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2018
Three hot hubs in Eastern Europe
Krakow, Vilnius and Moscow have become centres for dynamic starts. What do they offer?
Where does
my food come from?
Consumers want to know where their food comes from, but most of the time they still don’t know – a major problem in the event of contamination. Various solutions could make supply chains more transparent.
10 great African innovations
From fintech to health to the environment, clever inventions are improving the lives of millions of people.
Lagos, capital of fintech
Lagos recently hosted the African Fintech Summit for the first time. The Nigerian city has all the attributes needed to become a hotbed for African fintech.
Welcome to Silicon Savannah
Kenya is brimming with innovation, hoping to establish a truly circular economy.
Riding the EdTech wave
Start-ups are moving into educational technology. Some offer university courses while others advance company training by designing video games.
Fair phone vs. iPhone
The Fairphone is a smartphone built with “ethical” components. Now it hopes to compete with the iPhone.
Meet Celonis, Munich’s first unicorn
Munich-based start-up Celonis helps companies refine their everyday processes.
At the cutting edge of language tech
European universities and start-ups are developing translation tools that have become popular the world over.
The race for flying cars
Everyone from Airbus to Uber is interested. They could be part of the urban landscape in the next decade.
Managing the new world of transport
Anticipating a decline in car ownership, start-ups like Bestmile and Amber plan to power seamless on-demand services.
Data scientist: the sexiest job
These modern-day alchemists spin masses of raw data into gold. Here are four reasons to become one.
Putting people back at the heart of banking
With robo-advisors and improved regulation, machine learning could make financial systems friendlier and more rewarding.
The technology that helps women get pregnant
Swiss start-up Ava’s wristband collects data on fertility. The goal: to help couples have a baby.
The search engine with a difference
France’s Qwant was built to have two competitive advantages: respecting privacy and being a credible alternative to its American rivals.
France leads a new revolution
Will the US and China dominate the development of AI? President Macron has ideas that can keep Europe in the game.
A boon for privacy, a headache for business
Europe’s new regulations protect user data. But they may also block information-sharing that affects health and safety.
Fun and games in Finland
Formerly home to industry giant Nokia, the country is now a leading player in mobile phone game apps. Here’s a look at what it will take to keep winning.
Munich: the new hub for digital cars
Germany’s auto industry is embracing the hottest technologies. The capital of Bavaria is driving the shift.
Sharing artfully
WeTransfer is a Dutch start-up expanding into the US and into mobiles, while remaining faithful to its user base: the creative scene. The new CEO explains his strategy.
2017
Barcelona: Costa del sport
The capital of Catalonia is a technology hub with a vibrant start-up environment. A celebrated football team’s innovation hub was the catalyst.
Leaders in cybersecurity
Europe is often at the forefront in the fields of digital safety, antivirus protection and encryption. Here are three examples.
“Our device can diagnose a heart attack in 90% of cases”
A Danish start-up makes artificial intelligence available to emergency-care services.
The German cloud
The country is getting a lot of attention for its strict privacy laws. But is it the only option for a data-safe harbor in Europe?
The next frontier: quantum cryptography
As familiar encryption systems reach their limits, the strange world of particle physics offers new solutions.
Patch me if you can
To spread viruses and malware, hackers take advantage of loopholes in IT system. Vulnerability fixes exist, but users download them all too rarely.
An entrepreneur searching for meaning
Determined to understand what internet users are thinking, Christian Henschel now manages one of Europe’s leading platforms in mobile intelligence.
Detecting hacks in real time
Dutch start-up Bitsensor tries to help applications protect themselves better from cyberattacks.
From toys and cable to shoes
As CEO of Sarenza since 2007, Stéphane Treppoz has turned the online seller into a key style site in 28 countries.
Successful and resolutely European
Not every start-up wants to move to America. Here are four that have remained loyal to their home turf.
Sound from all directions
The latest innovations provide listening experiences that are more immersive than ever. Some technologies even use bones to transmit sound.
“We work with the biggest pool of artists in Europe”
Berlin-based start-up Gigmit connects musicians and concert organisers through an online platform, hoping to revolutionise the market.
Europeans who have returned
Home is not just where the heart is – increasingly, it’s also where you find the innovators, the money and the quality of life.
Opening up the echo chambers
Researchers look for solutions to address the distortion of online information.
