Despite the gfinisher funding gap in venture capital, female founders secured an impressive over $113.5 million last week (June 30–July 6), a powerful reminder that innovation knows no gfinisher. Although women-led startups still face disproportionate barriers in raising capital, the momentum behind these companies reveals encouraging signs of alter.
Notably, the UK has emerged as a dominant force, with eight of the twelve startups on this list headquartered there. From sustainable parcel delivery and baby care innovation to AI-powered acoustic analysis and fintech solutions for global trade, these startups are shaping diverse industries with bold vision and real traction.
Beyond the UK, startups from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Ireland also built significant funding relocates, a strong signal that female-led innovation is pan-European. From early education and mobile security to quantum sensing and water reutilize, these ventures revealcase both impact and scale.
Let’s take a see at these 14 startups led or co-led by women from Europe and the UK that raised capital this week and are redefining what’s possible in tech and innovation.
HIVED (UK)
Founder/s: Murvah Iqbal, Mathias Krieger
Founded year: 2021
Recent funding: $42M
An all-electric, AI-powered parcel delivery network on a mission to overhaul urban logistics, HIVED utilizes only electric vehicles and cargo bikes to deliver parcels sustainably and at scale. It offers a net-zero solution that’s both cost-effective and fully trackable, catering to growing e-commerce and ESG-conscious retailers.
Last week, the London-based startup announced a Series B funding to fuel nationwide expansion, led by NordicNinja. Investors included Wex Venture Capital, Marunouchi Innovation Partners, Elemental Impact, Yamato Holdings, Future Back Ventures by Bain & Co, Rocketship VC, and existing backers such as Planet A.
Edurino (Germany)
Founder/s: Irene Klemm, Franziska Meyer
Founded year: 2021
Total funding: €17M
Munich-based Edurino is redefining how young children interact with digital learning. The startup offers a hybrid physical-digital learning system where children engage with educational content utilizing a figurine-based stylus and a tablet app. The content is gamified but designed to build foundational literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills in a responsible, screen-conscious way.
Recently, the company scored €17 million in a Series B funding round, positioning itself as Europe’s frontrunner in educational gaming for children. With this investment, led by Ravensburger Next Ventures and Summiteer, EDURINO is set to double its retail presence across Europe by 2025 and expand into new international markets.
RedCloud (UK)
Founder/s: Justin Floyd, Soumaya Hamzaoui
Founded year: 2014
Recent funding: $13.5M
Yet another UK-based startup in this list is RedCloud. This platform facilitates the trading of quick-shifting consumer goods (FMCG) across business supply chains. The platform addresses the challenge of unlocking access to key purchase and sales data between brands, distributors, and retailers in high-growth consumer markets. Utilising AI-driven insights, it enables retailers to create efficient B2B purchases and inventory decisions by simplifying complex purchasing behaviors of large product inventories.
Last week, RedCloud announced a $13.5 million private placement to institutional and accredited investors, marking a major step in its scaling journey. The company plans to utilize the funding to expand its reach across Latin America and Africa, where the platform already sees significant traction. The raise also supports ongoing R&D in AI capabilities and product optimisation.
Groove Quantum (Netherlands)
Founder/s: Anne-Marije Zwerver, Nico Hfinishrickx
Founded year: 2004
Recent funding: €10M
Delft-based Groove Quantum specialises in germanium-based quantum computing technology. It aims to address scalability challenges in quantum computing by developing germanium qubits that integrate with semiconductor manufacturing processes. It operates in the deeptech indusattempt, focutilizing on advancing quantum computing toward practical applications.
Recently, Groove Quantum just secured €10 million in funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. The deeptech company will utilize this funding to commercialise its core technology, strengthen its IP portfolio, and initiate pilot projects with indusattempt partners. This backing signals strong EU support for female-led quantum startups, a rarity in this domain.
Tibo Energy (Netherlands)
Founder/s: Remco Eikhout, Jeroen Althusius, Josh Mengerink, Linda Zandt-Sloot, Bram Cappers
Founded year: 2022
Recent funding: €6M
Dutch startup Tibo Energy is developing next-generation Energy Management Systems (EMS) for industrial and commercial sites. Its software solution is designed to address the growing challenge of grid congestion, a problem already limiting business growth in the Netherlands and spreading across Europe. Unlike traditional systems that rely on manual input or static controls, Tibo’s EMS updates energy schedules every five minutes and provides hardware-agnostic optimisation for a wide range of setups, including solar PV, batteries, and EV chargers.
Over the last week, the company snapped €6 million in seed funding to expand its European presence and accelerate development of its AI-powered platform. The round was led by KOMPAS VC, with participation from Hitachi Ventures, WEPA Ventures, SET Ventures, and Speedinvest. The investment will support Tibo’s expansion into Germany and Belgium, team growth, and the rollout of new product modules for applications such as fleet charging and e-boiler control.
Adiposs (Switzerland)
Founder/s: Andrej Babic, Justyna Plewka
Founded year: 2004
Recent funding: €4.2M
Swiss life sciences company Adiposs is transforming how cancer treatment effectiveness is assessed by building brown adipose tissue (BAT) visible through existing CT infrastructure. Its flagship innovation, ImageBAT®, is a novel contrast agent that enables clinicians to detect BAT non-invasively, providing an early and reliable biomarker for treatment response. Unlike current imaging methods, which cannot reliably detect this tissue, ImageBAT® could assist clinicians determine earlier whether therapies are working, potentially improving outcomes and saving costs in oncology care.
