European female startups demonstrated resilience against global economic headwinds by securing €130.8 million in funding during the first week of May 2025. Investors showed strong confidence in ventures across diverse sectors, from fintech and AI solutions to health tech breakthroughs, particularly in the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK.
This funding wave reinforces the momentum in Europe’s innovation ecosystem, highlighting investors’ focus on companies with proven product-market fit and sustainable growth models.
Below is a detailed overview of the recently funded companies, their innovative solutions, and strategic investor backing.
Toloka (Netherlands)
Founders: Olga Megorskaya and Artem Grigorev
Founded year: 2014
Recent funding: $72M
Amsterdam-based Toloka has secured $72 million in strategic investment from Bezos Expeditions (the investment arm of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos) and other investors. The funding will enhance their high-quality data solutions for AI applications. The company has transformed from a crowdsourcing platform into a leading provider of domain expertise for large language model development.
Toloka distinguishes itself in the competitive AI landscape by combining machine learning expertise with human oversight. Their platform connects more than 200,000 experts across 100+ countries and 40 languages. Major tech companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, and Shopify, rely on Toloka’s data solutions.
With the funding announcement, Shopify CTO Mikhail Parakhin has joined as Executive Chairman. While Nebius remains a committed shareholder, it no longer controls voting power. The new capital will support Toloka’s development of hybrid human-AI solutions, ensuring AI technology stays reliable and human-centred.
Juice (UK)
Founders: Katherine Chan (CEO) and team
Founded year: 2019
Recent funding: £25M
Juice, a UK-based fintech alternative lending platform for digital founders, has secured £25 million in funding to support its mission of democratising finance by providing SME founders with capital and confidence to achieve their growth ambitions. The investment comes from family offices Aern Capital and Falco Capital, backed by a credit line from Paragon Bank.
The company addresses a critical gap in the UK market. There is a £22 billion funding gap for SMEs, with over 55% of companies moving away from high street banks for their lending needs. Unlike traditional lending models, Juice combines real-time financial data, predictive analytics, and flexible credit lines to offer SMEs tailored capital precisely when and how they need it, without dilution or hidden fees.
Doubleword (UK)
Founders: Meryem Arik (CEO), Jamie Ferguson, Fergus Boyd
Founded year:
Recent funding: $12M
Doubleword, based in London, is a self-hosted inference platform that helps enterprises control their AI infrastructure. The platform solves the inference problem by enabling companies to deploy, manage, and scale AI models securely. Organisations can run any open-source, proprietary, or fine-tuned AI model with a single click, seamlessly integrating across cloud and on-premises environments while optimising compute resources and reducing latency.
Doubleword was founded in 2021 by a team with deep roots in quantum machine learning and enterprise AI. CEO Meryem Arik, Dr. Jamie Dborin, and Dr. Fergus Finn launched the company to tackle the biggest barrier to enterprise AI adoption — the complexity and cost of running AI models at scale. Their technology has achieved up to 90% reductions in compute costs and 20× latency improvements, leading to partnerships with industry leaders such as Snowflake and Dataiku.
On May 8, 2025, Doubleword announced a $12 million Series A round led by Dawn Capital. Participation came from K5 Tokyo Black and prominent AI entrepreneurs, including Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue and Dataiku CEO Florian Douetteau. The new capital will be used to expand the team globally and further invest in Doubleword’s platform, making self-hosted AI inference effortless for enterprises worldwide.
Dawn Health (UK)
Founders: Alexander Mandix Hansen, Lars Marcher, Marcelo Duhalde, Leyla Azizova
Founded year: 2016
Recent funding: $13M
Dawn Health is a Copenhagen-based digital health company specialising in developing regulated software as medical devices (SaMD) and digital therapeutics (DTx) for chronic disease management. Their core offering, the Dawn Platform, is a cloud-based solution used by leading pharmaceutical companies, including Merck and Novartis, to support therapy programs in oncology, multiple sclerosis, and rare pediatric diseases. The platform empowers patients to manage treatments, report symptoms, and stay connected with healthcare teams. It also enables pharmaceutical partners to use AI, real-world evidence, and advanced data analytics to improve patient outcomes.
