Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty is Sifted's associate editor. She covers UK tech and leads Sifted's investigations. Follow her on X , LinkedIn and Bluesky

Nscale’s £2bn UK data centre hit by grid delays
News
July 13, 2026
Nscale’s £2bn UK data centre hit by grid delays
Data centre builder in talks with California-based Bloom Energy to power buildout
Freya Pratty
The people set to influence tech policy in Burnham’s Britain
Pro
Analysis
July 13, 2026
The people set to influence tech policy in Burnham’s Britain
Here are the other movers and shakers you should be watching
Freya Pratty
Exclusive: Accel doubles down on energy startup Axle
Pro
Exclusive
July 8, 2026
Exclusive: Accel doubles down on energy startup Axle
Accel's Zhenya Loginov says the firm is eyeing more energy-focused deals
Freya Pratty
Exclusive: Lovable in talks to raise $300m at $13.2bn valuation
Pro
Exclusive
July 8, 2026
Exclusive: Lovable in talks to raise $300m at $13.2bn valuation
Sifted understands US-based Menlo Ventures is set to lead the round
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Freya Pratty
Google backs Proxima Fusion in €411m raise
News
July 7, 2026
Google backs Proxima Fusion in €411m raise
Google has previously said it wants to “send a demand signal to the market for fusion energy”
Freya Pratty
Mapped: the AI labs taking over King’s Cross
Pro
List
July 3, 2026
Mapped: the AI labs taking over King’s Cross
The area is home to a fast-growing cohort of buzzy labs
Freya Pratty and Tom Nugent
Bending Spoons CEO on $18bn IPO: ‘We’re building a legendary institution’
Pro
Interview
July 3, 2026
Bending Spoons CEO on $18bn IPO: ‘We’re building a legendary institution’
Sifted sat down with founder Luca Ferrari and investor Baillie Gifford as the Italian scaleup debuted on the public markets
Martin Coulter and Freya Pratty
Anthropic release puts science startups on the defensive
Pro
Analysis
July 2, 2026
Anthropic release puts science startups on the defensive
The US AI giant has unveiled a new set of tools designed to automate scientific research
Freya Pratty, Éanna Kelly, Martin Coulter and Tom Nugent
EU offers quota deal to end UK-France standoff over €5bn Scaleup fund
Pro
Exclusive
July 2, 2026
EU offers quota deal to end UK-France standoff over €5bn Scaleup fund
The talks follow France’s attempt to block UK participation in the fund
Freya Pratty and Martin Coulter
Exclusive: DeepMind and Gensyn angels back Xylo in £2.8m raise
Pro
Exclusive
July 1, 2026
Exclusive: DeepMind and Gensyn angels back Xylo in £2.8m raise
Govtech is trendy now, say the team behind Xylo, which provides AI agents for planning officers
Freya Pratty
Exclusive: Index to lead investment into Berlin’s Nomos Energy
Pro
Exclusive
June 29, 2026
Exclusive: Index to lead investment into Berlin’s Nomos Energy
Index is known for its bets on Figma and Revolut
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Freya Pratty
Exclusive: France seeks to block UK role in €5bn EU Scaleup fund
Pro
Exclusive
June 29, 2026
Exclusive: France seeks to block UK role in €5bn EU Scaleup fund
Proposed geographical restrictions on investments set to upend months of negotiations
Martin Coulter and Freya Pratty
Berlin’s Peec AI targeting $200m valuation in new fundraise, sources say
Pro
Exclusive
June 26, 2026
Berlin’s Peec AI targeting $200m valuation in new fundraise, sources say
The startup last raised $21m in November
Anne Sraders, Freya Pratty and Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Exclusive: British Business Bank eyes stake in EU’s €5bn Scaleup Fund
Pro
Exclusive
June 25, 2026
Exclusive: British Business Bank eyes stake in EU’s €5bn Scaleup Fund
The UK’s involvement in the superfund now rests on the incoming British prime minister and the European Union
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Freya Pratty
What would Andy Burnham do for UK startups?
Pro
Explainer
June 22, 2026
What would Andy Burnham do for UK startups?
The former Manchester mayor is widely expected to become the country's next prime minister
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Freya Pratty
Revolut, Wise and UiPath-backer Seedcamp raises $320m
Pro
Interview
June 22, 2026
Revolut, Wise and UiPath-backer Seedcamp raises $320m
'We won't back companies that have sovereignty as a sole differentiator,' says Seedcamp
Freya Pratty
Investors bemoan vibe-coded product slop
Pro
Analysis
June 22, 2026
Investors bemoan vibe-coded product slop
'More often than not, you can see that the product has been built in a silo'
Freya Pratty
Legora warns investors against unapproved share trades
Pro
Exclusive
June 19, 2026
Legora warns investors against unapproved share trades
It’s unclear whether Legora would be able to block the transfers
Freya Pratty
America has hit the AI kill switch. How should Europe respond?
Pro
Explainer
June 16, 2026
America has hit the AI kill switch. How should Europe respond?
Anthropic has suspended access to its two most powerful models following an export control directive from the US government. What's next for Europe?
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet, Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Freya Pratty
Why SpaceX IPO could spark a ‘$200bn private markets boom’
Pro
Analysis
June 12, 2026
Why SpaceX IPO could spark a ‘$200bn private markets boom’
“In the medium to long term, the secondary market will see a boost"
Freya Pratty and Anne Sraders
Exclusive: NIF hires ex-EIB investor to run fund of funds programme
Pro
Exclusive
June 12, 2026
Exclusive: NIF hires ex-EIB investor to run fund of funds programme
The role was previously left unfilled after founding partner Thorsten Claus departed in 2024
Anne Sraders and Freya Pratty
Paul Murphy leaves Lightspeed — but plans to keep investing
Pro
News
June 12, 2026
Paul Murphy leaves Lightspeed — but plans to keep investing
Sifted understands Murphy will remain as a Lightspeed venture partner until the end of the year
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Freya Pratty
Continuation fund craze: who really wins when VCs sell to themselves?
Pro
Features
June 11, 2026
Continuation fund craze: who really wins when VCs sell to themselves?
Critics warn continuation funds can introduce conflicts of interest
Freya Pratty
Exclusive: Isar and IQM backer Vsquared opens UK office to bridge London-Munich axis
Pro
Exclusive
June 11, 2026
Exclusive: Isar and IQM backer Vsquared opens UK office to bridge London-Munich axis
The firm wants to link Munich's engineering talent to London's capital markets
Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty

