Digital transformation has become the next big frontier defining how businesses operate. A survey found that at least 77 per cent of CEOs have accelerated their digital transformation plans. Now, digitisation has not only found a new meaning but also became a shield for labour and productivity.

Its rise has been unequivocal among both small and large companies and there are companies like Sigli at the centre of this rapid change. From the periphery, Sigli looks like just another tech company, but its story is a confluence of engineering and business and the unity that comes out of it and has been helping companies meet their digitalisation goals for years.

Built on values

Sigli was founded in 2015 in Vilnius, Lithuania, after its founders had spent years working for big corporations with an engineering-first mindset. The four founders realised that engineering is important, but there is a need for unity between engineers and a business mindset. This led them to launch Sigli as a business-centric company with a razor-sharp focus on clients.

“We believe that any engineering solution is done by a human who is an engineer and who understands the business side of it,” says Maxim Golikov, Sigli’s Chief Business Development Officer and host of the Innovantage Podcast.

While the founders are still engineers at their roots, Golikov adds that there is often a gap in thinking between engineers and business people and when you bridge that gap, there is a lot of value to derive. This, he adds, is exemplified by Sigli’s three values: ownership, transparency, and service.

He says the company is built on a foundation where every person, regardless of their position, is encouraged to take ownership “because as a person, your capacity to bring value is much higher than any system that an engineer can develop.”

Golikov further adds that they encourage transparency for everybody, internally as well as externally, while service is the very basis of its existence. When they started, these values formed their backbone, while software development was its core service. Golikov tells me back then, it wasn’t even called digital transformation, but they did build the foundational blocks that are now called digital transformation.

Digital transformation

The way Golikov explains the rapid escalation in demand for digital transformation is different from any other narrative. He tells me that they have been solving engineering challenges for years but as the company got older and its clients became closer, the scope of the challenges also grew.

This challenge, be it engineering, technical or business, can be collectively dubbed as digital transformation. “And through the experiences that we’ve gained, through business experience, through technical experience, through product experience, we understood that we can bring more value to the table than just writing lines of code,” explains Golikov.

Most businesses start with basic services but as their client needs evolve, their capabilities evolve with those needs. Sigli’s story is essentially that where they started by solving engineering challenges before evolving to do projects with end-to-end delivery, looking at the problems of their clients through a business lens and applying digital solutions to solve them.

Even at this stage, Golikov quips, they didn’t call it digital transformation but once they added governance to their services, they began to officially call what they did – digital transformation. The three basic blocks of digital transformation for us came down to, building that relationship with the client, being aligned on the same level with them, creating that transparency through one of our values and again being focused on the end value that we bring,” he adds.

A great example of Sigli’s approach to digital transformation in action is the work it has done for Allkind Group, a leader in accessible technology for individuals with disabilities. With Allkind, Sigli reimagined their digital infrastructure by integrating AI capabilities to enhance both operational efficiency and customer engagement. The partnership led to development of intelligent features like personalised learning tools and automated support systems, tailored to the unique needs of Allkind’s audience.

“By aligning cutting-edge innovation with a deep understanding of industry challenges, Sigli demonstrated how digital transformation can unlock new possibilities for businesses dedicated to making a meaningful impact,” says Golikov.

Software as an enabler

When it comes to digital transformation, the three key things to consider are speed, efficiency and security. While that is true, Golikov adds that software is only an enabler because tech companies and startups are always after speed and efficiency while larger businesses are keen on security.

Since Sigli is based in Europe with offices in Antwerp and Vilnius, the company is uniquely positioned to deliver speed, efficiency and any additional securities, whether it is regulatory or governance. But the real challenge, he explains, is the resistance to digital transformation within non-tech companies.

“So a digital transformation project for a company that is not a tech business often means spending a lot of money on something very, very nebulous,” he says.

Since many old companies rely on legacy systems, digital transformation requires redoing everything from the group up and it can be a huge expense. Golikov states that such companies see digital transformation projects as an expense or as a revenue generator and with software as an enabler approach, they build a solution that is not only digital but also a revenue-generating model. He argues that the value of digital transformation is tied to technology and not derived from it.

