A Dutch startup has devised a way to convert mountains of plastic waste into chemicals essential for the production of a wide range of goods, from bottles to batteries.  BioBTX has patented the process — known as Integrated Cascading Catalytic Pyrolysis — and just secured €80mn to scale it up.  Armed with the fresh funds, the company will build a factory...

Swedish VC firm Creandum — an early backer of Spotify and Klarna — has raised €500mn to fund budding European tech startups. The fund comes at a potentially watershed moment for tech investment in Europe. After a two-year capital dry spell in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sector is showing signs of a comeback. “We feel very bullish about the...

In our diverse and interconnected world, learning foreign languages is not only a powerful skill, but also essential for cross-cultural communication. But as translation and interpretation tools become more and more advanced, supercharged by generative AI, a question emerges: will technology replace the need for learning foreign languages? “AI won’t...

Spain’s privacy watchdog has barred Meta from launching two features on Facebook and Instagram that the tech giant says were intended to encourage users to vote in the upcoming EU elections.  The tools, dubbed Election Day Information (EDI) and Voter Information Unit (VIU), would send notifications to all eligible Instagram and Facebook users in the...

Friday is finally here and so is this week’s round-up of tech news from the Netherlands. We’ve had seven dynamic days of digital developments. From banking hacks and Booking fakes to malware and memes, the end of May’s been action-packed. Here’s our pick of the hottest stories, startups, and speeches.   What we’re writing ESA satellite launches Dutch...

STMicroelectronics has announced plans to build a giant factory in Italy that will make specialist microchips for EVs and other high-voltage power devices. The Swiss firm is the world’s largest producer of silicon carbide microchips, particularly valued by automakers for being lightweight, energy-efficient, and strong. This translates to EVs that can...