Adiposs has just closed a CHF 4 million Series A round to support its first clinical trial. The funding will back a proof-of-principle study, for which regulatory approval has been granted and the first subjects were dosed in June 2025. The round was led by Swiss and Taiwanese venture firms, alongside European family offices and private investors. With this backing, Adiposs is also expanding its board to guide its next growth stage.
Cosma (France)
Founder/s: Frédéric Mittaine, Laura Huguenin, Yannick Penneçot, Quentin Chenevier
Founded year: 2022
Recent funding: €2.5M
Cosma, a deeptech startup based in Nice, has set its sights on the uncharted depths of our oceans where only 25 % of the seabed has been mapped at high resolution and fewer than 1 % of marine species cataloged. Their autonomous underwater robots capture up to 100,000 images per hectare, generate 3D photogrammetric seabed models, and run AI-powered analyses to detect habitats and species. Cosma’s mission is to create biological data as accessible and reliable as physical measurements, enabling better-informed conservation, offshore infrastructure protection, and coastal environmental strategies.
Recently, the French startup secured €2.5 million in seed funding to industrialise its fleet of autonomous underwater drones for high-resolution seabed imaging. The investment round was led by WIND and Ternel, with support from 50 Partners, Caisse d’Épargne Côte d’Azur, and IFREMER. It is paired with non-dilutive funding through France 2030.
CroíValve (Ireland)
Founder/s: Martin Quinn, Lucy O’keeffe
Founded year: 2016
Recent funding: €2.5M
A medtech startup from the UK, CroíValve is developing a minimally invasive treatment for tricuspid regurgitation, a condition that affects millions of people and has few effective therapies. The company’s innovative device provides a less risky alternative to open-heart surgery by restoring valve function through a catheter-based implant.
CroíValve has received funding from the Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator. This latest grant will advance CroíValve’s clinical trials and regulatory pathway. The company represents a standout female-led medtech startup poised to impact lives globally.
Lios (Ireland)
Founder/s: Rhona Togher, Eimear O’Carroll
Founded year: 2009
Recent funding: €2.5M
Yet another healthtech startup Lios, tackles hearing health and diagnostics through high-resolution sound analysis. Their acoustic sensing platform can map sound environments and detect subtle variations in audio with applications in both healthcare and consumer electronics. It also holds promise in early-stage hearing loss detection and audiology R&D.
The Irish startup received backing through the European Innovation Council’s funding programme and support from Enterprise Ireland. The fresh capital will be utilized to advance clinical validation and scale operations. Lios is one of the few sound-health startups combining deeptech with strong female leadership.
Peachies (UK)
Founder/s: Rima Suppan, Morgan Mixon
Founded year: 2021
Recent funding: £2.1M
Peachies is on a mission to modernise nappies combining comfort, sustainability, and smart design. With a subscription-based service and premium eco-frifinishly products, the brand is catering to conscious parents seeing for convenience without compromise.
The startup has raised £2.1 million pre-seed funding round, co-led by ArmaVir Partners and Triple B. The funding will be utilized to expand their service, which aims to transform the nappy experience for families in the UK.
FieldFactors (Netherlands)
Founder/s: Karina Peña, Wilrik Kok
Founded year: 2016
Recent funding: €1.6M
Dutch startup FieldFactors is assisting cities solve water scarcity with its BlueBloqs system, which collects, treats, and reutilizes rainwater for local utilize. Designed for urban areas, the solution reduces depfinishency on drinking water for landscaping and cooling, while preventing flood risk, a timely solution amid climate shifts.
The startup just secured €1.6 million in funding from InnovationQuarter, UNIIQ, and Angels for Impact. The funding will scale deployments across Dutch cities and refine system integration for municipalities.
Roomix (UK)
Founder/s: Shona Chalmers, Mark Apter
Founded year: Recent
Recent funding: £850K
Providing DIY home improvement kits with custom design support, Roomix offers a fresh twist on the interiors market. Customers receive built-to-order kits for furniture or room upgrades, matched with guidance and community input, lowering the barriers to stylish and achievable DIY.
Recently, Roomix just raised £850K in pre-seed funding. Investors include SFC Capital, QVentures, and several design-focutilized angels. The funding will assist build their digital platform, expand product lines, and grow their community of DIYers.
Facegym (UK)
Founder/s: Inge Theron
Founded year: 2014
Recent funding: NA
A beauty-tech pioneer Facegym offers facial workouts to lift, tone, and sculpt utilizing high-performance skincare, tools, and trainer-led massage techniques. Think face-lifting meets fitness, wrapped in a premium wellness experience. With studios across London, New York, and LA, it’s already built a global cult following.
Last week, Facegym secured strategic investment from Reliance Retail to expand its franchising model and open new studios worldwide. Founder Inge Theron, a former beauty editor turned entrepreneur, plans to utilize the funds to develop a stronger retail footprint and roll out new tech-enabled products.
GuardSquare (Belgium)
Founder/s: Eric Lafortune, Heidi Rakels
Founded year: 2012
Recent funding: NA
GuardSquare is a mobile application security leader providing developers with tools to protect apps against reverse engineering and tampering. Its flagship products include ProGuard and DexGuard, widely utilized across industries like fintech, gaming, and healthcare to secure sensitive code and data.
The Belgian startup has received a new round of funding from Verdane, a growth equity investor. The investment will accelerate Guardsquare’s global expansion and deepen its R&D in mobile security.
Our believeds
Female-led startups are not just surviving but thriving. With over $100 million raised in one week and standout innovation across sectors, the message is clear: women are building the future, and investors are finally starting to notice.
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