Artificial intelligence

At the time of writing, 90 per cent of Sigli’s business comes from Europe while 10 per cent comes from the US. When the company started, it maintained a balance between the US and Europe but has found its business model and mindset more suited to European businesses. Golikov says the bulk of their business comes from Benelux with Belgium and the Netherlands driving a lot of business.

The company also generates a good amount of business from the DACH region, primarily Switzerland and Austria, with Germany not contributing in a big way. Insurance remains one of the biggest industries while education (or edtech) remains equally important. The clients of Sigli can be summed up as non-tech businesses like logistics to tech-focused businesses like e-commerce.

“I would say that we have kind of not an industry but a very heavy focus on data solutions, data analysis, business intelligence, data platforms, and AI,” quips Golikov.

He doesn’t hesitate to state the obvious – the tech industry loves its hype cycles but claims that AI is indeed the next big thing. He says AI has real applications and tangible effects that he hasn’t felt in a long time and adds that he didn’t feel this way about AR or VR, IoT, and even crypto or blockchain.

“AI seems to be more ubiquitous,” he says, before adding, “it seems to cover everything. All industries, all levels of management, all people, day-to-day business, governments, etc.”

While AI is the buzzword right now, Sigli has been building data-centric solutions for a while and AI is all about data. “Data is the bedrock of any digital transformation project because it is important both from a regulatory standpoint as well as internal security standpoint.”

How does Sigli approach AI? Golikov says they always ask whether they need AI to solve this problem and don’t use AI as a quick fix. He says to derive the best result from AI, it is important to understand the limits of AI and if there is good data in a project or a problem then that problem is likely to be solved by AI.

“A lot of companies just want AI for the sake of AI without knowing that it will hallucinate and give wrong information a lot of the times,” he adds.

He says it is important to understand the potential of AI but even more important is to know its limits. One way Sigli is already using AI is by connecting its chatbot with OpenAI’s large language model to improve customer service, assistance, and experience. The company is also using AI to help businesses solve challenges with patient diagnosis accuracy, supply chain optimisation, predictive maintenance, efficient grid maintenance, network optimisation, etc.

The use of AI in the logistics industry is a great example. Golikov tells me they worked with a leading provider of IoT-enabled freight solutions provider to transform their cargo tracking systems with AI. Sigli introduced AI-driven communication tools that enhanced operational insights and user interaction. This demonstrates Sigli’s deep understanding of the industry and its ability to think how AI can redefine experience before implementing it.

However, to succeed with AI, Golikov recommends looking at why AI is needed and what AI can do and then applying governance to achieve the best result. Afterall only 20 per cent actually use AI while only 5 per cent succeed with AI.

Structured growth

Without delving deep into the financials, Golikov reveals they have an annual turnover of €5M right now and a team of 100 people. In the next two years, the company aims to double that number to €10M while also doubling its team size. With the ongoing geopolitical situation and uncertainty in the market, the Belgian company is optimistic but also cautious.

The company aims to double its revenue in the next two years by following its play book in Belgium. He says by investing more in the region, they were able to grow their business and as the next step, they want to do the same with the UK. “At the moment we are considering opening up an office next year there,” says Golikov, adding they are looking at London, Reading, Birmingham or Manchester as a possible location.

If this expansion goes well, the company plans to continue to focus on Benelux and the UK while also expanding in regions like DACH and the US. shift its focus either to the US or the DACH region. They also plan to hire across a broad range of roles. One thing that won’t change is its business philosophy, which Golikov reckons is their north star. He says their growth and competitive advantage are directly linked to their business philosophy and company values.

Alicante, Spain-based PLD Space, a company specialising in the development of reusable space launchers, announced on Tuesday that it has secured an €11M loan from COFIDES, a state-owned finance company, through a co-investment loan from the Fund for Foreign Investment (FIEX).

To date, the company has raised €170M in funding.

Ezequiel Sánchez, PLD Space Executive President, states, “We appreciate COFIDES’ confidence in PLD Space. Our mission is to provide Europe with a comprehensive payload launch capability, and this support inspires us to continue driving European space sovereignty while strengthening its strategic space infrastructure.”

