Startups are usually told as tales of product-market fit, VC rounds and billion-euro exits. But beneath the headlines lie human stories: the founder stretching payroll another month, the team weathering their third pivot, the CEO hearing “no” for the twentieth time.
That’s resilience. Not the buzzword, but the quality that’s kept Europe’s startup ecosystem alive through a financial crisis, a pandemic, a war on its doorstep and the recent venture capital slowdown.
Each challenge has demanded more than grit. It has required founders and teams to adapt, reinvent and sometimes start again.
And while “resilience” has lately become a trendy word in sectors like climate tech and defence — shorthand for national security and planetary survival — for founders it’s nothing new.
Europe’s entrepreneurs have been stress-testing their resilience for years. What’s changing now is that the rest of the world is catching up to how vital that quality really is.
Talking honestly matters
That is the conversation we want to have at this year’s Sifted Summit, our flagship event happening on Wednesday and Thursday this week (8-9 October). Yes, there will be discussions about emerging technologies, sector trends and the next big funding rounds. But the heart of the Summit is about people: the founders, the operators and the teams who carry their companies forward against the odds.
That means talking about the parts of entrepreneurship that rarely make it into glossy narratives.
Take burnout. Sifted found more than half (54%) of founders said they experienced burnout in the past 12 months, with 75% reporting anxiety in that period. Everyone knows a founder who’s hit the wall, but no one wants to admit it. That’s why we’ve built a panel on spotting it early — and stopping it before it sinks you.
Or failure: another taboo. PwC found that in the UK in 2024, startups accounted for 46% of all insolvencies. So at the Summit, we’ve got an intimate roundtable on what happens when you mess up and how you come back from it.
“Company building is a long, demanding game. There will be incredibly tough periods along the way, and the journey can take its toll on even the best founders,” says Leah Sutton, chief portfolio talent officer at Balderton Capital and one of the speakers at this year’s Sifted Summit. “Building resilience isn’t just about avoiding burnout — it’s about equipping yourself with the tools and techniques to stay sharp, focused and creative when it matters most. That’s a competitive edge that not everyone can master.”
Building resilience isn’t just about avoiding burnout — it’s about equipping yourself with the tools and techniques to stay sharp, focused and creative when it matters most.
We’ll also get real about the pressure that comes with scaling. Growing headcount, raising bigger rounds, expanding into new markets — all while investors expect you to keep the numbers climbing, against a backdrop where European startup funding dropped by 11.5% in H1 compared to 2024. That’s a heavy load for any CEO. Our new Scaleup CxO series, specifically designed for C-suite executives, will explore how leaders actually cope, while our Startup Life LIVE stage will bring to life Sifted’s popular weekly newsletter, covering hiring, fundraising and scaling in the era of AI.
Resilience isn’t a buzzword
It’s tempting to think resilience is only needed in crisis years. But today, it’s proving to be a competitive advantage. Capital is tighter, the AI hype cycle is wild and geopolitical uncertainty looms.
Shing Lo, partner at Latham & Watkins, Sifted Summit’s headline partner, notes that resilience has become one of Europe’s calling cards. “Investors were saying, ‘we’ve got to go back to the fundamentals,’ and a lot of startups have been doing that,” she says. “Companies are focusing on sustainable growth, the need to generate more healthy revenue and hitting profitability.”
After years of firefighting, many operators are stretched thin, but the next generation of startups is finding healthier ways to sustain resilience.
“At the end of the day, healthy founders make better decisions, lead with more creativity and are able to sustain the pace required to build generational companies,” says Sutton.
Ultimately, Europe’s startup ecosystem is being shaped not just by technology or funding, but by the people behind it — their creativity, adaptability and determination. Resilience is no longer just a survival skill, it’s a foundation for innovation, sustainable growth and long-term success — and a lesson the wider world is watching closely.
Agree or disagree? Buy your ticket for Sifted Summit here and join the conversation.
