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Elephant knowledge transfer secures more than €5 million

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Elephant knowledge transfer raises €5 million

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Elephant knowledge transfer aims to improve how frontline teams access information in daily operations. The Berlin startup has secured more than €5 million to expand its AI platform, grow its team, and strengthen digital learning for operational organizations.

Elephant closes knowledge gaps in frontline teams and secures more than €5 million

EnBW New Ventures and Wepa lead the funding round. Angel investors from the networks of Flix, Home24, Quentic, SB21 and Topi also participate.

Berlin, May 11, 2026 – Elephant, the AI-powered platform for frontline excellence and knowledge transfer in operational organizations, has successfully closed a funding round of more than €5 million. The round is led by EnBW New Ventures and Wepa, alongside angel investors from the networks of Flix, Home24, Quentic, SB21 and Topi.

The fresh capital will be used to expand the team and further develop the platform.

Elephant knowledge transfer supports frontline teams

Frontline teams as a real competitive advantage

Operational teams across service, manufacturing, logistics, retail and field operations are the backbone of operational businesses. Yet these teams often remain among the least digitized parts of an organization.

Knowledge is passed on verbally, training materials are outdated, and important information is often unavailable when employees need it most in their daily work.

Elephant knowledge transfer brings AI into daily workflows

This is exactly where Elephant comes in. Its AI-powered course builder transforms complex processes and internal knowledge into interactive micro-learning content in just a few clicks.

The mobile app integrates training directly into employees’ workflows. At the same time, an AI assistant delivers context-specific information exactly when it is needed.

The result is teams that execute processes more reliably, adapt faster to change, and spend less time on unnecessary back-and-forth communication.

Voices on the funding round

“Knowledge collecting dust in PDFs or PowerPoint presentations helps no one. We bring it directly to the people who make the operational difference every day. With EnBW New Ventures and Wepa, we’ve gained partners who face this challenge themselves and help us continuously improve our solution.”

Maurice Zomorrodi, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Elephant

“Elephant addresses one of the core challenges modern companies face: the loss of knowledge amid increasing pressure for efficiency. With deeply integrated AI agents, learning becomes process-oriented, personalized, and available directly at the point of need for the first time.”

Pascal Beckers-Jaleta, Investment Principal, EnBW New Ventures

Elephant knowledge transfer gains strategic investors

Investors with operational expertise

With EnBW New Ventures and Wepa Ventures joining the round, Elephant gains two experienced corporate venture capital units. Their parent companies manage large operational workforces and understand day-to-day challenges firsthand.

Their role goes beyond providing capital. They also act as strategic partners and give Elephant direct access to corporate structures as well as continuous expert feedback from real operational use cases.

In addition, the participation of numerous business angels from the network of experienced founders highlights the growing market relevance and momentum surrounding AI-powered knowledge transfer.

Picture Founder Team

Source Elephant Technologies GmbH

QuantWare Raises $178 Million to Build World’s Most Powerful Quantum Processors at an Industrial Scale

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QuantWare quantum computing and quantum processors scale globally Picture Leadership – CEO and CTO/ Founders (Matthijs (Matt) Rijlaarsdam & Alessandro Bruno)@ QuantWare

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Largest private round by a dedicated industrial quantum processor company, Intel Capital and In-Q-Tel (IQT) participating

Funds VIO™ technology to deliver world’s most powerful processors for hyperscale quantum compute — and KiloFab, the world’s largest dedicated quantum open architecture fab

DELFT, Netherlands — 5 May, 2026 — QuantWare, the leading industrial quantum processor company, today announced a $178 million (€152 million) Series B round following the announcement of VIO-40K™, a quantum processor architecture for 10,000 qubits, 100x larger than the state of the art today. The company is building KiloFab, the world’s largest dedicated quantum open architecture fab, increasing the company’s production capacity by 20x to meet strong global customer demand.

QuantWare expands industrial quantum processor production

QuantWare is the only company that designs, fabricates, and integrates modular quantum processors on an open architecture at an industrial scale. Its proprietary VIO™ technology — a modular Quantum Processor Architecture — allows the creation of the world’s most powerful quantum processors that provide the most compute per Watt.

Designed as an open platform that can scale the qubit chiplets and designs of third parties, VIO™ unlocks the most powerful quantum processing units (QPUs) for the entire industry. QuantWare serves the global quantum supply chain through QuantWare-designed QPUs, foundry services, and chiplet packaging — enabling all quantum computing companies to scale on QuantWare’s VIO™ architecture.

QuantWare supplies quantum processors worldwide

To date, QuantWare has shipped to more than 50 customers across 20 countries, making it the world’s largest commercial QPU supplier by volume. QuantWare’s customers span quantum computing companies, national technology institutes, and major global technology conglomerates.

New investors joining the round include Intel Capital, IQT and ETF Partners, with existing investors participating including FORWARD.one and Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund, InnovationQuarter Capital, Ground State Ventures, and Graduate Ventures. The round was heavily oversubscribed and is the largest private round raised by a dedicated quantum processor company to date.

Investors back QuantWare quantum computing technology

“In superconducting quantum computing, scale is increasingly constrained by routing, packaging, and manufacturability—not just qubit design,” said Kike Miralles, Intel Capital. “QuantWare recognized that early and built VIO to address it. That combination of technical ambition and execution positions them to become the company on which the future of superconducting quantum systems will be built.”

“Building a global compute hardware company requires immense ambition. The QuantWare team has that drive, and with their VIO technology, they hold the key to leading the high-growth quantum industry. As one of their earliest backers, we are proud to continue our support in what is now the world’s largest funding round for a dedicated quantum processor company,” said Robin van Boxsel, General Partner at FORWARD.one.

“Quantum computing is on the verge of an inflection point, and is a strategic priority for nations around the world,” said J.D. Englehart, Senior Director, IQT. “QuantWare has both the breakthrough scaling technology in VIO, as well as the requisite industrial capability in KiloFab. The company is poised to play a key role in shaping the global quantum supply chain.”

