Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

Ben’s List 8

This week there’s more music than usual. I worked in the music industry before technology and I’ve always thought that the disruption of the recording market from the times of Napster would come to other industries, sooner or later. Covid-19 was the Napster moment of the event industry.

Little did I know that musicians’ revenues would continue to evolve so dramatically in recent years, paving the way for more disruption of established businesses (labels, radio, promoters, etc.).


Entrepreneurship

The list of lists for founders & operators


Marketing

Experiential websites are coming! Are you ready?

“Either way, we’re all (probably?) gonna end up in the metaverse, shopping for cyborg groceries inside Animal Crossing after a long day of selling digital turtlenecks or other untangible goods.”

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Owning the funnel

“As the war for the user’s attention and wallet rages, the funnel will be a good predictor of the capabilities each player will be looking to build in the coming years.”

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Productivity

ASMR for productivity nerds | fun experiment (headphones on)

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Politics

Adam Curtis Explains It All

“At the end of the binge-watch, he sent Curtis a postcard, comparing his work to ‘the kind of dream where we become aware that we are dreaming and can thus attain agency over the torrent of nonsense.'”

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Science

Scientists break through the wall of sleep to the untapped world of dreams

“And who knows? Perhaps the idea of conversing with someone from within a dream may one day be as routine as sending a text message on your phone”

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Space

Mars Rover Footage Compiled Into an Astonishing 4K Video That Reveals the Surface of the Planet

“The Mars 2020/Perseverance rover is designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient life. The mission will collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in the future. It will also test new technology to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars.”

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Music

Portugal. The Man: Why Cryptocurrency Is the New Rock & Roll

“Community-driven itself, Rally is pioneering a next-generation virtual economy that empowered us to engage with our fans through cryptocurrency. Our combined experiences were ultimately able to build the bones of what we believe is the future of fan clubs.”

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How Patreon is helping electronic music survive during the pandemic

“…with an artist membership on Patreon, it’s possible and quite common that the main benefits for members have nothing to do with the actual end product of the music, and more to do with going behind the scenes in the artist’s creative process, or peeling back the layers on the artist’s personality and perspective on creativity.”

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Fundraising 42 minutes ago

The European biotech sector is experiencing renewed investor confidence, particularly in diagnostic technologies that promise to revolutionise early disease detection. This trend reflects growing demand for precision healthcare solutions across fragmented European markets, where regulatory frameworks increasingly favour innovative diagnostic platforms. InvenireX, a UK-based biotech startup, has secured €2.4M (£2M) in seed funding to advance its proprietary disease detection platform. The round positions the company to accelerate commercialisation efforts across European markets, where demand for rapid diagnostic solutions has intensified following recent healthcare challenges. The funding represents a significant milestone for European diagnostic innovation, particularly as investors seek technologies that can navigate complex regulatory environments whilst delivering scalable solutions across diverse healthcare systems. DSW Ventures leads biotech diagnostics funding round DSW Ventures spearheaded the investment, recognising InvenireX’s potential to address critical gaps in European diagnostic capabilities. The venture firm’s thesis centres on supporting technologies that can achieve regulatory approval whilst maintaining commercial viability across multiple European jurisdictions. “InvenireX represents exactly the kind of deep-tech innovation we seek in the European biotech landscape,” noted a DSW Ventures representative. “Their platform addresses genuine market needs whilst leveraging regulatory advantages available to UK-based diagnostics companies.” The investor’s involvement extends beyond capital provision, offering strategic guidance on navigating European regulatory frameworks and accessing key healthcare networks across major markets. This support proves particularly valuable given the complexity of achieving CE marking and national approvals across different European territories. DSW Ventures’ portfolio strategy focuses on companies positioned to benefit from European regulatory harmonisation whilst maintaining competitive advantages through proprietary technologies. Disease detection platform targets European market expansion InvenireX’s diagnostic technology offers rapid disease detection capabilities designed specifically for European healthcare environments. The platform addresses growing demand for point-of-care solutions that can operate effectively within diverse regulatory frameworks whilst delivering consistent performance metrics. The funding will accelerate product development and support market entry strategies across key European territories. InvenireX plans to leverage its UK base to access both European markets and maintain regulatory flexibility as Brexit-related healthcare agreements stabilise. “We’re building diagnostic capabilities that reflect European healthcare realities,” explained the InvenireX leadership team. “Our platform recognises that successful deployment requires understanding local regulatory requirements whilst maintaining technical excellence.” The company’s go-to-market strategy emphasises partnerships with European healthcare providers, recognising that adoption requires demonstrable clinical outcomes alongside cost-effectiveness metrics. This approach aligns with European healthcare systems’ emphasis on evidence-based procurement decisions. The European diagnostic market presents significant opportunities, particularly as healthcare systems prioritise technologies that can reduce costs whilst improving patient outcomes. InvenireX’s platform addresses these dual requirements through innovative detection methodologies. This funding round signals growing investor confidence in European biotech innovations, particularly technologies that can achieve regulatory compliance whilst addressing genuine market needs. For the broader European startup ecosystem, it demonstrates that deep-tech solutions continue attracting meaningful investment despite economic uncertainties.