Nscale’s £2bn UK data centre hit by grid delays

The people set to influence tech policy in Burnham’s Britain

Exclusive: Accel doubles down on energy startup Axle

Exclusive: Lovable in talks to raise $300m at $13.2bn valuation

Google backs Proxima Fusion in €411m raise

Mapped: the AI labs taking over King’s Cross

Bending Spoons CEO on $18bn IPO: ‘We’re building a legendary institution’

Anthropic release puts science startups on the defensive

EU offers quota deal to end UK-France standoff over €5bn Scaleup fund

Exclusive: DeepMind and Gensyn angels back Xylo in £2.8m raise

Exclusive: Index to lead investment into Berlin’s Nomos Energy

Exclusive: France seeks to block UK role in €5bn EU Scaleup fund

Berlin’s Peec AI targeting $200m valuation in new fundraise, sources say

Exclusive: British Business Bank eyes stake in EU’s €5bn Scaleup Fund

What would Andy Burnham do for UK startups?

Revolut, Wise and UiPath-backer Seedcamp raises $320m

Investors bemoan vibe-coded product slop

Legora warns investors against unapproved share trades

America has hit the AI kill switch. How should Europe respond?

Why SpaceX IPO could spark a ‘$200bn private markets boom’

Exclusive: NIF hires ex-EIB investor to run fund of funds programme

Paul Murphy leaves Lightspeed — but plans to keep investing

Continuation fund craze: who really wins when VCs sell to themselves?

Exclusive: Isar and IQM backer Vsquared opens UK office to bridge London-Munich axis