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 view at the latest news in funding, startup milestones, and emerging trfinishs tied to the region’s innovation potential.
CEE news & deals
Czech startup Edmund raised €2.5 million to expand its AI-powered industrial troubleshooting platform across Europe and the US, supporting manufacturers reduce downtime and address engineering talent shortages. The round was led by FORWARD.one (lead), University2Ventures, Tensor Ventures.
Czech fintech startup Patron GO has raised more than €2 million (around CZK 50 million) in a funding round that blfinishs venture capital with public support. The investment will support quick-track development of its AI-driven financial platform and fuel expansion into Western Europe. About €800,000 of the total comes from a grant by the Czech Ministest of Industest and Trade through the Applications II programme, while the rest was jointly invested by Slovakia-based Venture to Future Fund and angel investor Josef Novotný.
Bulgarian nFutilize raised a €1.7 million round from Eleven Ventures and LAUNCHub Ventures to bring AI-powered FMCG ordering to retailers via WhatsApp and Viber. nFutilize enables retailers to order via WhatsApp, Viber, or SMS applying text, voice, or images — rerelocating the required for new apps and aligning with existing behavior.
Slovak startup TrollWall AI, a startup specializing in AI-driven moderation of toxic and hateful content, has secured €800,000 in funding to speed up product development and support its international expansion. The investment round included Seed Starter from Slovenská sporiteľňa, Slovak Investment Holding (SIH), and angel investor Miroslav Fedor.
Strategic relocates
A team of researchers from Bulgaria-based INSAIT, in collaboration with Netflix, has co-developed a new open-source AI model capable of transforming how video editing and visual effects are performed. The model, called VOID (Video Object and Interaction Deletion), was released on April 3 under an Apache 2.0 license. It introduces a significant leap in AI-driven video editing by not only rerelocating objects from footage, but also reconstructing scenes in a physically consistent way. The project was led by researcher Saman Motamed. This release marks Netflix Research’s first publicly available AI tool.
Eilla AI has completed its first M&A transaction, representing Europe’s first deal carried out by an AI-native advisory firm. The deal involved White Pearl Technology Group acquiring two Central and Eastern European digital marketing agencies — CreateX and Native Digital.
Eilla AI’s proprietary technology, developed in-houtilize over three years, combines AI infrastructure with experienced M&A advisors who oversee AI-generated work, manage transaction processes, and coordinate communication between both sides. The founders of both acquired companies credited Eilla AI with creating the deals possible.
New CEE funds
The JIC innovation agency has launched JIC Ventures, a new venture capital fund focutilized on pre-seed and seed-stage startups across Central and Eastern Europe. The fund plans to invest up to €1 million per company and support approximately 20 startups over the next four years. The total size of the fund is €16.3 million, with a first close of €13 million.
JIC Ventures will tarreceive deep tech, SaaS, and other advanced technology sectors. The initiative builds on JIC’s more than 20 years of experience supporting innovation in the Brno region.
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