VIO-40K powers hyperscale quantum compute ambitions

“The promise of quantum computing, capable of solving humanity’s intractable challenges, can only happen once it can be manufactured and deployed at scale. That is exactly what we are building,” said Matt Rijlaarsdam, CEO and co-founder of QuantWare. “VIO-40K will deliver 10,000-qubit processors on an open architecture that the entire ecosystem can build on, and KiloFab gives us the industrial production capacity to meet rapidly growing global demand. This fundraise accelerates QuantWare, and in doing so, advances the entire ecosystem toward hyperscale quantum compute.”

Picture Leadership – CEO and CTO/ Founders (Matthijs (Matt) Rijlaarsdam & Alessandro Bruno)@ QuantWare

Quelle thoughtldr

Smart City Startup Street Lighting: ENVIOTECH Raises €1M Pre-Seed Round

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Smart City Startup Street Lighting: ENVIOTECH Raises €1M Pre-Seed Round Fotocredits Ivegnia Möbus

Key Takeaways

  • Founders Adrian Rhaese and Linh Pham left banking to create a Smart City Startup focused on intelligent street lighting.
  • ENVIOTECH has secured €1M in pre-seed funding to enhance public infrastructure through smart lighting solutions.
  • The retrofit system can upgrade existing streetlights in under 15 minutes, reducing energy consumption by up to 80%.
  • Adrian and Linh aim to solve critical safety issues caused by outdated public infrastructure, driven by personal experiences.
  • With new funding, ENVIOTECH will expand its pilot projects and develop its technology further, paving the way for Smart City Startup excellence.

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Smart City Street Lighting Startup: A Personal Trigger Behind the Founding

Quitting Deutsche Bank to fix streetlights: why these founders walked away from banking to launch their Smart City Startup.

The moment Adrian Rhaese’s best friend was rushed to the hospital following a biking accident caused by streetlights switched off due to rising electricity costs, he could no longer ignore how vulnerable outdated public infrastructure has become. How can one of the world’s strongest economies still rely on outdated public infrastructure? Why is safety one of the first things to be compromised when costs rise? This is a clear example of the urgent need for a Smart City Startup focused on street lighting improvements

What began as a deeply personal turning point became the starting point for ENVIOTECH, a Frankfurt-based smart city startup building intelligent retrofit kits for street lighting.

Smart City Street Lighting Startup: €1M Pre-Seed Funding Secured

Today, ENVIOTECH announces a €1M pre-seed financing round led by Jürgen Fitschen, former Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank, with participation from Joachim Drees, former CEO of MAN, Alexander Eyhorn, founder of Bidirex, and Danilo Jovicic-Albrecht, co-founder of Vialytics. Moreover, this investment marks an exciting milestone for a startup in the smart city sector.

In order to build ENVIOTECH, Adrian had to abandon the prestigious career path he had lined up at Deutsche Bank. Linh Pham’s path was similarly unconventional: she founded her first company at just 15. After a station at Deutsche Bank, she could have chosen the safer route – but instead returned to entrepreneurship to build her second company with ENVIOTECH. Together, they represent a generation of founders less interested in comfortable career tracks than in solving hard, unglamorous problems with real-world consequences. Clearly, their journey highlights the determination behind launching a Smart City Startup.

“We didn’t start ENVIOTECH because the smart city industry excited us,” said Adrian, “We started it because we witnessed firsthand what happens when critical infrastructure is not managed intelligently enough. When streets go dark, the consequences are immediate, for safety, for quality of life, and for trust in public systems. That is exactly the problem we are solving.”

A Scalable Solution for Cities

ENVIOTECH helps cities upgrade existing streetlights without having to replace them entirely. Its retrofit system can be installed on existing lighting infrastructure in under 15 minutes and allows municipalities to dim, monitor and manage streetlights more intelligently. This reduces energy consumption by up to 80%, lowers costs and improves public safety. As a smart city startup, ENVIOTECH is transforming urban lighting solutions.

The company also received early external validation through its acceptance into the EWOR Fellowship, the world’s most selective founder fellowship.

„When Adrian told me he had left Deutsche Bank to improve street lighting, I immediately knew what kind of founder I was dealing with. The best founders we invest in don’t chase trends. They pursue problems that no one else wants to solve. Adrian and Linh are exactly that kind of founder,“ says Daniel Dippold, founder and CEO of EWOR.

With the new capital, ENVIOTECH will expand pilot projects and rollouts with municipalities and infrastructure partners, further develop its product and technology portfolio, and build the foundation for its next stage of growth. The ambition is to make existing urban infrastructure smarter, more efficient, and easier to manage, starting with street lighting. In summary, ENVIOTECH is setting a path for Smart City Startup excellence.

Quelle: ENVIOTECH GmbH

Picturecredits:  Ivegnia Möbus

BMW i Ventures Fund III: $300 Million for AI Startups in the Automotive Sector

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BMW i Ventures Fund III: $300 Million for AI Startups in the Automotive Sector

Key Takeaways

  • BMW i Ventures Fund III launches with $300 million to invest in AI startups transforming the automotive industry.
  • The fund focuses on physical and industrial AI, automation, and solutions enhancing productivity across the automotive value chain.
  • Sustainability remains a priority, supporting circular supply chains and advanced materials to secure resources.
  • With over a decade of experience, BMW i Ventures has invested in 90 companies and has a strong track record of successful exits.
  • The fund aims to strengthen BMW’s competitive edge by integrating innovative technologies into future vehicles and production systems.

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BMW i Ventures Fund III launches with a focus on AI innovation

BMW i Ventures Announces $300 Million Fund to Back AI Startups Reshaping the Automotive Ecosystem. BMW i Ventures today launched its third fund, putting $300 million behind a clear premise: that AI will fundamentally reshape how the automotive industry operates and creates value across its entire ecosystem. The BMW i Ventures Fund III is fully backed by the BMW Group, and Fund III will focus on physical AI, agentic AI, industrial software, manufacturing technologies, supply chain technologies and advanced materials. The fund will invest across North America and Europe, from Seed through Series B. The launch brings BMW i Ventures’ total capital under management to $1.1 billion.

