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This week's edition dives into the physical world where Europe excels: from Berlin's self-driving materials discovery labs to Lausanne's space debris cleanup missions. Plus, we're sharing exciting news about our own €1M milestone and what it means for Europe's Deep Tech future.
Here’s what you will find inside:
Five robotics labs are redefining scientific discovery across Europe, with everything from 3rd-generation AI-driven chemistry labs to space-saving automation platforms serving the NHS
Europe controls more of your smartphone's supply chain than you think – IEEE Spectrum reveals how Spanish quartz mines and German purification plants anchor global tech manufacturing
Free leadership coaching is up for grabs from Stefan Gross-Selbeck, whose framework has already transformed a dozen CEOs in 12 months
Ready to see how Europe's building the future from the ground up? Let's dive in.
DEEP TECH OPEN | ROBOTICS
Top 5 Robotics Labs Pushing AI-Driven Discovery in Europe
Credits: Dunia
Dunia | Berlin, Germany
Technology: IRIS 3rd-generation self-driving lab combines physics-informed AI with chemical robotics; cutting material discovery timelines from decades to days
Customers: Clean energy companies seeking green hydrogen production and CO2-to-chemical conversion catalysts
Funding: $11.5M Series A co-led by Elaia and redalpine, with EIC and Pace Ventures backing
➔ Watch the video showcasing their mission statement and IRIS in action
Automata | London, UK
Technology: LINQ platform combining space-saving robot-enabled lab bench with cloud workflow software
Customers: NHS Trusts, The Royal Marsden, Francis Crick Institute, AstraZeneca, and leading biotech companies
Funding: $40M Series B led by Dimension with A.P. Moller Holding participation
Altrove | Paris, France
Technology: AI-driven synthesis lab with automated workflows and proprietary X-ray characterization bridging predictions to industrial production
Customers: Automotive, defense, and electronics sectors seeking sustainable rare earth alternatives
Funding: €3.7M led by Contrarian Ventures with participation from Emblem and angel investors
➔ Explore their case studies on sustainable material alternatives
Atinary Technologies | Lausanne, Switzerland
Technology: SDLabs no-code AI platform integrating ML, robotics, and cloud computing with multi-modal analysis (NMR, Raman, IR, LC)
Customers: Climate tech, pharma, biotech, and materials science companies; partnering with Chemspeed Technologies and Takeda
Funding: $5M in funding from AgFunder and Biopole
➔ Learn about their Chemspeed partnership driving self-driving lab deployment
UniteLabs | Munich, Germany
Technology: Lab-as-Code platform with SiLA 2 standards, 40+ connectors, and Python SDK reducing integration from months to minutes
Customers: Biotech companies, big pharma, hardware vendors and integrators
Funding: €2.77M pre-seed led by NAP (formerly Cavalry Ventures) with PUSH and Acurio Ventures
THE PULSE
Europe’s Hidden Supply Chain Superpowers
A smartphone processor's global journey from Spanish quartz to finished device. Illustration: Optics Lab / IEEE Spectrum.
IEEE Spectrum's Scale Issue special report gathered its top September-October articles around one big idea: pushing the boundaries of scale, from quantum precision to planetary engineering.
Three European Deep Tech highlights that caught our attention:
Your smartphone’s DNA starts in Spain. Every processor journey begins at Ferroglobe's quartz mines near Santiago de Compostela, travels to their silicon metal facility in A Coruña (using furnace electrodes invented there in the 1990s), then hits Wacker Chemie's purification plant in Burghausen, Germany.
Europe cleans up space debris. ClearSpace in Lausanne is building spacecraft to grab dead satellites and guide them to controlled ocean landings. The ESA tracks 140 million pieces of orbital debris smaller than your fingernail.
European precision physics creates measurement breakthroughs. CERN's applications of cold-atom vacuum sensors achieves ultra-precise measurements critical to semiconductor fabrication plants and fundamental physics.
Why this matters: 2025-2030 marks when extreme-scale technologies, infinitesimally small and monumentally large, begin transitioning from labs to commercial reality. Europe is home to several key strategic hubs in the global supply chain.
DTM UPDATE
Celebrating a Milestone Together: €1M Raise Closed
We’re thrilled to announce we’ve closed €1M in funding.
This milestone accelerates our mission as Europe’s No.1 Deep Tech innovation marketplace, and powers our next landmark: Deep Tech Momentum 2026, Europe’s largest Deep Tech festival with 3,000 participants.
At DTM, leading corporate decision-makers, top investors, and the world’s most innovative Deep Tech builders forge partnerships that fuel competitiveness, investment, and Europe’s Deep Tech Renaissance.
As Mario Draghi said recently: “A different path demands new speed, scale and intensity. It means acting together, not fragmenting our efforts. It means focusing resources where impact is greatest. And it means delivering results within months, not years. Start with technology.”
That’s precisely why DTM exists: to accelerate the commercialisation of European Deep Tech by connecting industry leaders with innovations that will redefine Europe’s sovereignty in technology.
To achieve this, we’ll concentrate on six niches where Europe excels, each with its own Innovation Market at DTM:
Get Involved: We’ve drafted twenty DTM26 missions tackling urgent enterprise challenges across six Deep Tech verticals. Deep Tech enterprise buyers and integrators, we’d love to take 15 minutes with you to see how these missions can address your top priorities.
➞ Reply with “Let’s talk” to this email, and we’ll reach out directly to schedule a call.
ECOSYSTEM GIFT
45-Minute Coaching Session with Leadership Expert Stefan Gross-Selbeck
Stefan Gross-Selbeck just marked the first anniversary of SGS Advice, his leadership advisory boutique.
In the past year, he has worked with thirteen CEOs to sharpen priorities, align their organisations, and tackle complex leadership challenges. His VAA framework (Vision – Action – Authenticity) captures his approach to leadership as a craft that can be learned, refined, and uniquely applied by each leader.
To celebrate, Stefan is offering you a complimentary 45-minute coaching session. It’s your chance to bring a leadership challenge to the table, and walk away with clarity, perspective, and a next step forward.
➞ Click here to enter.
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