Michael Bajwa, CEO and Co-founder of Zaro: BREAKING: Zaro just raised $5.1m pre-seed

Michael Bajwa, CEO and Co-founder of Zaro: BREAKING: Zaro just raised $5.1m pre-seed

AI agents are becoming more capable, but most companies still rely on software built for a different era. Zaro just raised a $5.1 million pre-Seed round led by Cherry Ventures to build infrastructure designed specifically for the agentic era. Michael Bajwa is CEO and Co-founder of Zaro. Following the sale of Convergence to Salesforce, he believes enterprises have not yet had their ChatGPT moment, and that the next generation of software will be built around AI agents rather than traditional applications. The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here: https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk Sponsors: Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europe Chargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026 SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/ Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeurope Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:14 - Zaro’s $5.1m pre-Seed round 2:47 - Lessons from Convergence and Salesforce 5:23 - Making AI agents accessible 8:54 - Coming out of stealth 11:11 - Creating a new category of software 13:25 - Compressing startup timelines 16:01 - Building a category-defining company 17:49 - Hiring battle-tested operators 19:15 - The future of AI-native software

Hadrien Canter, CEO and Co-founder of Alta Ares: BREAKING: Alta Ares just raised $50m

Cheap drones are changing modern warfare, creating demand for new air defence systems that can operate at scale. Alta Ares just raised $50 million to help countries defend against emerging aerial threats. Hadrien Canter is CEO and Co-founder of Alta Ares. Drawing on his experience working in Ukraine and the Middle East, he believes Europe has a unique opportunity to build a stronger defence ecosystem and reduce its reliance on external security guarantees. The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here: https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk Sponsors: Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europe Chargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026 SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/ Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeurope Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:09 - Alta Ares’ $50 funding round 1:24 - Why cheap drones are changing warfare 3:08 - Combining hardware, software and AI 5:26 - Building a defence company from Ukraine 7:51 - NATO, Europe and defence sovereignty 11:37 - Operating on the ground in Ukraine 13:20 - Mission, pressure and attracting talent 15:44 - Resilience, failure and company culture 17:45 - Raising $50m for Alta Ares 20:05 - The investors behind the round and the future of European defence

Jordi Romero, Founder and CEO at Factorial: Factorial raised $150m at a $2.5b valuation

Factorial just raised $150m from General Catalyst at a $2.5bn valuation as the company enters its next phase as an AI-native business. The new capital will be used to accelerate growth through acquisitions across Europe. Jordi Romero is Founder and CEO of Factorial, which recently turned 10 years old. He believes AI is changing how software companies serve their customers and sees Europe as one of the best places in the world to build a technology company. The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here: https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk Sponsors: Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europe Chargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026 SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/ Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeurope Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:21 - General Catalyst invests $150m in Factorial 1:10 - Why raise capital now? 2:28 - The relationship with General Catalyst 3:55 - How the Customer Value Fund works 5:24 - From HR software to AI-native workforce operations 9:00 - Leading AI transformation inside a company 11:18 - Why Europe is a great place to build 13:16 - Barcelona’s startup ecosystem 15:52 - Lessons from Silicon Valley 18:21 - Building a company for the long term 19:57 - What Factorial looks for when hiring

Oliver Molander, Founding General Partner of Inception Fund: Europe needs to build indispensable technology.

European investors are moving faster, while global funds are becoming increasingly active across the Nordics. As competition for the best founders intensifies, technical talent is attracting more attention than ever at the earliest stages. Oliver Molander is Founding General Partner of Inception Fund, which recently expanded to €30 million. Drawing on his experience as both a founder and investor, he believes technical founders build the biggest outcomes, and that Europe should focus on creating indispensable technologies rather than simply talking about sovereignty. The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here: https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk Sponsors: Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europe Chargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026 SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/ Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeurope Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:18 - Why Inception Fund was created 1:42 - Backing technical founders at inception 2:25 - Why European investors need to move faster 4:17 - The rise of a new generation of European funds 5:25 - Working with Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia and Lightspeed 7:08 - Building the LP base behind Inception Fund 9:31 - Convincing LPs to back a first-time fund manager 12:02 - Why Inception invested in Recursive 15:42 - Stockholm, Finland and the future of Nordic tech 20:52 - EQT and the €5 billion European scale-up fund 22:20 - Why Europe should focus on indispensability, not sovereignty

Alex McCracken, Head of Venture Capital Relationships, EMEA at J.P.Morgan: European AI startups are raising bigger rounds than ever

European AI startups are raising billion-dollar rounds, while defence and deep tech companies are attracting far larger rounds than the market was seeing a few years ago. Alex McCracken is Head of Venture Capital Relationships, EMEA at J.P. Morgan, where he is seeing US investors move into Europe earlier and more technical AI founders raise capital across the market. The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here: https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk Sponsors: Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europe Chargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026 SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/ Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeurope Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:16 - The biggest shifts in European venture 0:48 - Billion-dollar AI seed rounds 2:45 - Why mega rounds are increasing in Europe 3:55 - The impact of large AI rounds 5:37 - Where capital is flowing in deep tech 6:43 - Defence, space and European resilience 8:20 - Why defence investment is accelerating 9:49 - The rise of US investors in Europe 12:25 - How European VCs are adapting 14:43 - Growth at all costs vs sustainable growth 18:24 - New financing structures for deep tech