“With BMW i Ventures, we are investing in technologies that will shape the future of our industry. Our corporate venture capital activities play a key role in our innovation strategy, complementing our internal R&D and building strategic partnerships across the entire automotive value chain”, said Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW Group. “BMW i Ventures is launching the third fund at the perfect time: AI has shown its tremendous potential to transform products, operations, and entire value chains. Through BMW i Ventures and Fund III, we are best prepared to leverage these opportunities: We can anticipate shifts early, act quickly and efficiently on innovations, and remain at the forefront of our industry.”

BMW i Ventures drives industrial AI and automation

AI as Operating Layer of the Automotive World
BMW i Ventures will focus on agentic AI, AI-native enterprise applications that automate complex workflows in industrial environments, and physical AI that enables robots and autonomous machines to perceive, plan and act safely in the real world. As AI unlocks step-function improvements in productivity, decision-making and speed of execution, the fund will back innovations across the automotive value chain in automation, engineering, and manufacturing, from highly specific production optimization to platforms that enable connected and intelligent operations across industrial networks.

“With Fund III, we’re backing the founders who are turning AI into an industrial advantage, on the factory floor, in logistics networks and across global supply chains,” said Marcus Behrendt, Managing Partner at BMW i Ventures. “The new fund sharpens our focus for a world where AI-native software, robotics, and materials innovation will define the next generation of suppliers.”

“AI is quickly becoming part of the operating system of the modern enterprise,” added Kasper Sage, Managing Partner at BMW i Ventures. “We’re particularly interested in AI that can execute workflows end-to-end, driving real ROI through autonomous systems. That’s where productivity gains have real business impact.”

BMW i Ventures Fund III strengthens sustainable materials and supply chains

Advanced Materials and Circular Supply Chains
For BMW i Ventures, circularity remains a core investment pillar that supports industrial resilience and helps reduce exposure to constrained or geopolitically sensitive supply chains for critical materials. Fund III will continue to back next-generation materials innovations and technologies designed to advance circular industrial systems across product design, manufacturing processes, and supply chains. This includes technologies that support recycling and recovery of critical materials, circular manufacturing processes, and new materials that combine performance improvements with more efficient resource use.

“Circularity is not only about reducing emissions, it’s about securing access to raw materials and reducing exposure to constrained supply chains,” said Behrendt. “The new fund’s focus on AI expands the toolkit for sustainability rather than replacing it.”

BMW i Ventures builds on a decade of investment experience

Building on More Than a Decade of Experience
Since 2011, BMW i Ventures has invested in more than 90 companies and realized more than 30 exits. This track record includes successes like GaN Systems (acquired by Infineon for $830 million) and 11 portfolio companies that have gone public, such as Kodiak, Chargepoint, and Xometry. Active portfolio highlights include Skylo, a specialist in satellite connectivity; Embotech, a provider of autonomous driving solutions for industrial logistics; Tekion, an AI-native automotive retail platform; Rive, an interactive UI design and animation engine; and Synera, an AI agent platform for engineering.

BMW i Ventures Fund III as a strategic pillar for future innovation

Long-Term Commitment to Venture Investing
Through BMW i Ventures, the BMW Group gains early access to strategically relevant innovations while building insight into emerging trends and disruptions across global technology ecosystems. This helps strengthen BMW’s long-term competitiveness and supports the integration of new technologies into future vehicles, production systems, and digital services.

BMW i Ventures’ first fund has already returned significant capital, with positive DPI (Distributed to Paid-In capital), and Fund II is nearing the end of its initial investment period with over 30 portfolio companies. Fund III builds on the first two funds and is structured to lead investment rounds while maintaining its footprint in the United States and Europe. The new fund has the capacity to back AI-native companies as early as the seed stage, reflecting how quickly AI-first companies can now be built and scaled. Operating with the independence and speed of a traditional venture firm, BMW i Ventures is structured to identify and back emerging technologies well before they reach the mainstream.

Image: Marcus Behrendt and Kasper Sage, Managing Partners at BMW i Ventures (BMW – Portraits BMW i Ventures)

Foto/Quelle: BMW AG

What truly defines founders who build lasting companies?

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Founders investors companies in venture capital Ilena Mece

Founders, investors and companies define the dynamics of venture capital and shape how long term success is built.

As a Berlin-based Principal at KOMPAS VC, you are closely involved in sourcing and evaluating early-stage opportunities across several regions. How do you identify founders and companies that have the potential to build lasting impact rather than short-term success?

Lasting impact usually reveals itself early — in how founders think about the problem, not just the solution. I look for those who understand the structural reasons a market hasn’t changed yet, and who have the patience and conviction to change it anyway. Metrics matter, but the underlying reasoning matters more. I pay close attention to how founders respond to pushback. That tells you a lot about resilience and intellectual honesty.

Your investment focus spans the German-speaking region, CEE, parts of Southern Europe, and the US. What differences do you observe between these ecosystems, and where do you currently see the most untapped potential?

Each ecosystem has its own logic. The US moves fast and rewards boldness, sometimes at the expense of fundamentals. CEE produces technically exceptional founders who are often underestimated — and therefore undervalued. Southern Europe is maturing quickly, with strong talent pools that lack capital density. But the most exciting opportunity right now sits at the intersection of deep tech and the German Mittelstand. There are decades of industrial knowledge embedded in these companies, and founders who can unlock that with modern technology are building something genuinely defensible.

Due diligence is often described as both a science and an art. Which qualitative factors tend to be most decisive for you when assessing a founding team beyond metrics and pitch decks?

I look for three things: domain depth, self-awareness, and team dynamics under pressure. Domain depth tells me whether the founder has earned the right to win in this space. Self-awareness tells me whether they know what they don’t know. And watching how co-founders interact — especially when challenged — reveals whether the team will hold together when things get hard. They always get hard.

You work closely with founders beyond the initial investment. How do you define your role in helping teams scale their organizations while preserving culture and long-term vision?

My role shifts depending on the stage, but the constant is being a reliable thinking partner. When scaling, the biggest risk is that operational urgency crowds out strategic clarity. I try to hold space for that longer-term perspective — asking the questions that are easy to defer when you’re in execution mode. On culture, I believe founders have to own it entirely. My job is to flag when early decisions are creating friction they may not yet feel.

