Marcin Szelag

🔥 Europe’s startup scene just got a big reality check — and the results are impossible to ignore. At Nordic Tech Week, Norrsken VC dropped the largest impact pulse report to date, built on insights from 660 founders & investors. The verdict? ➡️ Impact-optimism is on the rise. Highlights that stood out: 🚀 60% of founders + investors say the future looks bright 📈 this optimism has increased in 2025. 💶 3 out of 4 investors are doubling down on impact bets ⚡️ Energy. Industrials. Healthcare. → The sectors to watch But let’s be real: Europe’s still holding itself back. The potential is massive — if we dare to unlock it. Reach out to us at Norrsken Evolve if you are a pre-seed founder building in resilience and sustainability. 👉 Full report in comments. Props to the team for putting this together: Per Frykebrant, David Frykman, Tove Larsson, Beata Enwall, Agate S. Freimane, Ludvig Bergstrom

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They both have a point.... Europe creates many promising startups, but few global leaders! Every year, we see incredible companies emerge — from product-first players like Lovable, to workflow automation champions like n8n, and many more across climate, fintech, and AI. The starting point looks bright: strong talent, solid products, and communities that believe in them. But the challenge isn’t starting up. It’s scaling up. European startups often face structural hurdles once they move beyond product–market fit: ⚠️ Fragmented markets - 27 languages, regulations, and customer preferences make “going European” as complex as going global. ⚠️ Capital intensity - later-stage funding still lags compared to the U.S., forcing founders to spend more time fundraising than scaling or going to the US (lovable) ⚠️ Risk appetite - culturally, we’re great at building sustainable businesses, but often hesitate to make the bold, global bets that create category leaders. To turn more Lovables and n8ns into global champions, Europe needs to bridge this gap - with more growth capital, harmonized regulations, and ecosystems that reward ambition at scale.

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𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗥/𝗩𝗥 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. The response to our first version was overwhelming; founders, investors, and operators from across Europe commented and reached out with suggestions. In this updated map, we’ve added over 70+ new companies to make the picture more complete. AR and VR were once seen as experimental... Today, they’re solving our major problems. By 2030, the global market is projected to reach $200B+, with Europe contributing $15.8B by 2029. But the more important shift is where AR/VR is actually starting to work. We’re already seeing tangible impact in healthcare: → The World Health Organization reports a 20% reduction in surgical errors through immersive simulation. → The NHS in the UK now treats over 10,000 patients annually using VR-based therapies. → In France, hospitals using AR-assisted surgeries have achieved 35% faster recovery rates. Backing these outcomes, the European Investment Bank recorded over €5 billion in public and private investment in AR/VR healthcare applications in 2022 alone. Countries like Germany, France, and the UK are leading the way through industrial use cases. 5G networks are improving the technical foundation. And the integration of AI is making AR and VR systems more intelligent, more responsive, and easier to apply in real-world environments. The broader trend is clear: AR/VR is no longer a speculative bet. That changes the lens for both founders and investors. Instead of asking “What can we build with AR/VR?”, the better question is: “Where does this technology naturally integrate to unlock measurable value?” #VentureCapital #AI #DeepTech #Startups Follow us at APEX Ventures and subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content on groundbreaking Deep Tech startups: 🔗 https://t2m.io/EV2qHQuo

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Rearming Europe is essential…but much of defense is largely unsuitable for venture investing. Other asset classes and types of capital often make more sense in the sector. Many VCs are making investments that simply aren't venture suitable. To note, there's definitely some parallels to cleantech/climatetech VCs who often invest in deals which would be more appropriate for project finance, infrastructure funds, etc. The irony - and oddity - of climatetech VCs now asking for defense dealflow is not lost on me. https://lnkd.in/edFAN8MN.

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⚡ From energy vision to profitable reality. In just 8 months, Cloover (Jodok Betschart) scaled from €1M → €5M ARR (5x) — all while reaching profitability. With €1.2B in funding lines secured and hundreds of installers onboarded across 4 markets, they’re building the “Shopify of Energy.” But what’s just as striking? 🌍 Europe is fast becoming the epicenter of climate-tech. From Berlin outward, a new wave of startups is scaling faster than ever — and Cloover is one of the clearest signals. Profitable growth + massive market tailwinds = a European powerhouse in the making. 💡 For more real-time revenue updates like this, check out Specter.

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Here’s a harsh truth: fundraising today is slow, costly, and unfairly tilted towards the well-connected. You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all seen it again and again.   Europe has brilliant founders with bold ideas, yet too many fail before they even get a fair chance. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not because they lack vision, but because the fundraising system is outdated. CORE changes that. Because founders get a digital co-pilot that levels the playing field: AI guidance, investor-ready decks, early visibility, and rounds live in under 72 hours.  For the cost of a dinner, every founder now has access to the tools, structure, and visibility once reserved for a few. The real cost isn’t trying, it’s waiting. This isn’t about building another tool. It’s about building Europe’s private market infrastructure, where preparation, raising, and managing capital become accessible to all. 👉 This is how we level the field: https://lnkd.in/dsYhQqnp

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