Fund utilisation

The company will use the funds to support the development of the launch site for its MIURA 5 rocket in Kourou, French Guiana.

This loan will help PLD Space invest in the MIURA 5 launch complex at CSG, which spans 15,765 square meters. The first MIURA 5 flight is scheduled for late 2025.

PLD Space plans to generate over 10 direct jobs and 50 indirect jobs in Kourou, with expectations for more as launches increase. The company also aims to collaborate with local suppliers to strengthen the supply chain.

The Spanish company will initially invest a total of €16M in the development, construction, and operation of this launch base, located at the CSG—Europe’s spaceport in Kourou—operated by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

The project was formalised at COFIDES headquarters in the presence of the Secretary of State for Trade, Amparo López Senovilla.

Amparo López Senovilla highlights, “This initiative exemplifies the critical role of public-private collaboration in supporting strategic and innovative projects, which rely on institutional backing as an anchor investor during the early stages of technological development. This project underscores COFIDES’ position as a leading institution in managing public funds to support Spanish companies’ international investment ventures.”

PLD Space: Developing reusable rockets

Founded in 2011 by Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdú, PLD Space is an aerospace company that develops reusable rockets.

Currently, the company is working on creating MIURA launch vehicles and the LINCE manned capsule, making Spain one of the few countries capable of launching various payloads into space.

Last October, the company launched the first private European rocket, MIURA 1. The rocket has recovery and reuse requirements that only three companies in the space industry have achieved

The flight lasted 306 seconds in which MIURA 1 reached apogee at an altitude of 46 kilometres. The mission concluded with the rocket landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

With this launch, Spain becomes the tenth country in the world to have direct space capability. 

Located in Elche, Spain, with additional facilities in Teruel and Kourou (French Guiana), PLD Space aims to make space more accessible.

The company employs over 250 people.

The investor

COFIDES is a state-owned trading company that manages state funds, as well as its resources and those of third-party institutions.

COFIDES’s mission is to support the internationalisation of the Spanish economy, attract foreign investment into strategic sectors in Spain, promote the impact economy, and contribute to global economic development.

COFIDES’s shareholders include the Spanish State, Banco Santander, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Banco Sabadell, and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America. 

Ángela Pérez, COFIDES Chairperson, says, “COFIDES is committed to supporting companies that contribute to global technological transformation. PLD Space is a pioneer and a benchmark in Europe in the development of reusable rockets, and this collaboration reaffirms our commitment to innovation and the consolidation of European technological leadership.” She also thanked the Secretary of State for Trade for attending the formalisation of this project.

Rotterdam-based Pieter Pot, the sustainable packaging company, recently announced that it has raised €100K via crowdfunding. 

Max van der Mars, co-owner of Pieter Pot, also announced the company’s two “most important plans”, which would be realised using this capital. 

The first initiative features a stainless steel refill pot designed to reduce CO2 emissions, cut costs, and enhance customer convenience. This shows the Dutch company’s commitment to providing eco-friendly solutions while meeting customer needs. 

In addition, the company plans to increase its product offerings from 350 to 500 items. As a result, the company will introduce an array of new products, including soups, sauces, and lunch spreads, all packaged in sustainable jars. 

Since the relaunch in January this year, the Dutch company has generated €2.8M in sales. The online supermarket is currently making a loss, but it reports having its first profitable weeks based on EBITDA, says the report.

This crowdfunding campaign comes over a year after the Dutch company was declared bankrupt. According to the bankruptcy declaration, Pieter Pot faced a debt of €1.8M.

However, a week later, the holding company — Pieter Pot Beheer BV initiated a crowdfunding campaign, intending to issue shares to interested investors, with a minimum goal of €1.25M.

Pieter Pot: Addressing issues of packaging waste

Founded in 2019 by Jouri Schoemaker and Martijn Bijmolt, Pieter Pot’s innovative concept sought to address the issue of packaging waste by offering customers the option to buy groceries without any packaging.

With limited alternatives available for purchasing packaging-free groceries, Pieter Pot filled this gap by replacing traditional single-use plastic packaging with reusable pots. 