On May 5, 2025, Dawn Health secured $13 million in funding from existing investors Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO), and Trifork. This capital will help expand the Dawn Platform and product suite globally, grow its cloud-based services for pharmaceutical clients, and speed up the development of new digital health solutions. Dawn Health’s technology stands out for its human-centred design, quick regulatory compliance, and seamless integration into clinical workflows, establishing the company as a global leader in digital health innovation.
INBRAIN Neuroelectronics (Spain)
Founders: Carolina Aguilar, Jose Garrido, Antòn Guimerà
Founded year: 2019
Recent funding: €4M (grant)
INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, a clinical-stage neurotechnology company developing graphene-powered brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), has received a €4 million grant from the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism through the PERTE Chip initiative. This funding will speed up INBRAIN’s development of brain-computer interface technology that combines intelligent computing with graphene-based materials to interpret and adjust brain activity in real-time for therapeutic uses.
The PERTE Chip initiative aims to boost Spain’s microelectronics and semiconductor industry while strengthening technological independence for Spain and the European Union. INBRAIN’s project stood out for its potential impact in key areas, including innovative materials, semiconductor manufacturing, cybersecurity, and AI-powered computing tools.
Oniria Therapeutics (Spain)
Founders: Esther Riambau, Carles Galdeano
Founded year: 2021
Recent funding: €2M (grant)
Cancer therapeutics company Oniria Therapeutics has secured €2 million in grant funding from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the EU for oncology drug development. The funds will support biomarker validation to monitor melanoma patients’ responses to their drug Onr-001, with clinical trials planned for 2027.
In preclinical models, Onr-001 has shown effectiveness in stopping metastatic progression in melanoma, colon cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia. The drug represents a promising advance in cancer treatment through its mechanism of hyperactivating the TET2 enzyme to lethal levels in resistant tumor cells.
NoMy (Norway)
Founders: Ingrid Dynna, David Andrew Quis
Founded year: 2020
Recent funding: €1.3M
NoMy, based in Norway, develops sustainable materials and food products using fungal mycelium technology. The company creates biodegradable alternatives to plastics and mycelium-based foods, targeting industries that aim to reduce their environmental impact and shift toward circular economy solutions.
The company’s approach harnesses mycelium’s versatility to produce eco-friendly biocomposites and novel food ingredients, placing NoMy at the intersection of cleantech and food tech. Its B2B model helps manufacturers and food producers integrate sustainable materials and products into their supply chains.
A recent €1.3 million seed round, led by Norwegian investors TRK and StartupLab, will help scale production capacity and speed up the commercialisation of NoMy’s mycelium-based solutions. With this funding, NoMy plans to expand globally and advance its proprietary technology platform.
Revo Foods (Austria)
Founders: Robin Simsa, Theresa Rothenbücher, Manuel Lachmayr
Founded year: 2020
Recent funding: €1.2M
Revo Foods, an Austrian food tech startup, pioneers plant-based seafood alternatives through advanced 3D food printing. The company develops and markets whole-cut fish alternatives, including salmon and cod fillets, made entirely from plant-based ingredients such as mycoprotein, pea protein, and algae extracts. They aim to offer sustainable, nutritious, and realistic seafood options that reduce overfishing and environmental impact while maintaining excellent taste and texture.
On May 9, 2025, Revo Foods raised over €1.2 million through a FunderNation crowdfunding campaign, backed by nearly 60 investors. The funding will help scale production at their new “Taste Factory,” expand their product line, and advance their proprietary 3D food extrusion technology. Following record sales, this investment aims to help the company achieve profitability by 2026 through improved efficiency, reduced costs, and expanded market presence.
MindSpire (UK)
Founders: Jane Ollis, Dr. Tony Steffert
Founded year: 2019
Recent funding: £850K
MindSpire, a UK-based neurotechnology startup, is developing SONA™ — an AI-powered wearable device that helps users manage chronic stress and enhance mental health. The device stimulates the vagus nerve through the outer ear with precision-coded electrical pulses, activating brain circuits that promote calm, focus, and improved cognitive function. Using real-time heart rate variability (HRV) sensing and AI-driven personalisation, SONA™ tailors stimulation for users ranging from high-performing professionals to individuals dealing with anxiety, long COVID, trauma, burnout, and frontline fatigue.
