The Recursive’s weekly roundup aims to cover key tech developments across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the growing impact of CEE-born founders on the global stage. Take a look at the latest news in funding, startup milestones, and emerging trends tied to the region’s innovation potential.
CEE deals & fund updates
Tech giant Nvidia has announced an investment in ElevenLabs, a Polish startup developing generative AI audio technology. Nvidia has not disclosed the financial details of the transaction, but the investment in ElevenLabs aligns with the company’s broader strategy in the UK. The tech conglomerate plans to allocate GBP 2 billion to support AI startups and is preparing further investments worth up to GBP 11 billion in so-called “AI factories.” ElevenLabs’ solutions are based on AI models trained on Nvidia graphics processors. The startup’s products enable the generation of naturally sounding voices in 32 languages and are used in the media, publishing, and education sectors.
Firehawk Aerospace, a US-based defense technology leader specializing in advanced energetics and propulsion, has secured investment from its new strategic partner Presto Tech Horizons (PTH) in an oversubscribed Series C round, which concluded this September. The $60 million investment round was led by 1789 Capital.
Warsaw-based sun.store, a solar-oriented trading platform connecting sellers and buyers, has secured €6M in seed funding, marking one of the largest early-stage rounds in Poland to date. The round was co-led by Contrarian Ventures, Market One Capital, and Movens Capital, with additional backing from FJ Labs, Push Ventures, and Aidiom.
BeeSpeaker, a Polish-Swedish language learning app, has raised €2 million in seed funding. The round was led by Movens Capital with participation from SpeedUp Venture Capital Group and several international angel investors.
Early Game Ventures announces a new seed investment in the Bulgarian startup YOX, which promises to revolutionize the job market for blue-collar jobs with the help of AI. The round, worth 1.5 million euros, will allow the startup to expand internationally.
Ukrainian defense technology company NORDA Dynamics, specialized in developing autonomous control systems for UAVs, has raised $1 million to further develop its products and expand its team. The lead investor in the round is Varangians, a Swedish investment company founded in 2025.
Polish fintech startup Paymove has secured approximately $860,000 in a new investment round from Polish venture capital funds Kogito Ventures, S20 Fund, N50, as well as business angels Grzegorz Kaczor and Piotr Pajda.
Venture capital Zero One Hundred has announced the launch of its second fund, a €25 million early-stage vehicle focused on bridging Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Other news from the CEE ecosystem
Two Polish technology companies — Indeema Software and Vakoms, announced their merger under the Indeema brand. Together, they form a global IoT and engineering powerhouse with R&D office in Wroclaw, Poland. Volodymyr Shevchyk has been appointed CEO of the new company, while the former CEO of Vakoms – Pavlo Pelekh will chair the Board of Directors of the merged organization.
Czech healthcare startup Kardi Ai won the Central European Startup Awards 2025, the regional branch of the Global Startup Awards, earning the title Best AI-enabled Startup of 2025. Thanks to this victory, it advances to the global finals of one of the world’s largest startup competitions.
SkillPanel is a new brand name of DevSkiller, Polish platform for skills intelligence and workforce development, trusted by more than 200 companies from over 60 countries like Roche, Volkswagen Group, Deloitte, UNICEF and Lufthansa.
Israeli AI startup Wonderful raised a $34M seed round (Index, Bessemer) and is opening a Zagreb hub led by former Microsoft Croatia head Vedran Bajer, now GM for the Adriatic. Focused on AI agents for customer experience in non-English markets, it plans ~10 hires and flags education, deep localization, and trust as key challenges.
