The Next Web

The Next Web Original and proudly opinionated perspectives for Generation T

  • TNW Weekly Briefing
    by Alexandru Stan on 25 January 2026 at 18:37

    1. EU launches “EU Inc” at Davos What: The European Commission unveiled EU Inc (“28th regime”), a single EU-wide legal company structure designed to let startups incorporate once and operate across all member states. Who it affects: European startups & scale-ups, founders, VCs, […]

  • Mews raises €255M to accelerate AI and automation in hospitality
    by Ana-Maria Stanciuc on 24 January 2026 at 16:10

    Amsterdam-based hospitality tech platform Mews has raised €255 million (about $300 million) in a Series D funding round as it pushes deeper into automation and AI-powered workflows for hotels around the world.  The round was led by EQT Growth with new participation from Atomico and HarbourVest […]

  • How Flippa Is Removing the Language Barrier from Global Deal-Making
    by Callum Turner on 23 January 2026 at 16:23

    For decades, access to high-quality deal flow and sophisticated M&A infrastructure has been largely designed for well-connected investors and industry giants. Small businesses and independent founders, particularly those operating outside English-speaking markets, may often find the barriers […]

  • French fintech Pennylane raises €175M
    by Ana-Maria Stanciuc on 23 January 2026 at 13:10

    Paris-based fintech Pennylane has just pulled off one of Europe’s most noteworthy funding rounds of the year, announcing €175 million in new capital to accelerate its push into artificial intelligence and expand its footprint across the continent. The round was led by growth investor TCV, with […]

  • Can AI replace the humanity of Classical Music?
    by Allison Steffens Herrera on 23 January 2026 at 11:23

    In October 2021, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn interpreted the first movement of Beethoven’s 10th unfinished symphony, which was completed with the use of artificial intelligence. A team of computer scientists, music historians, musicologists, and composers developed the ‘Beethoven AI’ to […]

  • Op-Ed: Can Europe’s Digital Networks Act deliver for AI and Startups?
    by Ana-Maria Stanciuc on 22 January 2026 at 08:00

    As Europe races into the AI era, its policymakers are laying new pipes for the continent’s digital future. The European Commission’s proposed Digital Networks Act (DNA) promises to rewire the EU’s telecom landscape, with big implications for artificial intelligence infrastructure, […]

  • Berlin’s Cloover secures over $1.2 Billion to build the “Shopify of Energy”
    by Ana-Maria Stanciuc on 21 January 2026 at 09:44

    Berlin’s energy transition sector got a defining boost today as Cloover, a climate fintech based in Berlin, announced it has secured more than $1.2 billion in total capital commitments, combining Series A equity and a substantial debt facility to accelerate the rollout of its software and […]

  • When corporate knowledge becomes invaluable
    by Cezar Nitulescu on 21 January 2026 at 08:53

    To many readers, this may sound like a paradox: how can knowledge ever become invaluable? In this article, I want to explore how corporate knowledge, when poorly structured and rigidly transferred, can slowly transform from an asset into a disadvantage. Not only for companies, but especially for […]

  • Europe Inc is not law yet. It is a signal.
    by Ana-Maria Stanciuc on 20 January 2026 at 19:36

    In a Davos dominated by talk of tariffs, subsidies, and geopolitical risk, Europe used the stage to question its own economic limits. At the World Economic Forum, Ursula von der Leyen put forward one of the clearest signals yet that the European Union is preparing a structural shift in how it […]

  • Odoo tops €7 billion valuation as General Atlantic increases stake
    by Ana-Maria Stanciuc on 20 January 2026 at 11:19

    Belgian business software company Odoo, also a unicorn, has reached a fresh milestone. Growth investor General Atlantic has increased its stake in the firm, buying additional shares from regional backer Wallonie Entreprendre and pushing Odoo’s valuation to roughly €7 billion.  This move […]