Customers could receive their orders in these pots and return them for cleaning and reuse, creating a circular system that aimed to minimise waste.

The startup saved an estimated four million packages from entering landfills, demonstrating the positive impact of its mission. 

Amsterdam-based Farmless, a startup focused on producing carbon-negative food ingredients by converting renewable energy and CO2, has secured a €1M grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The grant will support the company in validating its fermentation method for protein production, a process that does not require agricultural land, in an operational environment. 

“Our protein is locally brewed at the Farmless Brewery in Amsterdam, using food grade ingredients and a regionally produced, sustainable feedstock,” says the Dutch company in a LinkedIn post.

What does Farmless offer?

Founded by Adnan Oner, Farmless has developed a fermentation platform that produces protein locally, unaffected by climate and agricultural land constraints. 

Using natural microorganisms and a liquid mix of CO2, hydrogen, nitrogen, and renewable energy, the process requires up to 5,000 times less land than beef production. The resulting protein, containing all essential amino acids, can be used to create meat, dairy, and egg alternatives. 

Farmless aims to reduce reliance on animal products, restore farmland, and combat ecological issues caused by agriculture, such as biodiversity loss and climate change. The company seeks to offer economically viable alternatives to animal-based proteins.

Brief about the ERDF

The ERDF aims to reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities across EU regions by providing funding to public and private bodies. 

For the 2021-2027 period, the fund will support investments focused on making Europe and its regions more competitive, greener, connected, social, and closer to citizens. 

Key areas of investment include innovation, support for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), digitisation, low-carbon initiatives, mobility enhancement, inclusive employment, and education.

The ERDF operates under shared management, with local authorities leading projects tailored to regional needs. It is governed by the Common Provisions Regulation.

Paris-based Omnidoc, a tele-expertise and e-RCP solutions provider for healthcare professionals and medical organisations, has secured €6M in a new funding round.

The round was led by Alven, with support from existing investors Kurma and Newfund. 

The company plans to use the funds to expand its operations in France and internationally. Omnidoc aims to establish itself as a leading platform for medical collaboration, enhancing the way healthcare professionals connect and share expertise.

A platform that facilitates and enhances medical collaboration

Omnidoc is a tele-expertise platform that facilitates secure and efficient exchanges of medical opinions between doctors, enabling easier access to specialist advice, faster diagnoses, and optimised treatment. 

The company also helps to streamline patient care by improving the tracking, traceability, and financial valuation of medical exchanges. 

Deployed in 50 per cent of French public hospitals, the platform supports over a million tele-expertise consultations annually, contributing to more efficient healthcare delivery amid a medical workforce shortage.

The company was launched in 2019 and claims that its platform has become widely adopted in France, with its solution now used by 60 per cent of University Hospital Centers (CHU) and over 80,000 healthcare professionals.

Capital utilisation

The funds will help Omnidoc to enhance its services further. The company intends to recruit 20 additional staff members to strengthen its engineering and support teams. 

Omnidoc also aims to expand its platform’s capabilities beyond tele-expertise, developing new features such as multidisciplinary concertation meetings, assisted teleconsultation, emergency management, and inter-institutional services. 

The company aims to connect various healthcare players—hospitals, specialists, clinics, and primary care organisations—to streamline communication and optimise patient care pathways.

Expansion in 2025

Omnidoc’s new financing will help fuel its international expansion, building on its initial roll-out in Belgium last October at the Brugmann and Saint-Pierre teaching hospitals in Brussels. 

The company plans to accelerate its growth in Belgium and expand into Germany by 2025. This expansion aims to address the increasing demand for medical collaboration in European markets, which are facing similar healthcare challenges.

On Tuesday, Ghent-based foodtech unicorn Deliverect announced that it has acquired Tabesto, the first all-in-one restaurant and fast-food ordering and payment kiosk.

The acquisition announcement comes following the launch of 

• Deliverect Pulse: a marketing intelligence platform that improves visibility and ROI among third-party delivery apps
• Deliverect Retail: an order and delivery solution for the grocery and convenience sector.

