This startup’s nanotech is creating new materials for the energy transition

Humanity has always relied on a revolution in materials to advance to the next stage of civilisation. Dutch nanoparticle technology startup VSParticle says it is on the verge of opening up a century’s worth of material innovation in the next 10 years, helping, well, to save the planet.  Co-founder and CEO Aaike van Vugt is convinced that in order to reach our targets of keeping global warming well below 2°C, we need to speed up the process of material development significantly.  “The amount of material innovation that we need to unlock in the next decades to make the whole energy…

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French riots and 5 other social ills blamed on video games

Emmanuel Macron has a new scapegoat for the riots engulfing France. As violent protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of a teenager spread across his nation, the president first blamed social networks and parents, before pointing the finger at a beloved boogeyman: video games. “It sometimes feels like some of them re-live in the streets the video games that have intoxicated them,” Macron said at a crisis meeting on Friday. The 45-year-old was echoing a common claim, but it’s one with scant empirical evidence. Studies have consistently rebuffed connections between violent video games and violent behaviour. Christopher Ferguson, a professor at…

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Euclid telescope set to embark on dark universe exploration mission

ESA’s mission to unravel the mysteries of the dark universe is set for launch. Following a one-year delay caused by the Ukraine invasion, the Euclid space telescope is scheduled for takeoff on July 1 at 5:11PM CEST time from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US. Named after the famous Greek mathematician, the telescope will embark on a month-long journey to reach its destination at a position in space known as the second Lagrange point (L2) — located 1.5 million kilometres away from our planet. There, it will be able to observe deep space, with the sun, the Earth, and the moon…

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Opinion: We can’t engineer ourselves out of the climate crisis

Let’s face it — climate change is humanity’s greatest screw-up. We’ve known about it for almost a century. The science is clear. And yet, we’ve done nothing. It’s a f**king embarrassment.  Now, finally, global leaders are scrambling to clean up the mess. But, even though most of the climate solutions we need already exist, we can’t seem to get our arses in gear to deploy them at the pace and scale required.  In short, the world is heating up, and we are failing to cool it down. Humans emitted more CO2 into the atmosphere last year than ever before (uh…WTF?).…

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Swedish startup unveils first ‘origami’ e-motorcycle — and €15K price tag

What do you get when you mix motorcycles with origami? The answer, dear reader, is the Stilride 1. The unique vehicle is the brainchild of Swedish startup Stilride. The company today unveiled the final design and price for the new electric ride, which is due to launch in 2024. For €15,000, each customer will get a made-to-order motorcycle that combines looks, performance, and sustainability. To manufacture each vehicle, Stilride uses a pioneering method dubbed “industrial origami,” which applies the Japanese art of paper-folding to sheet metal. The startup’s software first defines the geometries, which industrial robots and laser-cutting then bring…

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Italy’s ChatGPT ban sets a worrying precedent for EU startups

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which took the world by the storm after its launch in November, is now facing a temporary ban in Italy over “unlawful” personal data collection and the lack of an age verification system for children. The Italian data protection agency, known as Garante, was prompted to act by ChatGPT’s data breach on March 20, which, according to OpenAI, allowed a number of users to see other users’ information, such as their first and last name, email address, and the last four digits of their credit card number. Garante accused the US-based AI company of having “no legal basis”…

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Spain launches space agency in big boost for local startups

Spain has officially launched its own national space agency, at a time when Europe looks to establish itself as a global space industry leader. Plans for the Spanish Space Agency, or Agencia Espacial Española (AEE), were first announced in May 2021, and finally got the political thumbs up last month. The agency will be based in Seville, near the Arenosillo launch facility in Huelva, which was built in the 60s as part of a collaboration between the Spanish government and NASA. Initially, around 75 personnel will be based at the site.  The agency will serve to “guarantee Spain’s strategic action…

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Paris bids ‘au revoir’ to e-scooter startups

Parisians overwhelmingly voted to ban e-scooters on Sunday, in a hotly-debated referendum that has divided the French capital. Voters were given two choices: “for” or “against” a city-wide ban on shared e-scooters. 89% voted in favour of the ban, but the overall turnout was low, with only 7.5% of eligible voters casting ballots.   The vote was non-binding but city authorities have vowed to “abide by the decision”, said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. The streets of Paris will be cleared from shared e-scooters by September 1, the mayor said. That’s when the contract with Dott, Tier, and Lime — the three…

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7 unmissable highlights of TNW València

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment has almost arrived: TNW València is next week!  In case you’ve been living under a rock (or frequenting another tech site, you traitor), we’re taking our cherished festival on the road. After 16 glorious years in Amsterdam, we’re bringing the show to Spain’s Mediterranean coast — and you’re all invited. We’re not only there for the sun, sea, and sand — far from it, in fact. València has the fastest-growing innovation ecosystem in Spain, and the most startups per capita in the country. On March 30th and 31st, we’ll showcase the best tech in the region…

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Why a European mobile operating system can’t challenge Android and iOS

Recently, we asked if it was possible for Europe to have a dominant smartphone again. The answer was simple: no, not unless there’s some sort of miracle. The reason behind this is multifaceted, but the core point is that because Asia hosts the majority of the world’s mobile manufacturing facilities, it’s borderline impossible for European companies to create a good enough phone at a low enough price to succeed. But, here at TNW, we had another question: could Europe launch its own mobile operating system? Why do we need a European mobile OS? On first inspection, it’s an excellent idea.…

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BMW backs German startup to deliver ‘next generation’ of EV motors