KOMPAS VC emphasizes industrial technology and sustainability-driven innovation. What qualities distinguish founders who are truly capable of turning complex, long-cycle technologies into scalable businesses?

Patience without complacency. Deep-tech and industrial founders often work in cycles that don’t fit the traditional VC playbook, and the best ones know how to sequence milestones in a way that keeps stakeholders aligned without diluting long-term ambition. They’re also unusually good at translating complexity — to customers, to regulators, to their own teams. That communication ability is underrated and often decisive.

You describe meeting founders with extraordinary visions and ambitions as a key motivation. How do you differentiate between visionary thinking and unrealistic ambition during the evaluation process?

Visionaries can draw a credible path from here to there. They may not have all the answers, but they’ve interrogated their assumptions rigorously. Unrealistic ambition, by contrast, often relies on a chain of best-case scenarios with no honest accounting of what needs to go right. The tell is usually the first hard question: visionaries engage with it, others deflect.

Building strong networks and long-term relationships is central to your approach. How important is trust in venture capital, and how can investors actively contribute to healthier and more collaborative ecosystems?

Trust is the foundation of everything. Capital is a commodity — relationships are not. Investors contribute to healthier ecosystems by being honest even when it’s uncomfortable, making introductions without keeping score, and supporting founders publicly when things are difficult. The European ecosystem in particular benefits when investors collaborate rather than compete on deal flow. A rising tide genuinely does lift all boats here.

Many founders today are navigating increasingly complex market conditions. What recurring challenges do you see among early-stage teams, and how can investors provide meaningful support beyond capital?

The most common challenge is prioritization under uncertainty — knowing what not to do when everything feels urgent. A close second is hiring: early-stage teams often underestimate how much a single mis-hire costs at that stage. Beyond capital, the most useful thing I can offer is pattern recognition — having seen similar situations across enough companies to spot what’s structural versus what’s noise. And sometimes, just a candid outside perspective from someone with no operational stake in the decision.

As venture capital becomes more competitive, the role of principals and early partners is evolving. How do you see your position changing in the coming years, particularly in relation to founders?

Founders have more options and more information than ever before. That’s a good thing — it raises the bar for investors to be genuinely useful. I see my role becoming more specialized: less about access to capital and more about the quality of engagement. Founders will increasingly choose investors based on demonstrated value, not brand alone. That accountability makes this work more meaningful, not less.

Looking ahead, what kinds of companies and leadership profiles do you believe will define the next generation of impactful startups in Europe and beyond?

The companies that will matter most are those bridging two worlds: deep scientific or industrial knowledge on one side, and the ability to build scalable, user-centric products on the other. Europe has exceptional raw material here — particularly in climate tech, advanced manufacturing, and enterprise software for complex industries. The leaders who will define this generation are intellectually rigorous, globally minded, and grounded enough to build for the long term in ecosystems that reward patience.

Picture Source KOMPAS VC

Thank you Ilena Mece for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Holyvolt Acquires Wildcat Discovery Technologies in $73 Million deal to Fuse Lab Breakthroughs with Production at Scale

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Battery technology: Holyvolt acquires Wildcat Discovery Mathias Ingvarsson, CEO and Co-Founder, Holyvolt

Battery technology company Holyvolt has acquired Wildcat Discovery Technologies, combining advanced battery research and manufacturing to accelerate the development of next generation batteries.

A new era

Swedish battery technology company Holyvolt has successfully completed the acquisition of US based battery materials development specialist Wildcat Discovery Technologies in a $73 million deal in a mix of cash, equity, and deferred milestone based payments.

Accelerated development

Wildcat’s proprietary High Throughput Platform (HTP) simultaneously synthesises and screens thousands of materials combinations, identifying optimal material systems up to 10 times faster than conventional R&D methods.

Data driven

Wildcat’s high throughput platform is designed to generate terrabyte scale, structured materials datasets that enable the integration of machine learning and AI into battery material discovery. Going forward, this capability will accelerate optimization cycles and significantly increase the speed and effectiveness of materials development.

Innovative manufacturing

Holyvolt’s production technology based on screen printing and water based processing of materials serves as a replacement or complement for conventional coating and organic solvent based slurries, enabling flexible, modular, sustainable, scalable, and cost efficient production.

Sustainable, secure, and cost effective

Holyvolt’s water based manufacturing process and Wildcat’s modern materials combine to deliver cleaner, cheaper battery production with inherently lower capital requirements and supply chains anchored in Europe and North America. Further potential in performance and cost reduction can be unlocked by Wildcat’s cobalt and nickel free materials.

Swedish battery technology company Holyvolt has completed the acquisition of Wildcat Discovery Technologies, the world’s leading battery materials development firm, in a move that fundamentally reshapes how next generation batteries are created, optimized, and manufactured.

The combination creates a group with end to end capability from molecular discovery to pilot scale production using a fully integrated High Throughput Platform, eliminating the bottlenecks that have traditionally separated laboratory breakthroughs from commercial reality. The combined entity brings together Holyvolt’s pioneering process technology based on screen printing, and water based processes, with Wildcat’s proprietary High Throughput Platform (HTP), which can quickly generate terrabyte scale structured datasets through combinatorial experimentation. These datasets among the highest quality in the industry are primed for AI driven analysis and accelerated learning.

The announcement follows Holyvolt’s recent €20 million funding round and will deliver world class technical capabilities to the global battery sector across a broad range of industries including automotive, consumer electronics, aerospace, storage and defence. The combined entity will serve partners and customers across the entire battery supply chain as a technology development partner, with commercialization models including licensing arrangements tailored to each customer’s specific requirements.

Leveraging more than 20 years of development, the combination of Holyvolt’s unique process technology and Wildcat’s world leading chemistry expertise has created a supplier capable of quickly bringing world class battery innovations to market by integrating rapid innovation, flexible process technology, and rapid scaling to pilot capacity.

This transformational step directly addresses the critical challenges facing the global clean energy transition in Europe and North America: production costs, sustainability, and supply chain independence and competitiveness.

