to take off and land on a runway but also blast through the atmosphere and place payloads up to 1-ton in low-Earth orbit.  Under the contract, the startup will design, build, and flight test the spaceplane. The aircraft will serve as a testbed for hypersonic flight and defence research. It could be used as a small satellite carrier if fitted with a non-reusable upper stage, Polaris said.  Polaris was founded in 2019 by Alexander Kopp as a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It builds upon over three decades of German and European spaceplane research.  The startup has already built three demonstrators of its Aurora spaceplane. The first, Mira I, crashed shortly after its inaugural flight. But the next two iterations — Mira-II and Mira-III — had better luck. These 5-meter-long vehicles, each weighing 240kg, have completed over 100 successful test flights since they first launched in September last year. The 💜 of EU tech The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! The Mira prototype series relies on jet engines for takeoff, cruise, and landing, while incorporating an aerospike rocket engine for high-speed propulsion tests. First conceived in the 1960s, aerospike engines adjust to air pressure changes at all altitudes, making them more efficient than traditional designs. However, aerospikes never entered the mainstream because they are hard to cool and difficult to build. Polaris’ work on advanced cooling technologies and materials may just overcome past engineering challenges.  Polaris made history in October last year when it conducted the first-ever flight powered by an aerospike engine. The AS-1 engine was ignited in flight for three seconds aboard the Mira-II over the Baltic Sea, delivering a thrust of 900 Newtons and accelerating the 229kg vehicle to 864km/h.   The Mira’s future big sister Aurora, however, will be designed to reach hypersonic speeds above Mach 5 (over 6,125km/h) and beyond.  Spaceplanes like Aurora could prove a more cost-effective way to access space than rockets because they can take off from a conventional runway and be reused time and time again — just like a plane, but with more juice.   Polaris’ announcement comes days after Germany’s incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz cast doubts over whether NATO would remain in its “current form,” urging Europe to increase defence spending.    source