Beyond Lovable and Mistral: 21 European startups to watch
Beyond Lovable and Mistral: 21 European startups to watch
超越 Lovable 和 Mistral：21 家值得关注的欧洲初创公司
Europe should be known for BottleCap AI, not bottle cap memes. With its tongue-in-cheek name, this Prague-based AI startup is one of the teams that VCs think you should know. It is not that European startups never cut through the noise — Lovable and Mistral AI are proof of it. But there are many more that don’t have nine digits in annual recurring revenue yet and that insiders are still tracking very closely. That’s where this list comes in. 欧洲应该因 BottleCap AI 而闻名，而不是因为瓶盖表情包。这家总部位于布拉格的 AI 初创公司名字颇具调侃意味，它是风投机构认为你应该了解的团队之一。这并不是说欧洲初创公司从未脱颖而出——Lovable 和 Mistral AI 就是证明。但还有许多公司尚未达到九位数的年度经常性收入，且业内人士仍在密切关注。这就是这份榜单的由来。
Over the last few weeks, we asked investors at some of Europe’s best known venture funds to recommend two startups each: one from their portfolio (because they liked the startup well enough to invest) and one outside of it (because they are the startup experts but can’t invest in them all). We also threw in a few picks of our own. From pre-launch to unicorn, these startups are at different stages in their journey, and from different sectors. Due to our methodology, they may not reflect where the region’s hottest hubs are, but they do reflect how deep tech talent could help Europe play its own cards in the AI race. 在过去几周里，我们邀请了欧洲一些知名风险投资基金的投资者，每人推荐两家初创公司：一家来自他们的投资组合（因为他们足够看好该初创公司而进行了投资），另一家则来自外部（因为他们是初创公司专家，但无法投资所有项目）。我们还加入了一些我们自己的选择。从尚未发布到独角兽企业，这些初创公司处于发展的不同阶段，来自不同领域。由于我们的方法论，它们可能无法反映该地区最热门的中心在哪里，但它们确实反映了深科技人才如何帮助欧洲在 AI 竞赛中打出自己的牌。
Alta Ares
Recommended by Julien Codorniou, general partner, 20VC. 由 20VC 普通合伙人 Julien Codorniou 推荐。
What it does: Alta Ares develops AI-powered counter-drone systems. 业务范围： Alta Ares 开发人工智能驱动的反无人机系统。
Why it’s worth watching: Defense tech has gone from pariah to trending, particularly in Europe, where the war in Ukraine was a wake-up call for armies to modernize. Alta Ares’ interceptors answer a need for cheaper solutions to detect and fight drone incursions. 值得关注的原因： 国防科技已从被排斥转变为热门趋势，尤其是在欧洲，乌克兰战争为各国军队的现代化敲响了警钟。Alta Ares 的拦截器满足了对探测和打击无人机入侵的更廉价解决方案的需求。
Apron
Recommended by Jan Hammer, partner, Index Ventures (investor). 由 Index Ventures 合伙人（投资者）Jan Hammer 推荐。
What it does: Apron provides invoice management for small business owners. 业务范围： Apron 为小企业主提供发票管理服务。
Why it’s worth watching: SMBs can be a lucrative segment for fintech companies; business owners are willing to spend at least some money to save time, and there are millions of them. 值得关注的原因： 中小企业对于金融科技公司来说是一个有利可图的细分市场；企业主愿意花费至少一部分资金来节省时间，而且这样的企业有数百万家。
Botify
Recommended by Claire Houry, general partner, Ventech (investor). 由 Ventech 普通合伙人（投资者）Claire Houry 推荐。
What it does: Botify helps brands increase their visibility in AI searches. 业务范围： Botify 帮助品牌提高其在 AI 搜索中的可见度。
Why it’s worth watching: Companies are still scrambling to replace SEO with generative engine optimization (GEO) — but this Disrupt NY 2016 alum has already embraced the shift. Botify has competitors in its new field, such as Otterly.AI and Profound, but also big customers, from Macy’s to The New York Times. 值得关注的原因： 各大公司仍在争先恐后地用生成式引擎优化 (GEO) 取代 SEO，但这家 2016 年 Disrupt NY 的校友企业已经拥抱了这一转变。Botify 在其新领域拥有竞争对手，如 Otterly.AI 和 Profound，但也拥有从梅西百货 (Macy’s) 到《纽约时报》等大客户。
BottleCap AI
Recommended by Julien Codorniou, general partner, 20VC (investor). 由 20VC 普通合伙人（投资者）Julien Codorniou 推荐。
What it does: BottleCap AI develops efficiency-focused foundational LLMs and apps. 业务范围： BottleCap AI 开发以效率为核心的基础大语言模型和应用程序。
