Europe gets its own TBPN-style live show as ETN secures $1.6M seed funding
London-based European Technology Network (ETN) secures a $1.6M seed round, expands to a five-day-a-week live show, and moves into a new Kings Cross studio.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- ETN secured a $1.6M seed round from Powerhouse Capital, Axel Springer SE, LadBible, and angel investors from OpenAI and DeepMind.
- The show is expanding to a five-day-a-week live schedule starting June 27, 2026.
- Founders Luke Knight and Ronan Chambers are moving into a major studio in London's tech hub, Kings Cross.
Europe’s answer to TBPN is officially expanding following a fresh injection of capital. Luke Knight and Ronan Chambers, co-founders of the London-based European Technology Network (ETN), announced on Monday that they have raised a $1.6M seed round from prominent media players, including Powerhouse Capital, Axel Springer SE (owner of Business Insider and Politico), media publication LadBible, and angel investors from OpenAI and DeepMind. With this new funding, the network is embarking on its largest expansion to date.
First launched last October as a two-day-a-week live stream breaking down tech trends, ETN has already accumulated more than 5 million views across X and YouTube. The fresh capital enables the network to move into a large studio in Kings Cross, where prominent London AI startups are based, expand its eight-person team, launch a newsletter, and shift to a five-day-a-week live show schedule starting today. Upcoming guests include Sequoia partner George Robson and former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The new five-day format runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. UK time, breaking down trending stories before dedicating two hours to guest interviews and discussions. Chambers noted they plan to introduce debates, roundtables, and Shark Tank-style pitching sessions. ETN has rapidly become a must-visit press tour stop for European startups, hosting founders from Synthesia, Legora, Granola, and Kanishka Narayan, the UK’s first AI Minister, alongside visiting American investors from firms like Andreessen Horowitz.
The rapid rise of ETN highlights a broader shift in tech journalism where real-time, personality-driven live streaming is outpacing traditional media cadence. By bridging the gap between fast-moving venture capital cycles and accessible public discourse, platforms like ETN create an interactive town hall for founders, investors, and policymakers that legacy outlets struggle to replicate at the same velocity.
"ETN was born out of a gaping hole in the industry. It’s centered around pace."
Ronan Chambers
Chambers told TechCrunch that the UK's legacy media ecosystem fails to keep up with the breakneck speed of the local tech scene. Dealroom data shows London startups have raised $14.7 billion so far this year, with six companies securing over $500 million each: Wayve, Superintelligence, ElevenLabs, Recursive, Ineffable Intelligence, and Isomorphic Labs. Monetizing primarily through ads, ETN is already backed by high-profile sponsors such as Polymarket, Base, and ElevenLabs.
Source: TechCrunch
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