The acquisition

From now on, restaurant owners using Deliverect for online orders can upgrade their in-store service with Tabesto’s smart ordering and payment technology.

With this acquisition, Deliverect added 60 employees, including Tabesto CEO Guillaume Hourmant, who will lead the Deliverect Kiosk product. Tabesto will operate in France and Switzerland.

Deliverect Kiosk will also launch in the UK, Benelux, and Spain, with plans for further expansion in Europe and beyond over the next year.

According to the Belgian company, the implementation of Tabesto order terminals ​ streamlines the order-taking process, effectively reducing lines and transforming the in-store service experience.

Tabesto kiosks have been shown to optimise operational management and increase sales by up to 30 per cent.

“At Deliverect, our vision has always been to help the food service community thrive in the digital age,” says Zhong Xu, Deliverect CEO and co-founder.

“Today’s consumer wants the best of both worlds –– they’re looking for speed alongside a premium experience. The acquisition of Tabesto enables us to further support both on- and off-premise ordering experiences. Allowing restaurants to manage their menus & operations centrally across all their digital channels. We remain committed to this goal––exploring options to further expand the coverage of Deliverect into other regions organically as well through M&A––and are thrilled to have Tabesto’s technology and brilliant team join Deliverect in this mission,” adds Zhong Xu.

Tabesto: Specialises in order-taking and payment

Tabesto specialises in order-taking and payment. Tabesto kiosks are customisable, can integrate with existing suppliers, and are adaptable to any restaurant and POS.

With both integrated tap & pay payment as with external payment terminal expertise, Tabesto enables a flexible payment experience, offering restaurants secure, versatile, and efficient payment options.

The ability to easily edit–publishing kiosk menus alongside all other digital menus from a single screen––offers a more comprehensive, all-in-one solution for restaurant owners and operators.

Currently, Tabesto is present in over 1,500 locations and available in more than 15 countries.

“We’re thrilled to join forces with Deliverect, a leader in food tech innovation,” says Guillaume Hourmant. 

“This acquisition allows both of our companies to amplify our shared mission to transform the restaurant industry through digital solutions. By integrating our all-in-one ordering and payment kiosks with Deliverect’s extensive SaaS ecosystem, we can help more restaurants worldwide embrace the power of digitisation, driving efficiency and elevating the dining experience. This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for our team and the industry as a whole,” adds Hourmant. 

Amsterdam-based Recall, an AI startup that helps users summarise, organise, and revisit information, announced on Monday that it has secured $1.5M (approximately €1.4M) in a funding round led by renowned VC Jason Calacanis.

Other investors, including Blockchain Founders Capital and Rocket Capital, participated in the round.

The Dutch company will use the funds to accelerate its mission to bring order to content chaos, transforming how individuals and businesses consume, organise, and retain knowledge. 

Birth of Recall

Paul Richards, a South African full-stack developer with deep expertise in knowledge graphs in the cybersecurity industry, founded Recall in 2022.

The Amsterdam company was born from frustration with existing tools that required excessive manual effort but failed to connect and resurface knowledge effectively. 

Richards envisioned a self-organising knowledge graph to connect his notes and highlight relevant past content.

After a year of struggle with his side project Recall, posting on Hacker News became his last hope and a game changer.

That first investment allowed him to quit his job and fully commit, bringing on developer Igor Gligorević as CTO to accelerate progress.

“Our vision is to redefine knowledge management as ‘intelligence management,’ where content consumption is intentional and insightful,” said Recall’s COO, Sankari, who brings over 10 years of startup experience.

How it works?

The web & mobile app organises information into a personalised knowledge graph, automatically tagging and connecting content based on key entities.

There are four main features:

• Summarise – The platform summarises online content from articles, PDFs, and YouTube videos up to 10 hours long.
• Categorise – Automatically categorise content using topic-based tags.
• Connect – Content is stored in a knowledge graph, revealing hidden connections and unlocking new insights.
• Review – The platform reinforces memory with a spaced repetition quiz, helping users retain content over time.

London-based Synthera, a fintech company leveraging generative AI to transform financial market analysis, has raised $1.86M (approximately €1.77M) in a pre-seed funding round.

