Bulgarian Codery Acquires Elfshock to Launch AI Automation Division in Southeast Europe
Bulgarian‑founded Codery announced the acquisition of Elfshock, a specialist in robotic process automation for financial services, creating the new Codery Automations division across Southeast Europe. Elfshock’s platform, now under Codery, has deployed more than 400 digital employees that deliver an average return of roughly $5.4 for every $1.08 invested and efficiency gains above 300%. The near‑shore model enables fewer than 20 staff to manage over 1,000 digital agents, boosting productivity up to ten times. Codery plans to grow to 200 human employees and 1,000 agents by the end of 2026, backed by Silverline Capital and additional acquisitions.
Why Specialized AI Is Winning in 2026
Vertical, industry‑specific AI is poised to dominate value creation in 2026 as firms embed narrow models into core workflows. Investors are shifting away from concentrated horizontal model labs toward diversified vertical niches in legal, finance and procurement, where funding is...
Defense Tech Under Legal Scrutiny: How Regulation Is Reshaping Startup Investments in Europe
European defense technology is experiencing a rapid funding surge, now representing 6.2% of the continent’s venture‑capital market and attracting more than €1 billion (about $1.1 billion) in capital. New EU export‑control rules, the NIS2 directive and the upcoming Cyber Resilience Act have...
Are Energy Communities the Next “Booking” For Electricity?
Nobile, founded by former lawyer Lorena Skiljan, operates a digital platform that matches local renewable producers with nearby consumers in 15‑minute intervals, effectively creating energy‑community marketplaces. The model promises up to 60 % savings on grid fees and often eliminates electricity taxes...
Why Europe’s Deep Tech Startups Struggle to Scale And What Actually Works
Europe’s deep‑tech sector is drawing record investment—€17.6 billion ($19 billion) projected for 2025—but many startups still fail to scale due to fragmented ecosystems. The D2XCEL programme, which supported 102 ventures across two cohorts, showed that targeted ecosystem integration, mentorship, and investor access...
CEE Startup & Tech Weekly: Europe’s First M&A Deal Led by an AI-Native Advisory
Eilla AI closed Europe’s first M&A transaction led entirely by an AI‑native advisory, facilitating White Pearl Technology Group’s acquisition of CreateX and Native Digital. The deal showcases a three‑year‑old AI platform that blends algorithmic analysis with human advisors. Meanwhile, CEE...
How to Know if Your AI Partner Understands Your Business
Companies often hire AI partners without vetting their business acumen, leading to costly delays. Effective partners start by probing workflow pain points, not by pushing specific models, ensuring solutions address real needs. Experience at a similar company size and stage...
Czech Edmund Raised €2.5M to Fix Manufacturing Downtime with AI
Czech AI startup Edmund secured €2.5 million (about $2.7 million) to scale its industrial troubleshooting platform across Europe and the United States. The solution aggregates documentation, PLC projects and real‑time sensor data, enabling technicians to diagnose faults in minutes instead of hours...
Netflix Collaborates with INSAIT to Launch Breakthrough AI Video Editing Tool
Netflix Research and Bulgaria’s INSAIT have released VOID, an open‑source AI model that removes objects from video while reconstructing scenes with physics‑consistent motion. Launched on April 3 under an Apache 2.0 license, VOID leverages Meta’s SAM2, Google’s Gemini 3 Pro and Alibaba’s CogVideoX in...
“Build It and They Will Come”: The Myth That’s Keeping Regional Startups Small
Regional CEE startups are rethinking the old "build‑it‑and‑they‑will‑come" playbook as venture capital dries up and growth‑at‑all‑costs proves unsustainable. Experts from Estonia and Bulgaria highlighted that Estonian founders think globally from day one, while Bulgarian teams often stay in the local...
Bulgarian-Founded nFuse Raises €1.7M Round From Eleven Ventures and LAUNCHub Ventures
Bulgarian‑founded nFuse raised €1.7 million (≈$1.84 million) from Eleven Ventures and LAUNCHub Ventures to scale its AI‑powered B2B ordering platform that works through WhatsApp, Viber, SMS, voice and images. The solution compresses implementation cycles from up to 18 months to roughly eight weeks...
Sloppy Contracts Can Cost You, A Lot
Sloppy contract handling can expose companies to payment delays, disputes, and costly litigation. The article illustrates real‑world failures where finance, delivery, sales, or CEOs were excluded, leading to 60‑day invoice delays, unclear acceptance criteria, and unintended fixed‑price obligations. It then...
CEE Startup & Tech Weekly: BlackPeak Co-Leads Almost €30M Alcatraz Round
Bulgarian venture firm BlackPeak Capital co‑led a €29.77 million (approximately $32 million) Series B round for Alcatraz, a facial‑biometric authentication startup focused on physical access control. The round also featured Cogito Capital, Taiwania Capital, and existing backers such as Almaz Capital and the...
BrainDonors and HubSpot to Host B2B Growth Conference This May
BrainDonors and HubSpot are co‑hosting the B2B Growth Conf 2026 in Sofia on May 8, gathering over 500 B2B leaders to explore how to make revenue growth predictable. The single‑day agenda is split into four blocks—digital growth, revenue operations, AI‑driven outbound, and...
Vlad Gozman on Disrupting Mature Markets, 180° Pivoting, and Not Taking VC Money
Romanian entrepreneur Vlad Gozman built a career from EU consulting to founding multiple startups, ultimately creating involve.me, a no‑code platform serving over 4,500 customers with a 14‑person team. After a failed VR venture, he turned down VC money and pivoted...
