Sifted | Telling the untold stories of European startups

Sex in the office? Or a crude publicity stunt?

The chairman of a dating app was seemingly trying to apologise to staff for a "sexual incident" at the office. But it went out to the wrong list.

Analysis | Travel | 18 Sep

Not all European travel startups are totally screwed

Amidst all the doom and gloom, some travel startups have begun to get back on their feet — and a few have even doing better than ever.

News | Hiring and workforce | 18 Sep

Coronavirus exposed bias in hiring and one startup wants to change it

The pandemic exposed the bias of face-to-face recruitment, and spurred companies on to look for alternatives.

Opinion | Gaming | 19 Sep

Investment in games and esports zooms but will the party last? Er, yes.

The coronavirus lockdown minted a whole new set of gamers and VCs are more interested in gaming startups than ever. This is not going away.

Analysis | Healthtech | 17 Sep

Digital doctor consultations: what happens next?

A true digital healthcare revolution will take a lot more than a boom in video consultations with doctors.

News | Quantum | 17 Sep

Finally a way to make money out of quantum: selling randomness

Banks, casinos and insurance companies are willing to pay big bucks for genuine randomness. CQC's quantum software promises to provide it on tap.

News | Agriculture | 17 Sep

Vertical farming startup Infarm raises $170m

The investment brings the urban farming company's funding total to $300m so far.

Opinion | Investment | 17 Sep

Startups, you need to be “crisis proof”

When behaviour changes suddenly and indefinitely, crisis-proof companies are required.

Diversity

Eight top female startup investors to know in Eastern Europe

Leading female investors in the CEE region discuss the role of female founders, and what more can be done to improve the gender balance

Stop making the business case for diversity

Asking for 'proof' that diversity makes business sense is problematic. When was the last time anyone asked for proof that white men make good CEOs?

Being the only black person in the room

“When someone is racist or discriminatory, call them out. Every single time.”

Mobility

Mobility in 2040 — smart cities and slow culture

Spark Works asked 76 experts to predict how the world would move in 20 years. The results were surprising

Photo of a hand holding up the Omio app in a street.

Omio raises $100m in Europe’s biggest travel round of 2020

Berlin-based travel unicorn Omio has raised a $100m convertible note to keep it moving — even if Europe's travellers aren't.

Photo of Martynas Gudonavičius, CEO of Trafi

Has Trafi cracked mobility-as-a-service where others have failed?

With a new Series B fundraise, partnerships in Berlin, Switzerland and Latin America, and deals with Google, Apple, Lyft and Gojek, Trafi is the MaaS startup to watch.

Analysis | Fintech | 17 Sep

Why Israeli fintechs are becoming a hot prize for investors — and big banks

Israeli fintech startups are tapping into the country's cybersecurity prowess and are prepped to go global

News | Food | 16 Sep

Glovo sells Latin American operations to Delivery Hero

Spanish on-demand delivery startup Glovo has sold its Latin American operations to competitor Delivery Hero in a deal worth up to €230m.

Gravity Sketch founders Oluwaseyi Sosanya and Daniela Paredes

News | Creative and Education | 16 Sep

Virtual reality design platform Gravity Sketch secures £2.9m funding

The investment is the latest into the growing European digital design market, an industry estimated to be worth $10bn by 2022

News | Transport | 16 Sep

A German startup has bought a chunk of Uber

Sennder acquires Uber’s European freight business, making Uber a minority stakeholder in the startup

A photo of Voodoo founders Alexandre Yazdi and Laurent Ritter

Analysis | Government | 16 Sep

“Unicorns, who cares?”, French founders tell Macron

There’s a shift in focus from asking for state funding to eyeing business from government contracts.

Interview | Deeptech | 16 Sep

Meet Adeyemi Ajao — the man who took on Zuckerberg

Adeyemi Ajao, one of Spain’s most prolific entrepreneurs, sat down with Sifted to talk social media, big data and how to fix Spain’s innovation problems

News | Healthtech | 16 Sep

Patient capital for patient care

Another health veteran turns investor to change the European investment scene

Coronavirus

The EU Recovery Fund: a €750bn make-or-break moment for southern Europe

Southern Europe is about to spend an unprecedented amount of money on its Covid-19 recovery — but how can it avoid the pain of the last crash?

European fintechs have raised over $3bn since lockdown began, but where’s that money gone?

Consumer apps and insurtechs have dominated fintech investment in recent months

CEE investors pick potential winners in a post-Covid world

The central and eastern European companies and trends that investors think could thrive in the new global landscape.

Startups

Sex in the office? Or a crude publicity stunt?

The chairman of a dating app was seemingly trying to apologise to staff for a "sexual incident" at the office. But it went out to the wrong list.

Not all European travel startups are totally screwed

Amidst all the doom and gloom, some travel startups have begun to get back on their feet — and a few have even doing better than ever.

Glovo sells Latin American operations to Delivery Hero

Spanish on-demand delivery startup Glovo has sold its Latin American operations to competitor Delivery Hero in a deal worth up to €230m.

News | Venture Capital | 16 Sep

What really makes one new VC fund different from the next?

Having more than just a snazzy pitch deck, thinks new VC fundraising tool Betterfront.

Analysis | Femtech | 15 Sep

List: Europe’s top femtech startups 2020

From CBD to saliva — these are the 22 femtech startups to know.

