Entrepreneur Events & Conferences in December 2020 – Selected

The European buy-now-pay-later landscape is consolidating rapidly as regulatory pressures mount and consumer spending patterns shift. Against this backdrop, London-based Zilch has secured €161M ($175M) in growth funding from Czech investment group KKCG, positioning the fintech for potential strategic opportunities including mergers and acquisitions. The substantial funding round underscores KKCG’s confidence in Zilch’s differentiated approach to responsible lending within Europe’s increasingly regulated financial services sector. Unlike many competitors who rely purely on point-of-sale integrations, Zilch has built a comprehensive financial platform that combines BNPL with broader banking services, creating multiple revenue streams and deeper customer relationships. Strategic fintech growth funding targets European expansion KKCG’s investment represents more than capital injection—it signals a strategic partnership that could reshape Zilch’s trajectory across European markets. The Czech investment giant, known for backing technology companies with strong regulatory moats, sees opportunity in Zilch’s compliance-first approach to consumer credit. “Zilch has demonstrated exceptional discipline in building sustainable lending practices while maintaining strong unit economics,” noted KKCG’s investment team. This funding positions Zilch advantageously as European regulators tighten oversight of BNPL providers. The company’s existing FCA authorisation and robust risk management systems provide competitive advantages as smaller players struggle with compliance costs. KKCG’s backing also opens doors to Eastern European markets where the investor maintains significant influence and local expertise. The investment comes at a critical juncture for European fintech consolidation. While US players like Affirm and Sezzle face growth headwinds, European BNPL companies with strong regulatory foundations are attracting premium valuations from strategic investors seeking market consolidation opportunities. Zilch’s platform strategy differentiates in crowded market Founded in 2018, Zilch has distinguished itself by building beyond traditional BNPL functionality. The platform offers customers a virtual card that works across any retailer, eliminating merchant integration requirements that constrain competitors. This approach has enabled rapid scaling across the UK market while maintaining lower customer acquisition costs than point-of-sale dependent rivals. “We’ve built the infrastructure for responsible consumer lending at scale,” explained Zilch CEO Philip Belamant. “This funding allows us to accelerate our vision of becoming Europe’s leading financial platform, particularly as market consolidation creates opportunities for well-capitalised players.” The company reports over 3 million active customers and partnerships with major UK retailers including ASOS, JD Sports, and eBay. The €161M injection will fund product development, particularly in areas like savings accounts and investment products that complement the core BNPL offering. Zilch also plans significant hiring across its London headquarters, focusing on risk management and compliance teams—capabilities increasingly valued as regulatory scrutiny intensifies across European markets. KKCG’s investment validates Zilch’s strategy of building comprehensive financial services rather than pure-play BNPL functionality. As European fintech consolidation accelerates, well-funded platforms with regulatory expertise and diversified revenue models are positioning themselves as natural consolidators in an increasingly challenging market environment.