Led by Motive Ventures, the round also saw participation from Entrepreneur First, Transpose Platform, KDX (led by Stanford Professor Ashby Monk), BuenTrip Ventures, Robin Capital, and Angel Invest. 

Angel investors, including a former Citadel Portfolio Manager and experienced asset managers, further showed confidence in Synthera’s approach.

Michael Hock, Partner at Motive Ventures, says, “Synthera is solving a fundamental problem in the financial industry: the inability of historical data and traditional models to account for the realities of today’s markets.”

“By leveraging cutting-edge generative AI, they are creating a product that addresses a critical need for financial institutions looking to improve risk management and portfolio outcomes. We’re proud to back such a visionary team.”

What does Synthera offer?

Synthera claims to leverage generative AI to address flaws in traditional financial forecasting methods like Monte Carlo simulations. According to the company, these conventional approaches often overfit historical data, fail to account for dynamic market changes, and miss non-linear correlations, increasing investors’ exposure to risks.

By generating synthetic market data, Synthera enables investment teams to forecast risks, including rare tail events, identify non-linear correlations for better diversification, and stress-test portfolios using bespoke forward-looking scenarios. 

The platform’s AI-driven models simulate realistic market conditions across yield curves, equities, FX, and other financial factors, providing deeper insights and precision in portfolio optimisation and risk management.

Synthera was founded by Mariana Barona, a Cambridge graduate and former Goldman Sachs Asset Management specialist, and Lukas Schreiner, an AI and quantitative finance expert with experience at LPA and Swiss Quant. 

Oxford Professor Rama Cont, an expert in quantitative finance and risk management who serves as Synthera’s scientific advisor, advises the team.

Co-founder and CEO Barona says, “By bridging the gaps in traditional approaches, Synthera provides financial institutions with the tools to anticipate and navigate market complexities in ways that weren’t possible before. This fresh funding allows us to bring our solution to market and help investment teams unlock better, data-driven decisions.”

Capital utilisation

Synthera will use the funds to accelerate product development, expand its team of engineers and data scientists, and collaborate with financial institutions to pilot its technology.

The company aims to help hedge funds, asset managers, pension funds, and banks improve insights and enhance risk-adjusted returns.

Barona says, “Our technology is not just about improving what exists—it’s about redefining how investment teams think about data and risk in a dynamic market environment.”

Berlin-based carbmee, a developer of AI-powered carbon management software, announced on Tuesday that it has secured €20M in a funding round led by CommerzVentures, with participation from Fly Ventures.

The announcement comes as the company claims to have consistently achieved sustainable growth, whilst maintaining capital-efficient operations, carbmee’s revenue has tripled over each of the past three years.

Fund utilisation

The German company will use the capital to enhance its software and service offerings, drive product innovation, and expand its reach to enterprises globally.

The funds raised will also be invested in further developing carbmee’s Environmental Intelligence System with a focus on features like collecting granular LCA data.

Additionally, the company will invest in carbmee Studio—the recently launched customisation tool that enables users to create tailored, AI-driven reports and dashboards with ease.

Christian Heinrich, CEO and co-founder, says, “This funding round is a validation of the innovative work we’ve done so far, but it’s also a launching point for what comes next.”

“With over 80% of emissions being rooted in the supply chain, we have built a platform that not only meets the evolving needs of complex industry enterprises but also plays a critical role in the global shift toward sustainability,” adds Heinrich.

Previously, carbmee has been backed by more than 15 high-profile angel investors – among them industry leaders such as Noah Eisner (co-founder of procurement platform Coupa), Gisbert Rühl (CEO of Klöckner & Co.), Dirk Hoke (CEO of Volocopter), Mike Corbo (former chief supply chain officer at Colgate-Palmolive), Pat McCarthy (VP Workspace & Gemini at Google), Marcel Vollmer (former CIO of Celonis), Ulrich Piepel (former CPO at RWE and AG & innogy SE). 

carbmee: Help companies manage carbon emissions

Founded in 2021 by Christian Heinrich and Robin Spickers, carbmee helps companies manage, reduce, and report on their carbon emissions with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency on a centralised platform through advanced data analytics and AI.

