Fundraising is tougher than ever. VCs are pulling back. Valuations are down. Startups with long development cycles and high R&D costs are feeling the squeeze. But while traditional funding channels dry up, a powerful—and often overlooked—opportunity is emerging in Europe: Portugal.

Fundraising is tougher than ever. VCs are pulling back. Valuations are down. Startups with long development cycles and high R&D costs are feeling the squeeze. But while traditional funding channels dry up, a powerful—and often overlooked—opportunity is emerging in Europe: Portugal.

For this edition, we spoke with Luís Amorim, Head of Open Innovation at Ferrovial’s construction division. Ferrovial is a global infrastructure leader, originally founded in Spain, with a strong presence in transport, mobility, and construction—renowned for its commitment to innovation and sustainability.

For this edition, we had a short conversation with Märt-Erik Martens, CEO and co-founder of Gelatex. The Estonian startup pioneers scalable nanofiber production, cutting costs by up to 90% with patented HaloSpin™ technology. Focused on biotech, it enables scar-reducing wound care and more efficient drug discovery. Gelatex won the Innovation Radar Prize 2024 in the Health Tech category.

This time, we had the opportunity to speak with Robert Aleksandrowicz, MD, CEO of Cellis, the standout winner of the 10th Innovation Radar Prize 2024. Robert presented the company’s revolutionary cell-based immunotherapy that reprogrammes a tumour’s microenvironment, breaking drug resistance in multiple aggressive cancers.

In this edition, we share the insightful perspective of Marta Estarellas, the CEO of Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech. The Spanish startup is a full-stack quantum computing company that provides Quantum Application Specific Solutions (QASICs) to bring quantum benefits now.

Together with the European Commission, Dealflow.eu will welcome a Multicorporate Matchmaking event on 26 February 2025. This event will join innovators with EU corporates dedicated to the Sustainable Construction sector and will be hosted by EurA AG. 

In this edition, we share an insightful conversation with Raúl Aragonés, the founder and CSO of AEINNOVA. The Spanish startup has developed a patent inspired by space tech. Thanks to 7 EU R&D grants, they manufacture a new generation of NETZERO heat-powered batteryless maintenance-free & long-range wireless IoT that transforms the industry 4.0 into more digital with the least environmental impact.

At our most recent Multicorporate Matchmaking Event, CUF joined forces with Siemens Healthineers to connect with 18 startups specialising in Health and MedTech innovations, exploring avenues for collaboration and investment prospects. We spoke with representatives from CUF, one of the corporate participants in this matchmaking initiative, to gain their perspectives on the event and to learn why they believe innovators should seise the opportunity to take part in such collaborative ventures.