Sherbil Abu Aqsa’s Post

Unlock EU market entry—avoid common pitfalls. Expanding into Europe isn't just about registering a subsidiary. For deep-tech founders, navigating Austria's funding landscape can feel like decoding a complex blueprint. Many teams lose critical time tackling paperwork, missing grant cycles, or struggling to connect with the right investors. The challenge? Most founders don't realize there's a structured path that combines government backing with private capital. At GVI, we guide startups through the complete process: from structuring your Austrian GmbH to securing funding packages that typically start at €3M—70% government-backed (grants + favorable loans), 30% from investors who come in at better valuations because the government de-risks the deal. Real founders we've supported have closed these structured deals in under 5 months, giving up 25% equity instead of 40%+ in a traditional raise. The difference? Government validation that changes how investors see your startup—from risky bet to backed opportunity. Ready to explore how this funding structure could work for your deep-tech startup? Let's map your next move. 🚀

Everyone loves a good startup success story, but the data tells a more sobering reality. In Europe, most tech startups don’t make it past the early years: In Germany, up to 75% of FinTech startups fail, with a success rate of only around 25% (source: Flair.hr). In the UK, the average 5-year survival rate for tech startups is just 42.4% — less than half still active after five years (source: Moneyzine). Across Europe, technology startups face a 5-year failure rate of around 63% (source: Founders Forum Group). So why do so many promising ventures fall short? Here is what I'm observing 🧩 Lack of a solid go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Brilliant products often fail because teams underestimate the challenge of reaching the right customers, differentiating effectively, and scaling sales. Product-market fit isn’t enough — you need a market-entry engine. ⏳ Lack of patience and resources. Building a sustainable business takes time. Many founders run out of runway — financial or emotional, long before their startup matures enough to succeed. Europe’s fragmented markets and longer scaling cycles make this even tougher. If we want more European success stories, we need to help startups think beyond product — to build disciplined, data-driven GTM strategies, secure patient capital, and prepare for a long journey. 💡 Innovation is a marathon, not a sprint. In the end, product brilliance means little without a path to customers. A strong GTM strategy isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the difference between surviving five years and scaling for fifty. #startup #GTM

What’s the real story behind Central & Eastern Europe’s billion-dollar startups? 🦄 👇 At Vestbee, we recently dove deep into this topic - here’s what stood out: - CEE now counts 56 unicorns - about 9% of all European unicorns. - The combined enterprise value has grown to €243 billion, a 15.5× increase since 2015 - double the pace of Western Europe (7×) during the same period. - The region’s secret sauce? SaaS, fintech, and AI, driven by lean teams, bold ideas, and engineering excellence that scales globally. - What’s truly interesting? Up to a THIRD of these unicorns (depending on the country) bootstrapped their way to the top. Proof you don’t always need major VC fuel. ⚠️ But the real challenge? Scaling. Nearly half of CEE scaleups relocate their HQs abroad (think US and UK mainly) to capture bigger markets and growth capital. That talent flight is both a win (CEE founders go global) and a challenge (keeping value creation local). Why does it matter? Because the next chapter in CEE innovation depends on homegrown exits, deeper late-stage funding, and founders building from within. Check the full report and findings here: https://lnkd.in/d-bS9KYW

European startups raised c. $1bn* this week – with $80m coming from France 🇫🇷 Top 5 biggest fundraising rounds 💸 1. Bending Spoons 🇮🇹 – $270 m – Late VC – Acquirer and operator of tech brands Founders: Luca Ferrari, Francesco Patarnello, Matteo Danieli, Luca Querella, Tomasz Greber Investors: T. Rowe Price, Baillie Gifford, Cox Enterprises, Durable Capital, Fidelity Investments 2. Synthesia 🇬🇧 – $203 m – Series E – AI-generated human-like video avatars for enterprises Founders: Lourdes Agapito, Matthias Niessner, Victor Riparbelli, Steffen Tjerrild Investors: Google 3. Legora 🇸🇪 – $152 m – Series C – AI-powered legal document platform Founders: Max Junestrand, Sigge Labor Investors: Bessemer Venture Partners, ICONIQ, General Catalyst, Redpoint, Benchmark 4. empact GmbH 🇩🇪 – $118 m – Late VC – Decarbonization and energy-efficiency retrofits platform Founders: Sebastian Rühl Investors: Sustainable Development Capital, LLP (SDCL) 5. EnduroSat 🇧🇬 – $106 m – Late VC – Advanced small satellite systems Founders: Raycho Raychev Investors: Riot Ventures, Google, Lux Capital, European Investment Fund (EIF), Shrug Capital *Fundraisings >$10 m (excl. surgical devices & biotech) Want to know more about the other 10 fundraising rounds? 👉 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the full breakdown straight to your inbox: http://tiny.cc/fkqs001 🎉 Congratulations founders, teams & VCs!

