According to the Tech.eu database, European tech companies raised €6.6 billion throughout January 2025. In comparison to the same period in previous years, January 2025 experienced a notable decline of about 60 per cent compared to 2024, but an increase of roughly 40 per cent compared to 2023. Harry Haeck, Partner at Smartfin, commented on the January numbers within the European tech investment landscape in our January Tech.eu Pulse, a compact version of the monthly report:The new year began with a major shift in AI as China’s DeepSeek released its open-source R1 model, challenging well-funded AI giants. This marks a fundamental shift in AI economics, allowing European startups to develop competitive AI solutions at a fraction of previous costs. By reducing reliance on massive data centres and expensive model training, it lowers barriers to entry and presents a rare opportunity for Europe to regain ground in AI development, provided startups and investors act swiftly

The future of corporate finance is shifting from reactive to predictive, and that’s great news for B2B innovation. This rapid and ongoing shift toward advancements in digitization, real-time payments and next-generation tools such as artificial intelligence (AI)-powered forecasting is redefining how businesses manage core operational elements like liquidity and working capital. For chief financial officers (CFOs) and treasurers, the question is no longer if they should embrace innovation but how quickly they can implement solutions that enhance financial resilience. As uncertainty persists, tomorrow’s corporate giants won’t just be the ones with the biggest balance sheets — they’ll be the ones with the smartest financial infrastructure and operational toolkit

TravelPerk, a Barcelona-based business travel platform, secured a $200 million (€190 million) Series E funding round, reaffirming its unicorn status with a valuation nearing $2.7 billion (€2.57 billion). Led by Atomico and EQT Growth, the funds will accelerate U.S. market expansion post-2024 AmTray acquisition. TravelPerk also acquired Yokoy to enhance expense management solutions. The company reports over $2.5 billion in annual bookings and aims for EBITDA breakeven by end of 2024.