The company pairs wearable hardware with NeuroSphere™, a cloud-based platform that personalises interventions based on user data and goals. MindSpire’s technology, developed by a multidisciplinary team of neuroscientists, biochemists, and engineers, is backed by early clinical studies in stress, tinnitus, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain.
In May 2025, MindSpire secured £850,000 in pre-seed funding led by SFC Capital, with SyndicateRoom and Innovate UK’s Investor Partnership Programme participation. The funding will support SONA™’s development and launch, expand clinical validation, and establish strategic partnerships in the health tech sector
Uvisa Health (Denmark)
Founders: Ella Smoraczewska Harris, Fanny Hauterat, Gizem Simsek, and Sonal Pendharkar Kulkarni
Founded year: 2021
Recent funding: €560K
Uvisa Health is a Danish medtech startup developing a drug-free, light-based therapy to treat vaginal infections like bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis. The company’s core innovation is a small, reusable device that emits targeted light to both the internal vaginal canal and external vulva.
This technology aims to eliminate harmful pathogens while preserving beneficial bacteria. Their approach addresses the limitations of traditional antifungal and antibiotic treatments, which often cause side effects, contribute to antimicrobial resistance, and fail to prevent recurring infections.
In May 2025, Uvisa Health secured €560,000 in pre-seed funding from Danish angel investors. This funding coincided with regulatory approval from the Danish Medicines Agency and Medical Research Ethics Committee to begin their first clinical trial at Odense University Hospital. The investment will support clinical investigation and further development of their self-administered device — a non-pharmacological solution for women with recurrent or drug-resistant infections.
GlycanAge (UK)
Founders: Nikolina Lauc, Gordan Lauc
Founded year: 2018
Recent funding: $564K
GlycanAge is a UK-based health tech company pioneering biological age testing through advanced glycan analysis. Their at-home blood test measures glycan biomarkers—complex sugars attached to proteins—to provide users with insights into their biological age and chronic disease risk factors, enabling early detection and prevention.
Founded in 2018 by a team of scientists and entrepreneurs, including CEO Nikolina Lauc, GlycanAge builds on over two decades of glycobiology research and has emerged as a leader in personalised preventive healthcare. Their proprietary technology accurately measures glycans, enabling healthcare providers and individuals to receive tailored health recommendations and track molecular changes through digital health integrations.
In March 2025, GlycanAge closed a $564,000 bridge round led by Kadmos Capital. The new funding will support research into the relationship between the gut microbiome and glycan profiles, while expanding the company’s consumer health offering and diagnostics pipeline.
COOLOC (France)
Founders: Léa Dubois, François Roth, Amaury Courbon
Founded year: 2020
Recent funding: €263K
COOLOC, a French AI-powered coliving platform, matches tenants based on their personality and lifestyle preferences. The company manages shared living spaces across major French cities, offering a seamless rental experience for students and young professionals. COOLOC optimises tenant compatibility through its proprietary algorithms, while its digital platform simplifies onboarding, payments, and community engagement. The service tackles urban housing challenges by creating vibrant, well-matched coliving communities.
In May 2025, COOLOC secured €263,000 in pre-seed funding from FrenchTech Seed Fund. The capital will support the company’s expansion into additional cities and enhance its AI-driven matching technology.
Flasher (Germany)
Founders: Alexander Rech, Dr. Ines Wöckl
Founded year: 2019
Recent funding: €100K
Flasher is a German hardware startup developing innovative safety and connectivity products for urban mobility, including wearable lighting solutions for cyclists and pedestrians. The company aims to enhance road safety and visibility in urban environments through smart, user-friendly devices.
After identifying a gap in effective visibility solutions for cyclists, computer scientist Alexander Rech and financial scientist Dr. Ines Wöckl founded the company. Since its inception, Flasher has expanded its product line and gained recognition, including multiple appearances on the German startup TV show “Die Höhle der Löwen” (The Lion’s Den).
In May 2025, Flasher secured €100,000 in angel investment to support its subsequent product development and market expansion phase. The funding will be used to refine their wearable safety devices and pursue new partnerships with mobility and event industry stakeholders.
