APEX Ventures April Newsletter | Deep Tech Breakthroughs
Discover how European Deep Tech startups are pushing boundaries across multiple sectors whilst securing strategic partnerships, funding, and industry recognition.
The European innovation ecosystem continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and ingenuity, as it was revealed that Europe houses 40% of the world's top research institutes, in the newly released European Deep Tech Report 2025 - read further for details.
Across Europe's vibrant deep tech landscape, March delivered a wave of strategic partnerships, media recognition, and technological advancements in our portfolio.
ATMOS Space Cargo continues to build momentum in the media spotlight, featuring on ZDF's 'moma future' programme, while planqc was named "Startup of the Week" by WirtschaftsWoche for its pioneering neutral-atom quantum computing technology.
In the space sector, OroraTech announced two significant developments: partnering with Google on its AI Collaborative: Wildfires initiative and launching its first operational wildfire detection satellite constellation. OKAPI:Orbits partnered with Space Sustainability Rating to enhance transparency and accountability in space operations.
The month also saw remarkable developments in healthcare technology: Upfront Diagnostics secured a £500,000 award from SBRI Healthcare to support NHS adoption of its blood-based diagnostic tool, contextflow expanded its impact through strategic partnerships to enhance lung cancer screening, and Mindpeak's AI-powered pathology technology featured in a pioneering study while securing a strategic partnership with AstraZeneca.
In clean energy, HyperHeat was named a Top Cleantech Startup, while Vertus Energy partnered with Verdalia Bioenergy to test its cutting-edge anaerobic digestion technology in Italy.
Looking ahead, don't miss our upcoming Deep Tech Meetup on April 28th, featuring an exhibition tour and fireside chat on advanced computing with silicon photonics, spotlighting innovative startups Akhetonics and Linque.
Amadeus APEX Technology Fund
ATMOS Space Cargo continues to build momentum in the media spotlight, featuring on ZDF's 'moma future' tech and science programme. In other news, CEO Sebastian shared insights into the company's origins and technology on the Defence Innovation Podcast - have a listen.
ATMOS Space Cargo on the ‘moma future’ TV program
HyperHeat has secured two significant industry recognitions in the past month, joining Third Derivative's startup programme to advance its mission of delivering clean energy solutions to hard-to-abate sectors, including steel, cement, and chemicals, whilst also being named a Top Cleantech Startup by Cemex Ventures.
OKAPI:Orbits partnered with Space Sustainability Rating (SSR) to enhance transparency and accountability in space operations, promoting sustainability in space. Read more.
In the past month, planqc has garnered notable attention with CTO and Co-Founder Dr. Sebastian Blatt participating in the Creative Destruction Lab's Next Gen Computing session at Campus Founders in Heilbronn to discuss quantum computing and AI advancements, whilst the company itself was named "Startup of the Week" by WirtschaftsWoche for its pioneering neutral-atom-based quantum computing technology poised to revolutionise the field. Full article.
planqc at the CDL Panel
Vertus Energy partnered with Verdalia Bioenergy in a pilot system in Italy, testing its cutting-edge anaerobic digestion tech and paving the way for the future of renewable energy production. Learn more
APEX Medical
CardiaTec Bio’s CTO, Namshik Han, published a research study about applying quantum walk-based network analysis to uncover key dysregulated pathways in long COVID. Read it here.
Abstract from Advancing Understanding of Long COVID Pathophysiology Through Quantum Walk-Based Network Analysis, in which CardiaTec Bio participated.
Quibim released a study in Frontiers in Oncology on how a machine learning model integrating clinical, molecular, and radiomic MRI features outperforms standard risk classification, leading to better survival prediction and personalized treatment strategies. Read more.
Lyfegen showcased its innovative AI Drug Contracting Companion at the World Evidence, Pricing & Access Congress 2025 in Amsterdam, where CEO Girisha Fernando demonstrated how this generative AI solution enables teams to instantly generate drug contracts using real-time data, extract insights from various sources, reduce manual work, and accelerate payer negotiations. Learn more.
Lyfegen’s CEO, Filiberto Becerra, at the World Evidence, Pricing & Access Congress 2025 in Amsterdam.
Quibim’s QP-Prostate® CAD received FDA approval for identifying aggressive prostate cancer. Read the official release.
Read about Robeauté’s microrobots revolutionizing brain surgery in BPI France.
Upfront Diagnostics has recently secured a £500,000 award from SBRI Healthcare to support NHS adoption of its patented blood-based diagnostic tool LVOne, whilst also being featured on BBC Morning Live and announcing a strategic collaboration with NordicDx—all advancing the company's mission to provide faster, more accurate stroke detection and transform stroke care.
Yuri’s Co-founder & CEO, Maria Birlem, has been nominated for the Female Founders Award by the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany. The award recognizes outstanding female entrepreneurs in Germany who are driving innovation, fostering economic growth, and breaking barriers in the business world.
Zetta Genomics has recently highlighted its impactful work with NHS Trusts to integrate genomic insights into standard patient care, advancing personalised medicine, whilst also achieving recognition as a semi-finalist in two categories of the Seedlegals Startup Awards, which celebrate companies that have revolutionised their industries through innovation and disruption.