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝘆𝗽𝗿𝘂𝘀’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. But most of what you’ve read about it online is wrong. All major databases falsely classify anything incorporated in Cyprus as "Cypriot", including businesses that have 0 presence in Cyprus. So I gathered ALL the publicly available data one by one. Every round verified through filings, media, and, most importantly, direct talks with founders. Then I benchmarked Cyprus against its peers like Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Estonia. Here's a snapshot:  • €118.9M raised across 21 verified rounds  • Median round: €1M  • 18/21 companies with real HQs or teams in Cyprus  • Foreign capital: ≈70% of funding  • Gaming & Web3: ~60% of total  • 3–4 deals = 60% of total funding In VC volume and expenditures, Cyprus ranked among the last countries in CEE. BUT, with 240 startups per million people, Cyprus ranks #2, right after Estonia (670). Ultimately, Cyprus is founder-rich but capital-light. It's a small, dense ecosystem growing faster than most of its peers. And 2025 looks even better as of now. Cyprus combines the fastest macro growth + strongest per-capita funding + top-2 startup density in the region. And with state money finally entering the market, I believe this is the beginning of something big. I share the full analysis, as well as the list of all startups that got funded in 2024 down in the comments. 👇

🇸🇪 Sweden is quietly becoming a global startup hub, just look at this map of Stockholm. What’s happening: 🚀 Recently funded B2B & SaaS startups based in Stockholm: 1-Treyd (Stockholm) — FinTech working-capital for product businesses, raised €5 M in 2025 2-Gridly (Helsingborg) — B2B SaaS localization platform, raised $2.6 M seed in 2024 3-Lovable (Stockholm) — AI software engineering platform, raised $200 M Series A in 2025, valued at ~$1.8 B. Wikipedia 4-Legora (Stockholm) — Ranked in Europe’s B2B SaaS Rising 100, total funding > €100 M. Sifted 5-Younium (Stockholm) — B2B SaaS for subscription and billing management, raised ~€2.8 M 6-worktiles.app (Stockholm) — SaaS solution for monthly financial closing process, recently funded 🧠 What this means: -Bigger capital flows into Sweden-based B2B startups. -Space for new talent, global market access, and innovation. If you’re in SaaS, AI, or B2B growth.... Sweden should be on your radar. 📍 If you’re building or scaling a startup: Option A: Stay hidden. Option B: Tap into an ecosystem with traction, talent & credibility. PS: Ready to scout your next big market or find a co-founder abroad? Let’s connect.

Why is there a "scale-up problem" for tech start ups in the UK? It’s not just because the US has more money, it’s because it has more muscle behind growth. The US tech ecosystem is built for scale. Startups have more access to deep venture funding, a massive customer base, and investors who don’t panic when things get risky. That confidence fuels innovation, and big software spend is a natural byproduct of that. In the UK, we’ve got the ideas and the talent, but we also have what’s often called the “scale-up problem.” Startups pop up fast, but too many stall before hitting their next stage of growth. A mix of tighter funding, cautious investors, and slower enterprise adoption keeps spending (and sometimes ambition) lower than it should be. Meanwhile, US companies are pouring money into software earlier, faster, and more aggressively, especially with AI reshaping every layer of the tech stack. Different economies, different appetites. But one thing’s clear: how much you invest in software often mirrors how confident you are in your growth story. Interested to know if you disagree? Some stats on tech start ups, and the struggles in the UK here: https://lnkd.in/euesR8Se P.S. New to posting photos so don't judge me too hard! #BusinessLessons #RealTalk #ProcurementStrategy #NegotiationTips #SaaSProcurement #StrategicPartnerships #SoftwareVendors #CommercialAwareness

Europe's Real Problem Isn't Innovation—It's Scaling Everyone says Europe has an innovation problem. We don't. We have a scaling problem. We create brilliant startups. We have world-class universities. We produce cutting-edge research. Then our companies hit €10M in revenue and... stall. Why? Because EU capital markets remain fragmented, with lower equity investment than the US. Our best founders don't fail because they lack ideas. They fail because: Getting funding means pitching 50 different VCs across 15 countries. Our venture capital availability is chronically low. Meanwhile, an American startup can raise $50M, hire across 50 states under one legal system, and reach 330M people in one language. We're not less smart. We're just fragmented. And until we fix that—until we create a true single market for capital, talent, and customers—we'll keep watching our best companies move to the US the moment they get serious. At what ARR did your company hit a scaling wall? (€ amount)

What will it take to secure Switzerland’s next century of innovation and prosperity? That was the question at the heart of my recent exchange with Deep Tech Nation Switzerland, a driving force behind our innovation ecosystem and a champion for startups and scaleups. Through Microsoft for Startups, we’ve supported 1,500+ Swiss startups since 2019—creating 11,000+ jobs and delivering resources and expertise to help founders succeed. Switzerland shows impressive early-stage momentum. The challenge? Scaling globally while keeping jobs, value creation, and innovation anchored here at home. Collaboration is key. Together, Microsoft and Deep Tech Nation blend global perspectives with local ambition—sharing insights from international markets, connecting Swiss innovators to opportunities across borders, and bringing practical know-how that accelerates growth. This exchange is as vital as the infrastructure investments we’ve announced—because collaboration is the foundation for a thriving Swiss innovation ecosystem. Andrew Reid

A week ago, we attended the Funding Landscape Summit, hosted by Tenity at Google. The event gathered founders, investors, and innovation leaders to discuss the evolving dynamics of the funding ecosystem in the UK and beyond. 💡 Key insights from the summit: •⁠ ⁠The UK’s early-stage funding landscape is shifting towards more sustainable, founder-centric investment models. •⁠ ⁠Developing a fundraising-ready go-to-market strategy remains a cornerstone for building investor confidence. •⁠ ⁠Alternative funding avenues, including crowdfunding, angel networks, and grants, are gaining importance in supporting early-stage growth. •⁠ ⁠Transparency, adaptability, and community-led innovation were highlighted as defining values for the 2025 investment landscape. •⁠ ⁠Meaningful networking continues to play a crucial role in fostering long-term collaboration and strategic partnerships. We thank to Kaan Akın and Eda Taskin for the invitation and for hosting such a well-curated and insightful event. #DigipacConsultancy #Tenity #Google #FundingLandscape #Innovation #Startups #VentureCapital #Investment #Networking #Entrepreneurship