Mathias Ingvarsson, Founder & CEO, Holyvolt, said:

“The acquisition of Wildcat is a perfect complement to our intended strategy of developing new technologies for the battery industry. Holyvolt is focused on developing new processes to make batteries cleaner and more affordable, and Wildcat has been pursuing the same goals via materials development and better chemistry. Combined, we are building what we believe is the most compelling technology to deliver on these objectives.”

Magnus Tyreman, Chairman of Holyvolt and former Head of McKinsey Europe, said:

“The West must accelerate the development of next generation battery technologies to secure long term energy independence. The acquisition of Wildcat strengthens our ability to advance that mission.”

Mark Gresser, President and CEO, Wildcat Discovery Technologies, said:

“The Wildcat team is thrilled with this acquisition by Holyvolt. Mathias and team are very thoughtful with regard to their objectives in the battery industry, and recognise the value that Wildcat’s High Throughput Platform can deliver to our combined company and the industry at large. With Holyvolt’s vision and financial backing, Wildcat can finally unlock the true potential of high throughput combinatorial chemistry for battery materials.”

Prof. Peter Schultz, Founder, Wildcat Discover Technologies, noted pioneer of High Throughput, & CEO of Scripps Research with six associated Nobel prizes, said:

“With Holyvolt, we can do for batteries what high throughput and AI have done for drug discovery.”

Picture Mathias Ingvarsson, CEO and Co-Founder, Holyvolt

Source Influence Emobility Ltd

How Much Energy Is Your Factory Losing Every Single Day?

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IR Power industrial energy recovery for manufacturers Richard Bradshaw, founder & CEO of IR Power

IR Power develops scalable industrial energy recovery systems that help manufacturers capture wasted industrial energy and reduce costs while cutting carbon emissions

Can you tell us about the story behind IR Power and what industry experiences inspired you to launch the company?

The frustration was simple: the technology to recover wasted energy from industrial machines has existed for years, but it never deployed at scale. Working with major manufacturers, I kept seeing the same pattern — enormous amounts of electricity being burned off as heat every time a machine decelerated, and solutions that were technically capable of capturing it but commercially impossible to justify. High upfront costs, months of disruption, expensive custom engineering. At historical electricity prices of £50/MWh, you could almost understand why businesses walked away. But as prices doubled to £100–150/MWh and net-zero commitments became binding, that calculus changed completely. IR Power grew out of an energy storage technology project inspired by research from the University of Reading, and together with Mike Wilson, we set about building something that could actually scale.

What values and principles guided you in establishing IR Power?

The core principle is shared risk. For too long, energy recovery technology put all the burden on the customer — capital expenditure, installation disruption, performance uncertainty. We’ve inverted that completely. If our system doesn’t save our customers money, we don’t get paid. That’s not just a commercial model; it’s a statement of intent. We believe that if you genuinely have a great solution, you should be willing to stand behind it. Alongside that, we’re committed to simplicity — standardised systems, plug-and-play installation, no modifications to existing equipment. Complexity has been the enemy of adoption in this space for too long.

What is the long-term vision of IR Power, and what steps are you planning to achieve it?

The vision is to eliminate industrial braking energy waste at scale — first across the UK, then globally. We’re starting deliberately, prioritising press applications across tier-one automotive and construction materials manufacturing. That diversity of sectors is intentional; we want to prove the technology across different operating conditions before we accelerate. The addressable market is thousands of suitable machines in the UK alone, across automotive, construction materials, food processing and beyond. Once the model is proven here, global expansion follows. Every deployment builds the evidence base that makes the next one easier.

How do you define success for IR Power, and what milestones are you aiming to reach in the coming years?

Success is straightforward: customers saving money and cutting carbon, with IR Power growing because we earned it through performance. In the near term, our first commercial deployments launch in Q1 2026 with a major automotive and construction materials manufacturer — proving the technology in real operating environments is the critical first milestone. From there, it’s about scaling the deployment pipeline across sectors and demonstrating that this model works as reliably in food processing or heavy industry as it does on an automotive press line.

Who is the primary target audience of IR Power, and how do you ensure their specific needs are met?

Our primary targets are manufacturers running large motor-driven machinery where heavy weights are constantly being lifted and lowered, moved and stopped, or where powerful forming equipment cycles repeatedly through its stroke – automotive and wider metal forming presses, conveyor systems, industrial mixers, cranes and hoists. These are the applications where braking energy is highest and most consistent. But we’re particularly excited about the breadth of sectors beyond automotive – metal forming more widely, construction and raw materials, and some genuinely interesting early leads in upstream food production. We meet their needs by removing every traditional barrier to adoption: zero upfront capital, installation in hours with no production downtime, and a rental model that sits as operating expenditure rather than capital. We also offer a complimentary, no-obligation site assessment so manufacturers can understand their specific opportunity before committing to anything.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced since founding IR Power, and how have you overcome them?

The honest answer is that it’s the pace of industrial markets and getting meaningful airtime with the right end users. These are organisations with long decision cycles and full order books – breaking through takes patience. But when you do find the right people, the impact is remarkable. We’ve been fortunate to work with some real gems – forward-thinking manufacturers who immediately understood the value and have genuinely catapulted our commercial development forward. Those relationships have been transformative. The technology was never the hard part; finding the champions inside industry who move things forward is the real challenge, and the real reward when you find them.

What unique services or capabilities do you offer that manufacturers can only find with you?

Several things set us apart. Our systems are equipment-agnostic — unlike solutions locked to one manufacturer’s drives or motors, we integrate with any supplier’s equipment. That means factories can connect multiple machines into a single site-wide energy recovery network. Our fail-safe design is also distinctive: when braking energy exceeds system capacity, excess safely routes to existing waste resistors while the system keeps operating. Competitor systems often shut down completely when overloaded, requiring manual restarts — which is simply unacceptable in a production environment. And critically, the combination of zero upfront cost, hours-long installation, and a pure pay-from-savings model is, to my knowledge, unique in this space.

What new projects or expansions do you have planned for IR Power in the near future?