European businesses are increasingly recognising that traditional partner sales models are fundamentally broken. Whilst direct sales teams benefit from sophisticated CRM tools and data analytics, channel partnerships—which often represent 30-70% of enterprise revenue—remain managed through spreadsheets and manual processes. Introw, the London-based AI platform transforming how companies manage partner relationships, has secured €3M in funding from Visionaries Club to address this critical gap in the European market. The funding represents a significant validation of Introw’s approach to solving one of B2B sales’ most persistent challenges. Unlike the saturated direct sales technology market, partner sales remains remarkably underserved by modern tooling, creating substantial opportunities for European companies willing to tackle this complex domain. AI partner sales funding attracts strategic European backing Visionaries Club’s investment in Introw reflects the fund’s thesis around AI-enabled business transformation tools that address real operational pain points. The London-based investor has built a reputation for backing European B2B companies that use artificial intelligence to solve traditionally manual business processes, particularly in areas overlooked by mainstream venture capital. “Partner sales has been the forgotten stepchild of sales operations for far too long,” explains a Visionaries Club partner. “Whilst companies invest millions in optimising their direct sales processes, they leave billions in partner revenue potential untapped due to outdated management approaches. Introw’s AI-first platform finally brings partner relationships into the data-driven era.” The investment timing aligns with broader European regulatory trends favouring data transparency and partnership accountability. Recent GDPR enforcement actions have highlighted how poor partner data management can create compliance risks, whilst upcoming AI Act requirements will likely mandate greater algorithmic transparency in partnership decisions. European market expansion drives product development strategy Introw’s platform uses machine learning to analyse partner performance patterns, predict relationship outcomes, and automatically optimise resource allocation across channel partnerships. This approach particularly resonates with European enterprises, where complex multi-country partnerships and regulatory compliance requirements make manual management increasingly untenable. The company plans to use the €3M primarily for European market expansion, with particular focus on Germany and France where enterprise partner ecosystems are both sophisticated and fragmented. Additional funds will support product development around compliance automation and multi-language partnership analytics. “European businesses face unique partnership challenges that US-designed tools simply don’t address,” notes Introw’s CEO. “Our AI models understand European business culture, regulatory requirements, and the complex multi-party relationships that define how enterprises actually operate across borders here. This isn’t about applying Silicon Valley solutions—it’s about building specifically for European partnership complexity.” The funding positions Introw to compete directly with established players like PartnerFleet and Channeltivity, whilst targeting the substantial market of European enterprises still managing partnerships through legacy systems. This investment signals growing European investor confidence in vertical AI applications that solve specific business problems rather than pursuing broad horizontal platforms. As partnership complexity continues increasing across European markets, Introw’s focused approach may prove exactly what the continent’s enterprises need.

European industrial procurement is experiencing a digital transformation, with companies seeking smarter solutions to optimise supply chain efficiency across fragmented markets. Cronvall has raised €3.9 million to accelerate this shift, positioning itself at the forefront of industrial procurement technology innovation across Europe. The funding round signals growing investor confidence in B2B platforms that can navigate the complex regulatory and operational landscape of European industrial markets. The Swedish startup’s approach to industrial procurement combines data analytics with supplier network optimisation, addressing pain points that have historically plagued European manufacturers. With fragmented supplier bases across multiple countries and varying compliance requirements, European industrial companies face unique challenges that generic procurement solutions struggle to address. Industrial procurement tech funding attracts strategic investors The €3.9 million round was led by prominent European venture capital firms focused on B2B technology solutions. The investor mix reflects the strategic nature of industrial procurement, with backers bringing deep sector expertise alongside capital. European VCs have increasingly recognised the opportunity in digitising traditional industrial processes, particularly as companies seek to reduce costs whilst meeting stricter environmental and compliance standards. This funding comes at a time when European industrial companies are under pressure to streamline operations amidst rising energy costs and supply chain disruptions. The investor thesis centres on Cronvall’s ability to deliver measurable cost savings through intelligent procurement automation, a proposition that resonates strongly with CFOs across European manufacturing hubs. The timing aligns with broader trends in European venture capital, where B2B software solutions targeting traditional industries are attracting significant attention. Industrial procurement represents a substantial market opportunity, with European manufacturing companies spending billions annually on supplies and components across complex supplier networks. European market expansion drives product development Cronvall plans to utilise the funding to expand its platform capabilities and accelerate market penetration across key European industrial centres. The company’s technology addresses specific challenges faced by European manufacturers, including multi-currency transactions, varying VAT regulations, and diverse supplier certification requirements across different EU member states. The Stockholm-based company has developed proprietary algorithms that analyse supplier performance across multiple parameters, enabling procurement teams to make data-driven decisions whilst ensuring compliance with local regulations. This European-first approach differentiates Cronvall from US-based competitors who often struggle to adapt to the regulatory complexity of European markets. Initial traction has been strong among mid-market manufacturers in the Nordics and DACH regions, with the company reporting significant cost reductions for early adopters. The funding will enable Cronvall to expand its sales team and enhance platform localisation for additional European markets, including France and the Netherlands. This funding round positions Cronvall to capitalise on the accelerating digitalisation of European industrial processes, where companies increasingly recognise that efficient procurement directly impacts competitive advantage and sustainability goals.