Top Startup News Today: Profitability, AI, and Scale Take Centre Stage

• A new list identifies the top 10 European startups driving the "agentic AI" boom, focusing on tools that perform autonomous actions rather than just generating content. • The featured companies, including Paris-based 2501.ai, were all founded between 2023 and 2026, with funding data provided by Dealroom.co.

• The European Union is utilizing the Horizon Europe funding programme (2021–2027) to provide financial support to creative startups aimed at disruptive innovation. • With a total budget of approximately €95.5 billion, including €5.4 billion from NextGenerationEU, the initiative focuses on research, innovation, and the recovery of the EU economy.

• UK workers, including translator Jessica Spengler, are reporting job insecurity as they are tasked with training the AI systems that may eventually replace them. • On February 28, 2026, protesters organized by PauseAI UK and other advocacy groups gathered outside Google Deepmind's London offices to demand stricter controls on advanced AI development.

• Artificial intelligence is increasingly replacing white-collar workers in the UK, where the services sector constitutes approximately 80% of the national economy. • Research indicates that job postings for AI-exposed roles, specifically software developers and data analysts, declined following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.

• Netskope Threat Labs’ 2026 Europe Report reveals that AI is increasingly difficult for security teams to govern as it evolves beyond standalone tools. • The research highlights a growing pressure on European data governance frameworks as AI integration becomes more complex across various platforms.

• Enterprises are shifting from siloed monitoring tools toward AI-native observability platforms, such as Selector AI, to manage complex distributed hybrid environments. • Organizations are adopting a co-development approach with platform providers to reduce initial engineering efforts and accelerate the deployment of AIOps capabilities.

• Edtech company upGrad has appointed Mukesh Mundra as its new Chief Financial Officer. • Experiences marketplace startup Bucketlistt secured Rs 1.07 crore in pre-seed angel funding, reaching a post-money valuation of Rs 10.07 crore.

• European technology chiefs at Fortune 500 companies are facing a shifting professional reality in 2026 where their actual duties far exceed traditional organizational charts. • Beyond managing infrastructure, these leaders are now responsible for drafting board papers on regulatory exposure, briefing audit committees, and developing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies.

• South Korea is launching its first single-stock leveraged ETFs linked to semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to capitalize on the global AI boom. • These high-risk, high-reward products allow retail investors to amplify gains from chipmakers, which have helped the Kospi benchmark more than triple since the end of 2024.

• An unnamed Italian AI startup raised $50 million (€43 million) in Series B funding in May 2026 to scale its operations. • The funding round was led by Left Lane Capital, with additional support from Base10 Partners, Eurazeo, Entourage, and Acurio Ventures.

• A new report warns that Europe faces a "dependency trap" regarding AI trade due to its heavy reliance on Asian infrastructure and the dominant market share of U.S. tech firms. • The continent is currently vulnerable because it lacks sufficient domestic control over the hardware and software ecosystems required to power advanced artificial intelligence.