BMW has invested in DeepDrive, the German startup behind a new type of “ultra-efficient” motor for electric vehicles.  The €15m Series A funding round also saw participation from the likes of UVC Partners, the Continental Corporate Venture Capital Unit, and former board member and CTO of Audi and Volvo, Peter Mertens.   Founded in 2021, the Munich-based startup has developed a radial flux dual-rotor motor that boasts the highest torque and power density of any EV motor available today, the startup claims. It also has low noise emissions, and is built using far fewer rare earth materials.   All of this translates…

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How to pitch your startup: 9 tips from an expert

Ah, the joys of pitching. Your entire masterplan squeezed into a few sentences, a room of powerful strangers with your future in their hands, and mere seconds to impress them. Who doesn’t love a quick dip in a shark tank? Quite a lot of people, unfortunately. Luckily for them, pitching coach David Beckett is here to help. Beckett has spent decades mastering the art of public speaking. He first honed his skills through over 1,000 corporate presentations across 16 years at Canon, before switching to the crisper craft of startup pitches. In 2013, Beckett founded Best3Minutes, which provides in-person and online training…

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Dark store clampdowns are the newest headache for rapid grocery delivery in Europe

When Barcelona decided to clamp down on dark stores, it opened a new chapter in the story of rapid grocery delivery. In January, the city’s authorities rolled out new restrictions on buildings used by the likes of Glovo and Getir, which had been relentlessly expanding.  These startups use dark stores as distribution hubs for their speedy deliveries. Couriers zip in and out of the buildings all day to collect goods for customers. The facilities, however, have sparked a backlash in many European cities. Residents are complaining about the noise levels, the gatherings of couriers on the street, and the taking up of…

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Nuclear power startups are flourishing in Europe — here’s what they can offer

While the tech downturn rumbles on, investment in nuclear fusion remains strong — in 2021, over €2.7 billion was injected in this field alone. More recently, the UK Space Agency committed £2.9 million to have Rolls-Royce develop a nuclear reactor that could work on the Moon and power future settlements there. Back on Earth, nuclear technology has a significant role to play in achieving global carbon neutrality and limiting global warming to 1.5°C. In its 2022 report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) flagged its importance in improving multiple sectors including power, which is responsible for more than a third…

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Big Tech gives EU access to thousands of user accounts each year

Most of us share huge amounts of personal information online, and Big Tech companies are in many ways the gatekeepers of this data. But how much do they share with the authorities? And how often do governments request user data?  According to new research by VPN provider SurfShark, the answer is a lot, and a lot again.  As detailed in SurfShark’s new report which analysed user data requests that Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft received from government agencies of 177 countries between 2013 and 2021, Tech giants get a lot of requests for user data, and the majority of the time,…

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NATO picks Netherlands for HQ of new €1B innovation fund

The Netherlands has been selected as the headquarters of NATO’s Innovation Fund (NIF) in a decision disclosed on Monday. First announced at the organisation’s 2022 Madrid Summit, the fund will invest €1 billion on behalf of NATO member countries over the next 15 years. NIF is a multi-sovereign venture capital fund that will focus on investing in early-stage startups and other VC funds developing (dual-use) emerging and disruptive technologies — to be used in military and defense applications. These include: artificial intelligence; big-data processing; quantum technologies; autonomy; biotechnology and human enhancement; novel materials; energy; propulsion and space. “This will allow…

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EU extends crisis state aid rules to prevent green tech firms from leaving

The EU Commission is extending the relaxation of state aid rules to prevent green tech firms from relocating abroad and enable the bloc’s transition to a net-zero economy. The rules around national subsidies had already been amended in 2022 as a response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, seeking to enable member states to more easily finance struggling companies and energy production in Europe. Now, rising concerns about an escalating global subsidy race have pushed the EU to further prolong this temporary crisis framework — and even expand its scope to include support to domestic clean tech companies fighting climate change.…

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Europe’s ports are using tech to navigate ‘the perfect storm’

Cargo ports are vital transport hubs in the world economy. Around 90% of all globally traded goods by tonnage is transported by sea and in 2021, a whopping 3.5 billion tonnes of freight passed through EU ports alone. Antwerp was the second-largest port in Europe — spreading across 120km² — before a merger with Bruges in 2022 created a combined port area of 160km² and the biggest chemical cluster on the continent.  València’s expanding port is the largest on the European Mediterranean in terms of container traffic — and dates back to 1491. Its port authority, Valènciaport, is responsible for…

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Intel wants another €5BN in subsidies to build chip plant in Germany

Under the Chips Act, the EU is seeking to end its dependence on China and produce 20% of the world’s semiconductors by 2030. Amidst the political push, attracting global giants to invest in the union’s domestic production has been a key strategy — with Intel’s plan to construct a massive chip plant in Magdeburg, Germany, considered a big boost for the bloc. But now, Intel is asking the German government for an additional €4 billion to 5 billion in subsidies to move forward with the project, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. In March 2022, Intel announced an initial…

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Here’s how media outlets are using generative AI in journalism

Generative AI is entering the media — and hacks are getting worried. Except for your loyal correspondents at TNW, of course, as automated output can’t compare with our flair and reporting. (At least, that’s what I’m telling my overlords.) Other journalists, however, aren’t as blessed. Last week, the owner of Britain’s Daily Mirror and the Express became the latest media magnate to add bots to the newsroom. The publisher, Reach, has posted several AI-written articles on the local news site In Your Area. According to Reach CEO Jim Mullen, they include a listicle on “7 things to do with visitors to…

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