Our immediate focus is executing our first commercial deployments in Q1 2026 across automotive and construction materials manufacturing, building the evidence base we need to accelerate. But we’re also moving toward international expansion – we’ve identified high-energy-cost markets that make the economics of our solution particularly compelling – some closer to home in Northern Europe, and some further afield. The rental model travels well: wherever electricity is expensive and manufacturers are facing net-zero pressure, the business case is strong. We’re not waiting until we’ve saturated the UK market to start those conversations.

What three key pieces of advice would you give to people starting their own industrial technology or sustainability-focused business?

First, solve the commercial problem, not just the technical one. The technology to recover industrial energy has existed for years — it didn’t scale because the business model was broken. Before you build anything, understand every barrier between your solution and actual deployment, and design around them.

Second, align your incentives with your customers. Our rental model only works if customers save money. That alignment isn’t just good ethics — it’s good strategy. It forces you to build something that genuinely performs, and it builds trust faster than any sales pitch.

Third, be deliberate about where you start. We chose diverse sectors for our first deployments specifically to prove the technology across different operating conditions. Resist the temptation to chase volume too early. Depth of proof before breadth of scale.
You asked for three, but I’m going to give you four, because the last one is too important to leave out – and that’s persistence. Every start-up demands it, but in industrial hardware it’s non-negotiable. The sales cycles are long, the decision-makers are hard to reach, and the path from prototype to commercial deployment is rarely straight. You must believe in what you’re building through all of that – because the companies that get there are almost always the ones that simply refused to stop.

Picture: Richard Bradshaw, founder & CEO of IR Power image courtesy of IR Power

Thank you Richard Bradshaw for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Can Great Design Really Be Just a Click Away?

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House Designer Digital Design for Modern Home Design Samantha-Jane Agbontaen, Founder of House Designer® Picture Credits House Designer

House Designer is a digital design studio making professional home design accessible through structured, technology enabled services for modern homeowners

How was House Designer founded, and who are the people behind the company today?

House Designer was founded by me, Samantha-Jane Agbontaen, in January 2020. After more than 16 years in the design industry, I had seen how interior design was often perceived as exclusive and out of reach for everyday homeowners. Talented designers existed, yet the structure of the industry had not evolved. It remained traditional, location-bound and intimidating for many people.

Alongside being a creative, I taught myself coding and web development, which gives me a distinctive edge in this space. I have always been both creative and technical.

House Designer was created to disrupt that narrative. I built an expertise-led and tech-enabled design studio, a modern model designed for everyone, not just a select few. Today, I lead a growing team of experienced designers who share the same mission: to make professional home design more accessible, structured and relevant to modern life.

What motivated House Designer to rethink interior, garden and exterior design through a fully online model?

House Designer began with interior design. As the company grew, we expanded into garden design, and it quickly became clear how interconnected those spaces truly are. If we were already designing the inside and outside successfully, it felt like a natural progression to consider the entire home more holistically.

Rather than treating interiors, gardens and exterior elements as separate disciplines, we evolved into a multidisciplinary studio where everything works together. The goal was simple: to create one destination for thoughtful home design, supported by a team of experts who understand how each element influences the other. Technology supports coordination and clarity, while the design thinking remains entirely human.

What long-term vision is House Designer pursuing in making professional design more accessible?

The long-term vision is to continue challenging outdated ideas about who design is for and how it should be delivered.

Professional design should not feel exclusive or indulgent. It should be practical, strategic and part of the normal renovation journey.

We are building a model that allows thoughtful design to reach more people without losing depth or quality. Because the business operates digitally and the brand is adaptable, we are not limited by geography.

Who is your core target audience, and what specific needs are you addressing with your services?

Our core audience is busy homeowners who care about how their home looks and functions but need clarity before making major decisions.

Many are professionals or families planning renovations who feel overwhelmed by layout, lighting and overall cohesion. Some have assumed interior design is out of reach.

What they need is guidance and direction. We provide practical design support that helps them plan with confidence, whether they are redesigning one room or transforming an entire home.

How do you ensure that a remote design process still feels personal and tailored to each client?

We are professionals with years of experience. The fact that we work remotely does not reduce the depth of the service.

Clients provide detailed measurements or floor plans, along with photos and videos of their space. That level of information, combined with a structured brief, allows us to understand the property properly before we begin designing.

We hold virtual video meetings rather than in-person consultations, which keeps the process efficient and flexible. For more complex projects, we do offer in-person visits for an additional fee. However, around 90% of our projects are delivered entirely virtually.

Collaboration is key. The process may be digital, but the relationship is very real.

What differentiates House Designer from traditional interior design studios or local garden planners?

Traditional design routes can be long, expensive and often tied to one way of working. Clients may feel locked into a design and build contract, pressured to commit upfront, or limited by a process that is not built around flexibility.

We do things differently.

Our model gives clients professional design expertise without tying them to a single contractor or supplier. A garden design concept, for example, can be used to obtain competitive quotes from multiple contractors rather than being bound to one design and build company. For interiors, clients can implement their design in stages, purchase items over time, or even take a more hands-on approach if they enjoy elements of DIY.

We provide the structure and the vision. Clients remain in control of how they execute it. That balance of expertise and flexibility is what truly sets us apart.

What challenges come with operating a fully digital design service, and how do you overcome them?

The biggest challenge is perception. Some people still assume that online means less detailed or less experience.

We address this through transparency and experience. After six years in business, we have built trust and a strong reputation. Clients understand that our digital model is intentional and carefully structured.

When supported by clear systems and communication, digital delivery becomes a strength rather than a limitation.

How do you capture individual style preferences and spatial requirements accurately in an online setting?

It begins with a defined process that we have refined over the years. Every client completes a detailed questionnaire covering layout, lifestyle and practical needs. This forms the foundation of a design brief.

We then hold a virtual consultation to explore preferences in more depth. Clients also upload floor plans, measurements, photos and inspiration through our integrated system, giving us a precise understanding of both space and style.

Our packages include revisions, so the first concept is the starting point of a collaboration. We refine based on feedback to ensure the final outcome reflects the client and their home.

What role do transparent pricing and structured service packages play in your business model?