Robin Spickers, the co-founder, adds, “We address one of the biggest challenges faced by the manufacturing industry. Currently, teams in large organisations work in data silos – procurement, R&D, finance, production – and rely on manual Excel spreadsheets to calculate carbon footprints, causing data inaccuracy and ineffective processes.”

“Our platform provides a centralised platform for all enterprise users to manage CO2 emissions at the corporate, product, supplier, and SKU levels—enabling CO2 data to be managed as accurately as financial data in an ERP system,” he continues.

Consequently, procurement teams can collect data to choose eco-friendly suppliers.

Finance teams can report according to CSRD or CBAM standards. R&D engineers can create sustainable products, and sustainability teams can find ways to reduce CO2 emissions, especially in Scope 3.

Currently, carbmee works with numerous international customers, including Lufthansa Technik, Maersk, Kärcher, Hilti, Miele, Coca-Cola, Schaeffler, and Anglo American.

The investor

CommerzVentures is a specialised fintech VC investor with assets under management of €550M.

CommerzVentures invests in early and growth-stage companies in Fintech, Insurtech, and Climate Fintech.

CommerzVentures is a return-oriented investor with a geographical focus on Europe and pursues a global strategy including Israel, the USA, and Africa.

Paul Morgenthaler, Managing Partner at CommerzVentures, comments, “Christian and Robin have already achieved phenomenal growth since founding carbmee. They are at the forefront of a vital industrial step-change as businesses around the world demand the knowledge and support to manage their carbon emissions. Their powerful software breaks down the complexity of decarbonising global supply chains, solving a key problem for industries. We share in the team’s exceptional ambition for the future and look forward to helping them deliver on this journey.”

Berlin-based NetBird, a company that develops an open-source network security platform, announced on Tuesday that it has raised €4M in Seed funding.

The round was co-led by InReach Ventures and existing investor Nauta, with participation from Antler and a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The German company plans to use the funds to accelerate its product development and expand its footprint globally.

Talking about the expansion plans to Silicon Canals, Mikhail Bragin, co-founder of Netbird, says, “NetBird’s expansion plans focus on strengthening its market position in Europe, including the Netherlands. Despite having a global user base, the priority is to establish a deeper regional presence, build partnerships, and tailor solutions to meet the needs of European businesses, particularly SMEs, which are key drivers of the economy in the Netherlands.”

Additionally, the company plans to double down on hiring efforts with the latest capital injection.

Explaining the job criteria and expectations, he says, “The focus is now on hiring individuals who combine deep technical expertise with a strong understanding of marketing and growth strategies, particularly in the secure networking and Zero Trust space, to drive adoption and scale the business effectively.

Birth of NetBird

Misha Bragin and Maycon Santos, a couple of engineers passionate about network security and open-source development, founded NetBird.

They began their journey in Brazil at PSafe, a cybersecurity startup later bought by CyberLabs.

After moving to Berlin, they joined a founder residency program by Antler, a leading early-stage venture capital firm in Europe.

During this time, they came together to work on a side project about end-to-end encryption and secure data transfer, which eventually turned into NetBird.

NetBird is a software company developing an open-source, zero-trust network security platform that’s easy and affordable for teams of all sizes and budgets.

The company’s mission is based on a fundamental belief: secure private networking is a basic right for every modern organisation.

What is Zero Trust Security?

The shift to hybrid work has transformed network security from perimeter-based defences to Zero Trust architectures.

This approach, based on the principle of “never trust, always verify,” assures continuous authentication for all users and devices, mitigating remote access risks.

A zero-trust architecture (ZTA) is a design that focuses on safety by ensuring strict access controls, verifying devices and users, and keeping systems separate.

Citing an example, Bragin explains, “Imagine a hotel where guests can freely wander around, check out other rooms, and even take things that aren’t theirs. It’s chaotic, insecure, and a nightmare for the hotel owner to manage. This represents traditional private networks, where once someone gains access, they can do whatever they want.”