Why it’s worth watching: With a founding trio that includes an entrepreneur who sold his previous company to Meta and two AI researchers, BottleCap adopted a dual approach. The startup is building its own models and releasing apps built on top of them, including Pulse, an AI-powered news app. 值得关注的原因： 创始三人组包括一位曾将前公司出售给 Meta 的企业家和两位 AI 研究员，BottleCap 采取了双重策略。该初创公司正在构建自己的模型，并发布基于这些模型构建的应用程序，包括 AI 驱动的新闻应用 Pulse。
Cailabs
Recommended by Flavia Levi, investment manager, Join Capital. 由 Join Capital 投资经理 Flavia Levi 推荐。
What it does: Cailabs develops photonics for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. 业务范围： Cailabs 为航空航天、国防和工业应用开发光子技术。
Why it’s worth watching: Cailabs is based on advanced research on the science of light, which it now applies to faster and more robust data transmission. Backed by public and private investors, it plans to deploy 50 optical ground stations to support growing demand for laser communications with satellites. 值得关注的原因： Cailabs 基于对光科学的先进研究，目前将其应用于更快、更稳健的数据传输。在公共和私人投资者的支持下，它计划部署 50 个光学地面站，以支持对卫星激光通信日益增长的需求。
Cala
Recommended by TechCrunch’s Anna Heim. 由 TechCrunch 的 Anna Heim 推荐。
What it does: Knowledge graph for AI agents. 业务范围： AI 代理的知识图谱。
Why it’s worth watching: Cala plans to build the knowledge layer that AI agents are missing. Its founder is Elisenda Bou-Balust, a high-profile Spanish entrepreneur and AI expert who sold her previous company Vilynx to Apple in 2020. 值得关注的原因： Cala 计划构建 AI 代理所缺失的知识层。其创始人 Elisenda Bou-Balust 是一位备受瞩目的西班牙企业家和 AI 专家，她曾在 2020 年将前公司 Vilynx 出售给苹果公司。
Flower
Recommended by Pär-Jörgen Pärson, partner, Northzone (investor). 由 Northzone 合伙人（投资者）Pär-Jörgen Pärson 推荐。
What it does: Renewable energy management. 业务范围： 可再生能源管理。
Why it’s worth watching: Wind and solar energy are inherently variable. Flower leverages AI and battery energy storage systems to make their use more predictable. This Swedish company also recently raised over $60 million in bonds to keep on scaling. 值得关注的原因： 风能和太阳能本质上是波动的。Flower 利用 AI 和电池储能系统使其使用更具可预测性。这家瑞典公司最近还筹集了超过 6000 万美元的债券，以继续扩大规模。
Fundamental
Recommended by Jonathan Userovici, general partner, Headline (investor). 由 Headline 普通合伙人（投资者）Jonathan Userovici 推荐。
What it does: Foundation AI for big data analysis. 业务范围： 用于大数据分析的基础 AI。
Why it’s worth watching: Fundamental’s foundation model, Nexus, focuses on helping enterprises draw insights from their data. The company just emerged from stealth in February, but it is already valued at $1.4 billion following a $255 million Series A. 值得关注的原因： Fundamental 的基础模型 Nexus 专注于帮助企业从数据中提取洞察。该公司于 2 月份刚刚结束隐身状态，但在完成 2.55 亿美元的 A 轮融资后，估值已达 14 亿美元。
Gradium
Recommended by Jonathan Userovici, general partner, Headline. 由 Headline 普通合伙人 Jonathan Userovici 推荐。
What it does: AI voice models. 业务范围： AI 语音模型。
Why it’s worth watching: Gradium’s AI models can be used for real-time text-to-speech that gives AI agents a voice in multiple languages. A spinout of French AI lab Kyutai, this ElevenLabs challenger raised a $70 million seed round of its own. 值得关注的原因： Gradium 的 AI 模型可用于实时语音合成，为 AI 代理提供多语言语音。作为法国 AI 实验室 Kyutai 的衍生公司，这家 ElevenLabs 的挑战者筹集了 7000 万美元的种子轮融资。
HappyRobot
Recommended by Pablo Ventura, general partner, Kfund. 由 Kfund 普通合伙人 Pablo Ventura 推荐。
What it does: AI agents for complex use cases. 业务范围： 用于复杂用例的 AI 代理。
Why it’s worth watching: HappyRobot, a startup backed by a16z and Y Combinator, is one of many building AI agents, but its focus is on making sure that these can be deployed and deliver ROI. It is headquartered in the U.S., but its three co-founders and part of its team are Spanish. 值得关注的原因： HappyRobot 是一家由 a16z 和 Y Combinator 支持的初创公司，它是众多构建 AI 代理的公司之一，但其重点是确保这些代理能够被部署并产生投资回报。它总部位于美国，但其三位联合创始人和部分团队成员是西班牙人。
Inbolt
Recommended by Claire Houry, general partner, Ventech. 由 Ventech 普通合伙人 Claire Houry 推荐。
What it does: Physical AI for factories. 业务范围： 工厂物理 AI。
Why it’s worth watching: (Content truncated in original) 值得关注的原因： （原文内容截断）