Tel Aviv's startup scene underwent a transformation around 2019, moving from a system of "Holy Grail exits," as Eli David, CEO of StartUp Link, puts it, to "building companies not looking to sell to Google right away." As has always been the case, the military is still the main source of founders--not least because almost everyone passes through it, but also for its emphasis on problem-solving and a focus on cybersecurity, AI, and robotics. There's growth in Web3, gaming, and productivity startups while countries like India are coming online as customers. "We have a brain-drain problem," admits Michel Abadi, managing partner of Maverick Ventures Israel. "But we have a lot of patience."

Proving that Central and Eastern Europe remains a powerhouse of hardware engineering matched with software, Gideon Brothers (GB), a Zagreb, Croatia-based robotics and AI startup, has raised a $31 million Series A round led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture and growth arm of Koch Industries Inc., with participation from DB Schenker, Prologis Ventures and Rite-Hite. The round also includes participation from several of Gideon Brothers' existing backers: Taavet Hinrikus (co-founder of TransferWise), Pentland Ventures, Peaksjah, HCVC (Hardware Club), Ivan Topčić, Nenad Bakić and Luca Ascani. The investment will be used to accelerate the development and commercialization of GB's AI and 3D vision-based "autonomous mobile robots" or "AMRs". These perform simple tasks such as transporting, picking up and dropping off products in order to free up humans to perform more valuable tasks. The company will also expand its operations in the EU and U.S. by opening offices in Munich, Germany and Boston, Massachusetts, respectively.

Proving that Central and Eastern Europe remains a powerhouse of hardware engineering matched with software, Gideon Brothers (GB), a Zagreb, Croatia-based robotics and AI startup, has raised a $31 million Series A round led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture and growth arm of Koch Industries Inc., with participation from DB Schenker, Prologis Ventures, and Rite-Hite. The round also includes participation from several of Gideon Brothers' existing backers: Taavet Hinrikus (co-founder of TransferWise), Pentland Ventures, Peaksjah, HCVC (Hardware Club), Ivan Topčić, Nenad Bakić, and Luca Ascani. The investment will be used to accelerate the development and commercialization of GB's AI and 3D vision-based'autonomous mobile robots' or'AMRs'. These perform simple tasks such as transporting, picking up, and dropping off products in order to free up humans to perform more valuable tasks. The company will also expand its operations in the EU and US by opening offices in Munich, Germany and Boston, Massachusetts, respectively.