APEX One
contextflow has expanded its healthcare impact through two strategic initiatives, partnering with Denmark's Sygehus Lillebælt regional hospital to enhance early lung cancer screening with AI-powered imaging, whilst also integrating its ADVANCE Chest CT technology with Mint Medical's mint Lesion platform to deliver automated nodule detection and Lung-RADS 2022 scoring—both advancements significantly improving lung cancer screening capabilities.
kiutra, Zurich Instruments, and Peak Quantum have successfully demonstrated qubit relaxation times exceeding 100 µs using the L-Type Rapid cryostat. Learn how.
kiutra’s benchmarking of superconducting qubits
ImageBiopsy Lab’s Richard Ljuhar gave an interview for Brutkasten Magazine about AI in Healthcare, focusing on the domestic relationship between AI and the art of healing. Read it here.
Mindpeak's AI-powered pathology technology has achieved dual recognition, featuring in a pioneering study on AI-assisted SSRT2A and Ki-67 readout in neuroendocrine neoplasms presented at the 22nd ENETS Conference in Poland, whilst also securing a strategic partnership with AstraZeneca to enhance early breast cancer detection. Learn more.
Mobius Labs’ founder, Hicham Badri, shared a deep dive into the challenges of using bfloat16 with Triton kernels and announced the release of their Gemma3 12B HQQ model, ensuring better AI accuracy. Learn
Morpher’s founder, Martin Froehler, shared insights on liquidity, trading fees, and the future of trading in an exclusive interview with Global One Media Group’s Stocks To Watch series. Watch it here.
OroraTech has announced two significant developments, partnering with Google on its AI Collaborative: Wildfires team initiative to address the global wildfire crisis, whilst also launching its first operational wildfire detection satellite constellation—consisting of eight satellites—aboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Learn more.
OroraTech Constellation Phase 1 will be riding aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from their Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.
SpleenLab has secured a prestigious position as the sole startup within the €17M Safe AI Engineering Consortium Project, collaborating alongside automotive industry giants including Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, Porsche and Continental—a significant achievement highlighting the company's growing influence in autonomous driving safety technology. More here.
Europe's deep tech landscape continues to impress, housing 40% of the world's top research institutes with Germany and France leading the charge through substantial public funding commitments, as highlighted in the newly released European Deep Tech Report 2025 featuring expert insights from General Partner Andreas Riegler on the current funding environment.
This comprehensive report, collaboratively curated by Lakestar, Walden Catalyst, Dealroom.co and Hello Tomorrow, examines the European deep tech ecosystem's distinctive characteristics whilst exploring promising technological frontiers including robotics, future of compute, computational biology and space technology—offering valuable insights into funding landscape misconceptions and emerging opportunities across these innovative sectors.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Deep Tech Meetup on 28 April!
The event is hosted by Ion Hauer, Principal at APEX Ventures, and Lamin Ben Hamdane, Global Head of Infineon Startup Co-Innovation Program—offering deep tech enthusiasts a valuable opportunity to connect with investors and portfolio startups from APEX Ventures' network whilst gaining insights into the team's vision and investment approach.
The event will feature an exhibition tour and fireside chat focusing on advanced computing with silicon photonics, spotlighting innovative startups Akhetonics and Linque, and will take place in Neubiberg, Bayern, Germany 🇩🇪—registration is open for those interested in deeptech, quantum computing, and the venture capital landscape.
Last month, at the Healthcare Business International Event, Diana Röettger shared valuable insights during the "AI in Medical Imaging" panel, emphasising the importance of investing in teams with comprehensive expertise across regulatory, clinical, and commercial domains whilst structuring funding rounds around critical validation milestones to effectively navigate this dynamic sector.
To de-risk early-stage AI healthcare ventures, Diana advocated for a sophisticated blended funding approach that combines government grants, venture capital, and corporate investment, alongside strategic co-investment from hospital networks and pharmaceutical companies to align incentives, further highlighting how public-private partnerships and international funding programmes can accelerate real-world validation and global market penetration.
Left to right: Javier Saez Ipiens from contextflow, Diana Röttger, APEX Ventures at HBI 2025
Meet the APEX Ventures team at the following events in the upcoming months:
▶️ Venture SPRIND / 8 April / Berlin, Germany / Tim Hos
▶️ Energy Tech Summit / 9-10 April / Bilbao, Spain / Vera Kunz
▶️ FutureSAX Roadshow / 24 April / Zurich, Switzerland / Ion Hauer
▶️ Deep Tech Momentum / 13-15 May / Berlin, Germany / Andreas Riegler, Ion Hauer
▶️ 19. Private Equity-Konferenz NRW / 15 May / Dusseldorf, Germany / Wolfgang Neubert
▶️ HTGF Family Day / 19-20 May / Berlin, Germany / Andreas Riegler, Wolfgang Neubert, Tim Hos
▶️ SuperVenture / 2-4 June / Berlin, Germany / Andreas Riegler
▶️ HHL SpinLab Investors Day/ 18 June / Leipzig, Germany / Ion Hauer