VC Investors Eye European B2B Software Firms

In the past week, venture capital (VC) investors have been focused on European software developers.

London-based VC firm One Peak announced on Tuesday (Dec. 6) that it had closed its third fund dedicated to growth-stage business-to-business (B2B) software companies in Europe and Israel.

With a hard cap of $1 billion, One Peak Growth III will write checks between $15 million and $100 million, with a focus on B2B Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) businesses.

One Peak Growth’s existing portfolio from previously closed funds includes an array of B2B SaaS companies developing products such as Brightflag’s legal operations platform, Deepki’s ESG Intelligence service and Neo4j’s database management system.

With the scope to tap innovation hubs such as Cambridge’s world-leading artificial intelligence research cluster and Israel’s network of cybersecurity startups, One Peak seems to be positioning itself to fuel the next wave of innovation in the B2B software market.

One SaaS startup that’s already making waves in the space is Mapiq, which recently picking up 17 million euros ($17.9 million) in Series A funding to create more responsible global workplaces.

The Delft, Netherlands-based company has developed a workplace experience platform that combines facilities with human resources management capabilities.

And as global businesses have adjusted to the new reality of hybrid working, Mapiq has evolved from its original premise of helping businesses optimize their real-estate costs, to a more holistic solution for managing the office and technology needs of a distributed workforce.

Having already onboarded clients including Microsoft, PwC, Danone, Heineken and KPMG, Mapiq’s solution proves that there is demand for programmable systems that allow businesses to integrate their different IT ecosystems and adapt their office management strategies for modern modes of working.

Sustainability Tech Continues to Shine

With EU GreenTech funding on the rise, another area of the software industry that’s attracting VC attention is the sustainability tech space.

Last month, Finnish startup Synergi raised an 800,000 euros ($840,900) pre-seed round to help grow its home energy management system.

And on Wednesday (Dec. 7), Berlin-based smart energy startup Ostrom became the latest developer in the space to secure funding via a 9.3 million euros ($9.78 million) Series A.

Ostrom will use the latest injection of capital to further help consumers use less electricity.

With features including smart meter support, real-time dynamic pricing tariffs, electric vehicle (EV) charging and heat pump optimization, Ostrom is part of a wave of SaaS businesses tapping into a growing awareness of the advantages of increasing energy efficiency.

While homeowners are turning to software solutions to lower their energy consumption, land managers face a different set of challenges when it comes to sustainability.

And while software may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about industries like agriculture and forestry, powerful data and analytics tools are certainly being developed to help decision makers better manage the world’s natural environments.

For example, London-based developer Verna announced earlier this week the close of its first equity investment round, led by Vanneck EIS.

The 860,000 pounds ($1.05 million) VC investment will be used to further develop Verna’s software tools, such as the ForestFounder data system to identify and assess tree-planting opportunities.

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