News | Fintech | 15 Sep

Klarna becomes Europe’s most valuable fintech after raising at $11bn valuation

Klarna has raised $650m with a post-money valuation of $10.65bn, making the Swedish company by far the most valuable fintech in Europe.

News | Agriculture | 15 Sep

Cannabis farm backed by British Lord raises £1.6m

AVIDA Global plan to sell medicinal cannabis to pharmaceutical companies around the globe

Opinion | Corporate Innovation | 15 Sep

Three ways to de-risk corporate-startup innovation

Volvo, Samsung and BNP Paribas can teach us some novel ways to innovate faster on tighter budgets.

News | Government | 15 Sep

An evening with Macron: flattery and a €7bn startups pledge

Macron hosted startups at his presidential palace to detail a plan to spend €7bn on digital. AI, cybersecurity and quantum are priorities, he said.

News | Computing | 14 Sep

Cofounder warns Arm takeover by Nvidia would be a “disaster”

Hermann Hauser said the take-over would mean job losses in the UK and give American company Nvidia a monopoly

Analysis | Fintech | 14 Sep

There’s a new wave of challenger banks looming, and profitability is on their mind

As losses soar at digital banks, a new generation of consumer fintechs are trying a radically different business approach

Interview | Food | 14 Sep

Future foods are not made of plants — they are made of air

How Solar Foods is leading the food tech wave for the 20’s

News | Fintech | 14 Sep

German fintech backed by Peter Thiel taken down by coronavirus

Coronavirus laws in Spain and Poland spell the end for Monedo, once a leading digital credit provider

Opinion | Venture Capital | 14 Sep

Startups: call out bad investor behaviour

It's scary — but it needs to be done.

Manuel Silva Martinez, head of Santander Innoventures

News | Venture Capital | 11 Sep

Santander spins out investment arm to get in on the best deals

Newly-named Mouro Capital will have double the funding — $400m — to make faster and bolder investments in fintech-related startups.

Analysis | Fintech | 11 Sep

European fintechs are dipping their toes into Asia — but it’s not for the faint hearted

European fintechs are now eyeing central and south-east Asia as their global hubs. Can they crack it?

News | Startup Life | 10 Sep

The Amsterdam tech sector is now worth €73bn

The Dutch capital's tech sector has seen a seven-fold increase in value in the past five years.

Opinion | Healthtech | 10 Sep

Some healthtech is failing — and that’s a major sign of progress

Not every new drug works first time; we shouldn't expect healthtech to either.

News | Flying Cars | 10 Sep

Lilium finds its first flying taxi hubs

You'll soon be able to catch a flying taxi from these two airports

Interview | Startup Life | 9 Sep

Eight-time founder: “Don’t do what I did”

The cofounder of Kry is calling for a change in focus for startups

News | Venture Capital | 9 Sep

Dawn Capital raises $400m fund for B2B startups

100% of Dawn’s backers have reinvested into this fund, which is almost double the size of the firm’s last.

Sex in the office? Or a crude publicity stunt?

Not all European travel startups are totally screwed

Coronavirus exposed bias in hiring and one startup wants to change it

Investment in games and esports zooms but will the party last? Er, yes.

Digital doctor consultations: what happens next?

Finally a way to make money out of quantum: selling randomness

Vertical farming startup Infarm raises $170m

Startups, you need to be “crisis proof”

Eight top female startup investors to know in Eastern Europe

Stop making the business case for diversity

Being the only black person in the room

Mobility in 2040 — smart cities and slow culture

Omio raises $100m in Europe’s biggest travel round of 2020

Has Trafi cracked mobility-as-a-service where others have failed?

Why Israeli fintechs are becoming a hot prize for investors — and big banks

Glovo sells Latin American operations to Delivery Hero

Virtual reality design platform Gravity Sketch secures £2.9m funding

A German startup has bought a chunk of Uber

“Unicorns, who cares?”, French founders tell Macron

Meet Adeyemi Ajao — the man who took on Zuckerberg

Patient capital for patient care

The EU Recovery Fund: a €750bn make-or-break moment for southern Europe

European fintechs have raised over $3bn since lockdown began, but where’s that money gone?

CEE investors pick potential winners in a post-Covid world

Sex in the office? Or a crude publicity stunt?

Not all European travel startups are totally screwed

Glovo sells Latin American operations to Delivery Hero

What really makes one new VC fund different from the next?

List: Europe’s top femtech startups 2020

Klarna becomes Europe’s most valuable fintech after raising at $11bn valuation

Cannabis farm backed by British Lord raises £1.6m

Three ways to de-risk corporate-startup innovation

An evening with Macron: flattery and a €7bn startups pledge

Cofounder warns Arm takeover by Nvidia would be a “disaster”

There’s a new wave of challenger banks looming, and profitability is on their mind

Future foods are not made of plants — they are made of air

German fintech backed by Peter Thiel taken down by coronavirus

Startups: call out bad investor behaviour

Santander spins out investment arm to get in on the best deals

European fintechs are dipping their toes into Asia — but it’s not for the faint hearted

The Amsterdam tech sector is now worth €73bn

Some healthtech is failing — and that’s a major sign of progress

Lilium finds its first flying taxi hubs

Eight-time founder: “Don’t do what I did”

Dawn Capital raises $400m fund for B2B startups

Capitalists aren’t always the bad guys

20 Spanish healthtech companies to watch

Getting away from the office — for €500,000

Impact investors to know in Europe

Top 25 healthtech influencers to follow on Twitter