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HIRO III Launches To back Europe+ Frontier Tech Founders With €5m–€50m Cheques

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

Overview

HIRO Capital has launched HIRO III, a new multi-stage fund focused on companies in the UK and Europe. The fund will deploy €5m–€50m cheques and will invest in sectors including spatial AI, robotics, immersive computing, and defence.

“This is an amazing moment of opportunity for the UK/Europe’s tech ecosystem,” says Nick Clegg, General Manager at HIRO Capital. “We have some of the most outstanding researchers and universities on the planet, and great engineers and entrepreneurs, too. Our problem is not a lack of innovation; it is a lack of capital at scale. Europe may have its critics, but we have a vibrant start-up scene which is now ready to accelerate – I believe the Hiro team has the unique geographic and technological reach to help make that happen.”

Benefits

  • Multi-stage investment with ticket sizes €5m–€50m 
  • Stage covergar: investing from Seed through Series C/Scale Up

Who can apply

HIRO invests in AI, autonomy and robotics, cloud and future compute; spatial computing and simulation, games, sports tech, digital augmentation, longevity, next generation defence, and the space economy. 

It invests across its Europe+ region, covering the EU, UK, Norway, and Switzerland, and extending through Ukraine, Turkey, and Israel.

How to apply

HIRO accepts inbound approaches through its official website channels. Founders should submit a pitch deck and core company materials through the firm’s contact routes. 

About the fund

HIRO Capital is a founder-led European VC launched in 2018 and built around a thematic focus on technologies where computing moves into the physical world and into day-to-day life through AI, spatial computing, and autonomy. It invests from Seed through Series C and scale-up and focuses on companies with the potential to build large outcomes in its target sectors across Europe+.

Hiro Capital was founded by Luke Alvarez, the co-founder of Inspire Entertainment, the Nasdaq-listed games and virtual sports firm, Sir Ian Livingstone, former chairman of the studio behind the game Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Cherry Freeman, the co-founder of crafts marketplace LoveCrafts. Recently, Nick Clegg joined as a General Partner in connection with the HIRO III launch.

Alongside the fund launch, HIRO expanded its advisory bench. HIRO’s advisory board includes AI pioneer Yann LeCun and additional senior figures specialising in robotics, defence, and product design.

HIRO’s portfolio includes Sidero Labs, Carv, Keen Games, Frameplay, Incredibuild, Team Liquid, FitXR, LIV, Polyarc, PlayerData, Lamina1, Skybound, Playbook, and Soccerverse, among others.

Junior Achievement Cyprus Launches 2026–2027 Company Programme For Student Entrepreneurs

by News Editor

Overview

Junior Achievement Cyprus has launched its Company Programme for the 2026–2027 academic year, giving students the opportunity to design, launch and run their own real-world companies from the ground up.

The programme challenges student teams to develop a business idea, build a working company structure, manage a budget and bring a real product or service to market within a single academic year. Participants take on roles such as Managing Director, Finance Director and Marketing Director, gaining hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, teamwork and financial literacy.

Benefits

Throughout the year, participants will receive mentorship from local business professionals, who will guide them through the competition. The programme is designed to build essential skills in leadership, financial management and innovation, while giving students a taste of running a business.

Last year’s programme brought together 91 student companies from 51 schools across Cyprus. Cyprus’s national winning team, HerShield, went on to place third in the JA Europe Company of the Year competition. Junior Achievement Cyprus says this year’s aim is to extend the opportunity to even more schools and young people.

Who Can Participate

The programme is aimed at students who will work in teams to create and operate their own companies during the academic year. An introductory online session for secondary teachers will take place on 29 September.

Partners

The Company Programme is supported by PwC Cyprus and the Youth Board of Cyprus as strategic partners. Its partners are XM and Coffee Island, while supporters include the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Amdocs, Coca-Cola HBC Cyprus and the Research and Innovation Foundation. The institutional partner is the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth.

How To Register

Registrations are available through the Junior Achievement Cyprus website. For more information, interested participants can contact Programme Coordinator Marios Kakouris at marios.kakouris@jacyprus.org or info@jacyprus.org, or call 99 203701.

About Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement is one of the world’s largest organisations dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. Through experiential programmes in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, work readiness and active citizenship, JA helps young people build the skills and confidence to shape their futures. Operating in more than 100 countries, JA connects education with the world of work through collaboration with schools, educators, volunteers and businesses.

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