The Recursive’s weekly roundup aims to cover key tech developments across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the growing impact of CEE-born founders on the global stage. Take a look at the latest news in funding, startup milestones, and emerging trends tied to the region’s innovation potential.

CEE news & deals

Fonoa, a Croatian-founded, Dublin-based tax automation platform, has just armed itself for a significant new offensive, announcing a dual manoeuvre that has turned heads across the finance and technology sectors: a $110 (€94.5) million Series C funding round and the strategic acquisition of the Indirect Tax Edge platform from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Lithuanian Kopa.ai, an agentic AI platform that lets e-commerce teams delegate real work to intelligent AI agents that think and act like seasoned operators, has raised €2 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by XTX Ventures and Practica Capital, with participation from Inovia Capital and angel investor Etan Ilfeld.

Brno-based JIC Ventures has invested in Czech startup Webout as part of a €1.65 million seed round led by Seed Starter SK, with participation from Energy Venture Pals. Webout has developed a platform for creating hyper-personalised videos at scale and is now expanding into the US market, with co-founder Michal Orsava relocating to San Francisco to lead the effort.

Bulgarian LAUNCHub Ventures has appointed Zagreb-based Vedran Blagus as its new associated partner, tasked with leading the firm’s expansion across Croatia, Slovenia, and the Western Balkans. Blagus, who previously spent 8 years at South Central Ventures, brings deep regional expertise and a clear mandate: to make LAUNCHub the first-choice partner for the region’s best founders.

CEE Funds investing cross borders

Greek venture capital firm Big Pi Ventures led a US $30 million Series B round into Australian robotics company August Robotics, backing autonomous robot fleets that drill and mark floors across hyperscale construction sites worldwide.

Czech Purple Ventures has invested €450,000 in British startup Fether Labs alongside international investors including Chapter One and the a16z Scout Fund. Fether Labs is developing a novel gesture-control wristband that tracks the movement of tendons beneath the skin, enabling users to control computers, AR devices, robots and industrial machines without cameras, controllers or touchscreens.

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