“In contrast, a Zero Trust “hotel” provides guests with a key card that only allows access to their assigned room for a limited time. This means guests cannot enter other rooms or areas they are not authorised to access. Similarly, in IT, users can only access specific resources they need for a limited time, minimising the risk of security breaches from compromised credentials,” he continues.

“Furthermore, we establish dedicated corridors for each guest, leading only to their room. This is like a direct encrypted tunnel (peer-to-peer connection) that ensures privacy and security,” he adds.

Why NetBird over traditional VPN?

At the heart of its NetBird’s technology is a zero-configuration business VPN that integrates a peer-to-peer, WireGuard-based network with an intuitive access control system.

• Decentralised Connectivity: Unlike traditional VPNs that connect clients to a central server, NetBird creates direct connections between machines for better performance and scalability.
• End-to-End Encryption: NetBird uses WireGuard for end-to-end encryption, ensuring safe communication between devices, protected from third parties, including NetBird itself.
• User-Friendly Access Control: NetBird integrates easily with identity providers like Okta, Microsoft, and Google, simplifying user onboarding and offboarding while enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Reduced Attack Surface: NetBird keeps infrastructure hidden from the public, removing the need for open ports. This provides a more secure network compared to traditional VPNs, which often expose gateways that can be targeted by attackers.

Make advanced network security accessible to everyone

According to Bragin, implementing Zero Trust can be difficult and costly, especially when working with older systems. Vendors often offer no clear value proposition, leaving SMEs uncertain about the return on investment.

“NetBird simplifies Zero Trust adoption with a user-friendly design requiring minimal configuration. It eliminates the need for opening ports, complex firewall rules, or VPN gateways, reducing the technical barriers. It takes less than 5 minutes to get started.”

Additionally, NetBird works with existing solutions, making migration easier. The platform also connects with identity providers, SIEM, and EDR systems. It operates across cloud, on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud setups, making it adaptable to any infrastructure.

Business model and revenue projection

NetBird’s business model is a freemium subscription model offering a free plan for small teams and paid plans ($5 or $12/user/month) with scalable features for organisations, targeting secure connectivity and Zero Trust network security.

For enterprise customers, NetBird provides licensing and dedicated support for self-hosted installations.

“Over the next 2 to 3 years, NetBird aims to significantly expand its go-to-market efforts, targeting both existing and new customers, to achieve substantial revenue growth and scale its market presence,” reveals Bragin.

The investors

Nauta is a pan-European VC firm investing in early-stage B2B software companies with offices in London and Barcelona.

With over half a billion assets under management and a team of 24 people, Nauta is one of Europe’s largest B2B-focused VCs.

As a sector-agnostic investor, Nauta’s main areas of interest include B2B SaaS solutions with strong network effects, vertically focused enterprise tech transforming large industries, as well as leveraging deep-tech applications to solve challenges faced by large enterprises.

Nauta has led investments in over 80 companies, including Brandwatch, Danelfin, Techspert, Holded, MishiPay, Wecover, AppFollow, ifeel, and Cledara.

“The rise of remote working and distributed infrastructure has driven significant change to the security requirements for businesses of all kinds. Many have turned to VPNs as a solution to secure their employees’ access to confidential or protected information, but many VPNs are inefficient, costly, and act as a single point of failure for even the largest companies. NetBird solves these challenges by combining a Mesh-VPN architecture with Zero Trust Network Access Controls, providing a solution that is more efficient, cheaper, and more secure than a traditional VPN,” says Carles Ferrer, General Partner at Nauta, commented.

InReach Ventures is an AI-powered venture capital firm focused on early-stage European startups.

The VC develops and uses its proprietary software and AI to discover, evaluate, and support investments, primarily in the areas of consumer internet, SaaS, and marketplaces.

“NetBird’s approach redefines what’s possible in network security,” says Amanda Jones Floyd, Partner at InReach Ventures. “While traditional solutions force companies to choose between security and simplicity, NetBird proves you can have both and do it brilliantly. The way that NetBird has managed to break down complex network security into a beautifully simple, user-friendly product is inspiring. That’s why we’re not just investing in their technology but in their vision and the extraordinary team making it happen.”