They are fundamental. Design has often felt financially unclear, with open-ended fees and unpredictable costs. We remove that uncertainty. Clear service packages define what is included and what clients are investing in. That transparency builds trust and allows clients to choose the level of support that suits their project.

How do you see House Designer evolving over the next few years in terms of services and market reach?

We will continue strengthening our presence across the UK while gaining recognition overseas, with a clear intention to expand internationally over time.

Because the business is digitally structured and the brand name is adaptable, we are not limited by geography. That gives us the flexibility to grow in a measured and sustainable way.

Are there new developments or innovations you are currently working on to expand your offering?

Innovation is in our DNA. We are continuing to develop our 3D visualisation technology to produce increasingly photorealistic renders, alongside immersive VR capabilities.

With the growth of AI, we are also developing housedesigner.ai as an intelligent planning tool to support homeowners in the early stages of their projects. House Designer will always remain expertise led. Technology is there to strengthen the process, not replace it.

What three pieces of advice would you give to founders building a digital service-based startup?

First, start with your why and test it properly. Be clear about the problem you are solving and whether there is genuine demand for it. A strong idea without market validation is just theory.

Second, get your timing right. Even a good concept can struggle if the market is not ready. Understand your segment, study behaviour shifts and make sure your offering is relevant, not just interesting.

Third, build for scale from the beginning. Structure your services clearly, define your processes and ensure your model can grow without breaking. Digital businesses move quickly, so clarity, adaptability and scalability are essential.

Picture: Samantha-Jane Agbontaen, Founder of House Designer® Picture Credits House Designer

More information you will find here

Thank you Samantha-Jane Agbontaen for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

What If You Could See What Your PC Was Really Doing While You Were Away?

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AppControl Task Manager for Windows Jon Hundley

AppControl is a historical Task Manager for Windows that gives users deeper visibility and control over system activity on their PCs

Can you briefly introduce AppControl and tell us who is behind the company and the development of the tool?

AppControl is a modern Task Manager for Windows built for users who want more visibility and control over their PCs. It tracks real-time and historical CPU, GPU, memory, disk, and temperature usage, so you can finally see what your system was doing even when you weren’t watching. We built it to be simple, fast, and free, with power-user features such as smart alerts, smart controls in apps with rules, and a modern, fun-to-use interface. It’s made for anyone who cares about hardware performance, privacy, or just wants to know what’s really going on with their Windows PC. We’re a small indie team based in Austin, Texas, USA.

How did the idea for AppControl come about and what specific problem of Windows users did you aim to solve?

I kept walking up to my PC and finding the fan running at full blast, like an overworked HVAC unit. But every time I unlocked it and opened Task Manager, the culprit had vanished… almost like it knew I was watching. It felt like a mysterious app was playing jokes on me. I searched everywhere for a Task Manager with history, something that could tell me what was running before I sat down. Instead, I found memes mocking how useless the Task Manager is. So I decided to fix it and started building a historical resource monitor for Windows that could finally catch that sneaky app in the act.

AppControl describes itself as a historical task manager. What exactly does that mean and how does your solution differ from the traditional Windows Task Manager?

When we say “historical Task Manager,” we mean that AppControl doesn’t just show what’s happening right now, but instead, it shows you what was happening hours ago, even when you weren’t at your PC. For example, during the night when your PC is locked. With long-term graphs for CPU, GPU, memory, disk, and temperature and app-level tracking and alerts, you get a full timeline of system activity. It’s a Task Manager that lets you scroll back in time. So now, you can catch what was causing the slowdown after the fact, not just hope it happens again while you’re looking.

What vision are you pursuing with AppControl in terms of transparency, control and privacy on personal computers?

I believe your PC should work for you, not the other way around. We built AppControl to give everyday users the same level of insight and control over their system that power users have, without complexity. That means full transparency into what’s running, what’s using resources, and what’s happening even when you’re not at the keyboard. We also believe privacy starts with visibility. You can’t protect what you can’t see, so AppControl helps surface hidden background activity, resource abuse, and unexpected behaviors in a way that’s easy to understand and act on. We also tried to make the app fun to use, and we have a little mascot icon named “Toby the Transistor” who keeps watch over the user’s PC.

Who is the primary target audience for AppControl and how do you ensure their needs for visibility and security are met?

Our primary audience includes ANY Windows users who care about what’s really happening on their PC, from gamers and IT pros to privacy advocates and curious everyday users. Anyone who wants better visibility, more control, and fewer mysteries when their fans start spinning, or their system slows down, can use AppControl. We built AppControl to be both powerful and fun to use for anyone. If someone has never opened Task Manager before, it may not be for them. However, anyone who needs to use the Windows Task Manager at one time or another will enjoy using AppControl instead.

Your tool provides insights into resource usage as well as access to camera, microphone or location. Why is this level of transparency particularly relevant today?

Everyone’s had moments before or after a Zoom meeting where they wonder if their webcam or mic got turned on, or left on, without them realizing. With all the stories about malware and creepy apps spying on people, it’s not exactly paranoia. And yeah, we’ve all joked about talking out loud about a product, then suddenly seeing ads for it. Most of the time, it’s probably just a weird coincidence, but if that happens while you’re using AppControl, you can actually go back and check. You’ll see if your mic was accessed during that time, and exactly which app was using it. No more guessing.

From your perspective, what is the clear unique selling point of AppControl compared to other system utilities?

AppControl provides high-quality visibility into your PC’s hardware, and we make it engaging. If you’re a person who has to use Task Manager, then AppControl is a great alternative to that. On top of that, it’s free, so free is always a good selling point.

What technical or market challenges have you faced while building AppControl and how are you addressing them?

One thing that seemed simple but took us months to figure out was how to present historical hardware usage data in a way that makes sense. During the process, we found out there are a bunch of different ways to track and display resource history. One of them is something called “CPU time,” and for a while, we built AppControl’s history around that. It worked fine technically, but when we showed it to friends and family, no one really understood what they were looking at.

Eventually, after a lot of trial and error and arguing, we scrapped that idea and built something much more intuitive. Basically, a scroller that lets you jump back in time and see a Task Manager-style view of your system at that exact moment. It seems simple now, but getting there took extensive experimentation.