Fundraising 44 minutes ago

European brands are increasingly struggling to maintain visibility across fragmented digital channels, creating a €2.3 billion addressable market for AI-powered brand monitoring solutions. This challenge has become particularly acute as privacy regulations like GDPR reshape how consumer data flows across the continent’s diverse market landscape. Berlin-based Peec AI has secured €18 million in Series A funding to address this growing demand. The round was led by Singular, with participation from existing investors who recognise the strategic importance of brand intelligence in an increasingly complex European digital ecosystem. Series A funding strengthens European AI infrastructure Singular’s investment thesis centres on Peec AI’s ability to process multilingual brand data across Europe’s 27 markets simultaneously. Unlike US-focused competitors, Peec AI’s platform natively handles European languages and regulatory requirements, giving brands granular visibility into local market performance without compromising data sovereignty. “We’re seeing unprecedented demand from European brands that need to understand their visibility across markets with different languages, currencies, and consumer behaviours,” said a spokesperson from Singular. “Peec AI’s approach recognises that European brand management requires fundamentally different infrastructure than what works in the homogeneous US market.” The funding positions Peec AI to compete directly with Silicon Valley incumbents who have struggled to adapt their products for European regulatory compliance and multilingual requirements. AI-powered brand intelligence captures European market complexity Peec AI’s platform uses machine learning to track brand mentions, sentiment, and competitive positioning across digital channels in real-time. The company has developed proprietary algorithms that account for cultural nuances in brand perception across different European markets. The funding will accelerate product development focused on GDPR-compliant data collection and expand the engineering team across Berlin and other European tech hubs. Peec AI plans to triple its workforce over the next 18 months, with particular emphasis on recruiting multilingual AI engineers who understand European market dynamics. “European brands face challenges that simply don’t exist in other markets,” explained Peec AI’s leadership team. “Our AI needs to understand that a brand campaign succeeding in Germany might fail in France for cultural reasons that traditional analytics miss completely.” This funding round reflects growing investor confidence in European AI startups that solve specifically European problems. As privacy regulations tighten globally, Peec AI’s privacy-first architecture positions the company to expand beyond Europe while maintaining its competitive advantage in complex regulatory environments.

Fundraising 13 hours ago

Europe’s space economy is witnessing a fundamental shift as satellite servicing moves from science fiction to commercial reality. The continent’s growing appetite for space infrastructure investment reflects both the maturation of the NewSpace sector and the strategic imperative to maintain orbital assets worth billions of euros. Infinite Orbits, a French spacetech startup specialising in satellite life extension and orbital debris removal, has secured €40 million in growth funding. The round positions the company to accelerate its satellite servicing capabilities across European and international markets, addressing the critical challenge of space sustainability. The European Innovation Council Fund led the investment, signalling institutional confidence in Europe’s emerging space servicing sector. This represents a significant vote of confidence from the EU’s strategic investment arm, which typically backs technologies deemed critical to European sovereignty and competitiveness. Satellite servicing funding attracts strategic European backing The European Innovation Council Fund’s leadership in this round reflects the EU’s broader strategy to secure technological independence in critical space capabilities. Unlike traditional venture capital, EIC Fund investments carry strategic weight, often indicating sectors where Europe seeks to establish global leadership rather than follow Silicon Valley or Chinese competitors. “Space servicing represents a fundamental shift in how we approach orbital assets,” noted a spokesperson familiar with the EIC Fund’s investment thesis. “Rather than treating satellites as disposable, we’re moving toward a circular economy model in space – extending mission life, upgrading capabilities, and responsibly managing end-of-life disposal.” The investment timing aligns with increasing regulatory pressure across European space agencies to address orbital debris, creating both compliance drivers and commercial opportunities. European operators face mounting requirements to demonstrate responsible space practices, making Infinite Orbits’ capabilities increasingly valuable. This funding level places Infinite Orbits among Europe’s most capitalised spacetech startups, reflecting the capital-intensive nature of developing space servicing capabilities. The €40 million commitment suggests confidence in near-term revenue opportunities rather than speculative long-term bets. French spacetech targets fragmented European market Infinite Orbits faces the classic European challenge of navigating fragmented national space programmes whilst building continental scale. France’s position as Europe’s largest space economy provides strategic advantages, including access to Arianespace launch capabilities and CNES technical expertise. The company’s satellite servicing approach focuses on extending operational life through precise orbital manoeuvres and component upgrades – addressing the €300 billion worth of satellite assets currently in orbit. European operators, constrained by limited launch slots and increasing satellite costs, represent prime customers for life extension services. “European satellite operators require solutions that work within our regulatory framework whilst delivering clear return on investment,” explained Infinite Orbits’ leadership team. “Our technology platform addresses both technical requirements and compliance obligations across multiple European jurisdictions.” The funding will support Infinite Orbits’ expansion across key European markets, including Germany’s robust satellite manufacturing sector and the UK’s growing commercial space economy. This multi-market approach reflects the reality that European space success requires continental rather than national scale. Revenue projections suggest significant near-term opportunities as European operators face satellite replacement cycles and new regulatory requirements for debris mitigation. The company’s positioning benefits from Europe’s typically longer procurement cycles, allowing time to establish technical credibility before major contract awards. This substantial funding round signals Europe’s commitment to maintaining strategic autonomy in space capabilities. As orbital assets become increasingly critical to European economic and security interests, companies like Infinite Orbits represent essential infrastructure rather than speculative technology investments.

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