Architect of virtual worlds
Denmark’s Unity Technologies has revolutionised the video game industry. Its founder, David Helgason, describes how it happened.
Focus on Russia
Russia has produced an array of new tech companies since the late 2000s. But these start-ups remain virtually unknown outside the country’s borders.
“People should trust their telephones”
Izanami Martínez is implementing a new, more efficient way to see the doctor – with the smartphone.
Artificial intelligence: where it all began
With its leading research institutes and ground-breaking innovations, Europe plays a major role in the field of AI.
2016
The queen of online advertising
British entrepreneur Sarah Wood founded the tech start-up Unruly, an online video ad platform that was acquired last year by News Corp for nearly €135 million.
Science in the age of big data
The digital revolution and the ability to process huge amounts of information have changed the way research is done. Here are three examples.
MOOCS: this revolution will wait
They’re more and more exclusive And they’re often full of already highly qualified students. Are Massive Open Online Courses failing to democratise education?
“Children should learn to code without realising it”
Technology Will Save Us teaches programming using toys in a whole new way.
All Eyes on Ireland
Dublin’s “Silicon Docks” may be known as a welcome destination for U.S. tech giants, but the Emerald Isle has plenty of native innovation to shout about .
The connected athlete
Amateurs can now enhance their performance and their health by using wireless devices and biosensors that monitor behaviour, environment and physiology.
Lights out over Ukraine
Hackers were most likely behind a power outage that affected 700,000 people in western Ukraine in December 2015. What actually happened?
Going with the flow
The fight against congestion is getting some new tools: mobile phones and complex algorithms.
“Our developers work better in Bali than in Copenhagen”
A young Danish entrepreneur chose to leave Europe for an exotic location.
All Eyes on Sweden
Some of the most significant triumphs in online innovation, like Spotify and Skype, are Swedish creations.
Blockchain: on the verge of revolutionising society
The technology behind Bitcoin holds immense potential that we’re just now beginning to fathom.
Zoom on Spain
Spain has become a technological leader in fields from mapping to aeronautics to graphene production.
“A start-up should solve a social problem”
Blitab co-founder Kristina Tsvetanova discusses the challenges of launching a social start-up.
2015
Keeping the data safe
What if Estonia’s system is hacked? And what if an unsavoury government, domestic or foreign, got hold of Estonia’s information?
Life after Skype
Estonian programmer Jaan Tallinn helped create the file-sharing application Kazaa and then the famous video-call system. Now he wants to save the world.
The land of e-everything
From medical records to taxes to ID cards, Estonians rely on – and trust – information technology more than any other nation in the world.
The farmer and the little blue bird
A French farmer considers Twitter a fabulous way to forge a connection between farmers and consumers.
“Poland must be doing something right”
Daria Tataj, founder and CEO of the Warsaw-based consultancy Tataj Innovation, explains the reasons for Poland’s success.
Sending a signal
Computer-science wizard Frederic Jacobs creates a new app that makes cryptography seamless and freely available to millions of mobile users
7 ways to hack for profit
Cybercrime has gone mainstream – to the distress not only of individuals but also of targets as large as American cities.
The sins of peer review
More than one million scientific articles are published every year. The process that was established to control their quality is increasingly being called into question.
2014
The content hunter
Martin Stiksel, founder of Last.fm, is back with an even more ambitious project: to organise the entire web according to each user’s behaviour.
Happy? Your smartphone will know
New technologies and citizen science offer innovative ways to track and quantify emotions. They are uncovering new ingredients in the recipe for happiness.
“It reminds me of papyrus”
The worst design sins to avoid, according to usability guru Jakob Nielsen.
Take it, use it, change it, create
You no longer need to be an electronics wizard to build sophisticated devices. “Makers” like the four profiled on these pages are unleashing their creativity thanks to Raspberry Pi and Arduino boards.
Biohackers who want to change the world
The biohacking movement, which appeared in the U.S. in the late 2000s, has now spread to Europe.
Privacy, after Snowden
People are increasingly concerned about the safety of personal data. The market is responding with new encryption products that are easy to use.
Here comes the graphene revolution
The EU has committed €1 billion to this revolutionary new material. What are the challenges, what are the promises?
“Getting the story out is more important than getting it right”
Cleverly manipulated Internet buzz can be more effective than an expensive marketing campaign. Marketing expert Ryan Holiday reveals some of his tricks.