How do you plan to further develop AppControl in the future, for example regarding new features or potential premium models?

After our launch, AppControl immediately became very popular in France, driven by positive reviews in leading tech/privacy publications. One was called Korben, and they called AppControl “a Task Manager on steroids”. One of the first requests we received was to translate AppControl into French. We set up a translation system, then posted a link, and French fans translated AppControl literally in one day! We’re so grateful for the support we are getting out of France, and we’re listening carefully to what they want so we can keep improving! Another requested feature is the ability to launch AppControl via a Windows keyboard shortcut, as you can with Windows Task Manager. So, we’re adding an optional keyboard command so anyone can launch AppControl directly from their keyboard quickly when they want to.

As far as a premium model, for now, we’re just enjoying people actually using the app. When you work on something, you never know for sure whether anyone will use it, so it has been remarkable to get those first 10,000 downloads in mere days. Maybe in the future we’ll look at ways AppControl users can manage remote PCs and control what can launch there as an IT administration feature, but for now, we are still experimenting and aren’t sure what we want to do yet. We’ll continue to listen to our users and improve the app! Maybe we’ll have one version for everyone that stays free, then another for IT professionals that’s paid, but we’re not sure yet.

What role does user feedback play in shaping the ongoing development of AppControl?

User feedback for us is huge. The keyboard command idea is something we never considered, but it now makes perfect sense. We even had one person who visited our Discord make a review video on YouTube and post it using AppControl in real-time. In the video, we identified a few areas in AppControl that could be improved. Creating a Discord and a forum were very important to us so we can listen to our users and continue doing what they want. We are active in both the forum and Discord, gathering feedback, and the feedback has been amazing.

What three pieces of advice would you give to other founders who want to build a software startup like AppControl?

If you see a problem that’s driving you crazy, and if you search online and there is no real solution, and if others are also posting about that problem, then maybe it’s something worth solving. For the Task Manager issue I was having, all I could find were funny memes, which made it clear this was a problem many people were having. So the first advice is that. The second is to take your time and make sure you develop a good solution to the problem. Don’t rush it. The third would be to listen to your first users and do what they want. We’re localizing to French, adding the keyboard commands, and doing what our users ask as soon as possible.

Picture Credits: private

Thank you Jon Hundley for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Sinpex Raises €10M to Scale AI KYB Across Europe

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Sinpex Raises €10M Series A to Scale AI KYB Platform Across Europe

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Sinpex, the AI-powered platform for KYB / KYC lifecycle management, today announced its €10 million Series A financing round. Sinpex streamlines business client onboarding and continuous KYB compliance, empowering companies to meet the regulatory demands of the 2027 EU Anti-Money Laundering (EU AML) Regulation. The round was led by BlackFin Capital Partners, Europe’s largest financial services investor, with strong participation from existing investors ACE Ventures and TX Ventures.

Sinpex €10M Series A Round Led by BlackFin Capital Partners

The new capital will be used to accelerate growth, strengthen Sinpex’s position as the category-defining Know Your Business (KYB) automation platform in Europe, and support expansion in key international markets, such as France and the Netherlands.

Sinpex Accelerates Expansion Across Key European Markets

Sinpex plans to expand its footprint across Europe and further develop its international presence. With France and the Netherlands named as priority markets, the company aims to meet rising demand for scalable KYB and compliance technology within the European financial ecosystem.

AI-Powered KYB Automation for Faster Business Onboarding

Sinpex is the all-in-one platform that unifies every stage of the customer and regulatory lifecycle. The SaaS solution is recognized for redefining digital business client onboarding, including document acquisition, UBO identification, risk assessment, AML screening, ID&V, and ongoing reviews.

Supporting Compliance With the 2027 EU AML Regulation

Sinpex combines an extensible KYB data model across multiple jurisdictions with AI-driven register and ownership analysis, resulting in fully audit-ready reporting and gold-standard compliance outcomes. This empowers compliance teams to significantly reduce manual work while increasing consistency and regulatory robustness, including preparedness for the 2027 EU AML Regulation and support for KYB and transparency obligations across frameworks such as AMLD5/6, PSD2/3, and DAC7.

One Platform for KYB, KYC and Ongoing Risk Monitoring

By covering the entire KYB/KYC lifecycle and enabling continuous reviews, Sinpex supports compliance teams in maintaining regulatory readiness over time—especially as legal frameworks become stricter and the expectations for seamless onboarding continue to rise.

Trusted by Banks, PSPs and Leading Financial Institutions

Financial institutions such as Otto Payments, EFS Deutschland (a subsidiary of Enpal), IKB, Bybit, Scayle Payments and KfW rely on Sinpex.

Award-Winning RegTech Innovation in Digital Identity & KYC

In November of last year, Sinpex was awarded first place in the “ID Verification & KYC” category at the FF Awards in London, acknowledging the company as one of the standout innovators shaping the future of compliant and automated financial services.

Sinpex CEO: “We’re Ready to Accelerate Growth Across Our Core Markets”

“We’re seeing an enormous transformation ahead in how financial institutions handle increasing client expectations and regulatory demands around AML, KYC, and KYB,” said Dr. Camillo Werdich, CEO and Founder of Sinpex. “This investment allows us to accelerate our mission: delivering truly intelligent automation that meets rising regulatory requirements while enabling payment service providers, e-commerce platforms, banks, leasing, factoring companies, and asset managers to grow with confidence while meeting customer expectations for a seamless business relationship. With strengthened resources, we are ready to accelerate growth across our core markets, bring in the best talent, and push our technology forward so our clients meet regulatory requirements more easily than ever before while focusing on their business.”

BlackFin: “Building the Pan-European Champion for Enterprise RegTech”

“We see the same need across all regulated industries we operate in and regulatory scrutiny is bound to increase in the coming years. As such, we were looking for the right combination of sector expertise, depth of product and execution skills,” said Romain Grimal, Investment Director of BlackFin. “We found this in Sinpex and we are excited to support the team around Camillo in building the pan-European champion for enterprise-grade regtech platforms.”

Photo/Source: @Sinpex

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