Tom Nugent

Tom Nugent is Sifted’s managing editor. He covers robotics, chips and university spinouts. Follow him on X and LinkedIn

RobCo hits unicorn valuation in employee share sale
News
October 5, 2026
RobCo hits unicorn valuation in employee share sale
The German robotics startup doubled its valuation from earlier in the year as it sets sights on further US expansion
Tom Nugent
Five key takeaways from Sifted Summit 2026
List
October 5, 2026
Five key takeaways from Sifted Summit 2026
Last week, London saw hundreds of Europe's tech ecosystem descend on Shoreditch for the fifth annual edition of Sifted Summit
Anisah Osman Britton and Tom Nugent
Sifted Summit day two: dispatch
Analysis
October 2, 2026
Sifted Summit day two: dispatch
Sifted's annual event is our litmus test for where European tech is heading in the coming 12 months
Tom Nugent
The VCs that could run the UK’s £1bn Scale-Up Fund
Pro
Analysis
September 30, 2026
The VCs that could run the UK’s £1bn Scale-Up Fund
From Octopus Ventures to Molten Ventures, here are the investors that could land the mandate to manage the pot
Anne Sraders, Tom Nugent and Freya Pratty
Northern Gritstone CEO: Exiting to US acquirers isn’t a failure
Pro
Interview
September 24, 2026
Northern Gritstone CEO: Exiting to US acquirers isn’t a failure
Duncan Johnson talks scaling the north of England tech ecosystem, Gritstone’s new San Francisco office and why portfolio exits are coming
Tom Nugent
New solo GP firm backing early-stage AI and deeptech startups hits first close of maiden fund
Pro
Exclusive
September 21, 2026
New solo GP firm backing early-stage AI and deeptech startups hits first close of maiden fund
Project Ventures, founded by Shahryar Barati, will back pre-seed and seed startups with ties to Imperial College London
Tom Nugent
‘We are in a land grab moment’: Lexroom CEO on the race to buy up legaltechs
Pro
Interview
September 14, 2026
‘We are in a land grab moment’: Lexroom CEO on the race to buy up legaltechs
The Italian legal AI startup has just acquired its first two companies
Tom Nugent
The DeepMind mafia building startups in Europe
Pro
Founder factories
September 9, 2026
The DeepMind mafia building startups in Europe
Google’s AI lab has had a big impact on the tech world, with countless staff branching out to launch their own ventures
Tom Nugent
Exclusive: Mistral robotics chief seeks €200m for new startup
Pro
Exclusive
September 9, 2026
Exclusive: Mistral robotics chief seeks €200m for new startup
French AI scaleup Mistral launched its own robotics business unit last year
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet, Tom Nugent and Freya Pratty
Exclusive: Legaltech Lexroom seals first two M&A deals four months after $50m Series B
Pro
Exclusive
September 8, 2026
Exclusive: Legaltech Lexroom seals first two M&A deals four months after $50m Series B
Legal and privacy tech startups in Europe have already raised €1.1bn across 73 deals year to date
Tom Nugent
UK government seeks fund manager for £150m northern scaleup fund
News
September 7, 2026
UK government seeks fund manager for £150m northern scaleup fund
The fund, which will come from money already allocated to the British Business Bank, will provide investments of £5m-15m to companies in the north of England
Tom Nugent
VCs rejoice as UK government rules out spinout exit tax
Pro
News
September 3, 2026
VCs rejoice as UK government rules out spinout exit tax
Reports had suggested an incoming levy on university spinouts that move abroad
Tom Nugent
Nvidia backs Spanish spinout IPronics in $125m Series B
News
September 2, 2026
Nvidia backs Spanish spinout IPronics in $125m Series B
The company will use the funding to scale operations and increase commercial deployment
Tom Nugent
Just three deals make up almost half of all VC funding in Germany this year
Pro
Sifted data
August 28, 2026
Just three deals make up almost half of all VC funding in Germany this year
More than a third of all German VC funding since Sifted started tracking in 2024 has gone to just 10 companies
Tom Nugent and Jonathan Sinclair
The 10 robotics startups that raised the biggest rounds in H1 2026
Pro
Sifted data
August 25, 2026
The 10 robotics startups that raised the biggest rounds in H1 2026
Robotics startups in Europe raised more in H1 2026 than the previous two years combined. Here are the big hitters
Tom Nugent
All the decacorns in Europe: listed
Pro
List
August 21, 2026
All the decacorns in Europe: listed
Europe’s cohort of $10bn+ startups is growing rapidly, with companies reaching the milestone quicker than ever before
Tom Nugent
Record number of CVCs making repeat bets on European robotics
Pro
Sifted data
August 21, 2026
Record number of CVCs making repeat bets on European robotics
Chipmakers and AI infrastructure players are leading the activity, according to Sifted data
Tom Nugent and Jonathan Sinclair
UK chip startup Fractile in talks to raise at $6.5bn valuation, reports say
News
August 20, 2026
UK chip startup Fractile in talks to raise at $6.5bn valuation, reports say
The company, headed up by CEO Walter Goodwin, last raised $220m in May from Founders Fund and Accel
Tom Nugent
UK spinout investor Northern Gritstone to open San Francisco office
News
August 14, 2026
UK spinout investor Northern Gritstone to open San Francisco office
The north of England investor launched in 2021 and backs spinouts from the universities of Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool
Tom Nugent
European robotics startups raised more in six months than past two years combined
Pro
Sifted data
August 4, 2026
European robotics startups raised more in six months than past two years combined
Neura Robotics's €1.2bn raise gives continent biggest ever half for robotics funding
Tom Nugent
James Dacombe’s Olix raises at $3.3bn valuation
News
August 3, 2026
James Dacombe’s Olix raises at $3.3bn valuation
The 25-year-old’s company has tripled its valuation to $3.3bn since it raised $220m in February this year
Tom Nugent
Why European VCs are quietly cheering the chip rout
Pro
Analysis
July 30, 2026
Why European VCs are quietly cheering the chip rout
The chip rout could put more emphasis on next-generation chip design and architecture, say investors
Freya Pratty and Tom Nugent
9 neocloud startups to watch, according to investors
Pro
Investor survey
July 23, 2026
9 neocloud startups to watch, according to investors
Investors from Episode 1 Ventures, Giant Ventures, Oldenburg Capital Partners, Northzone and Antler share their picks of the neocloud startups to watch
Tom Nugent
Exclusive: Aramco in talks to back Humanoid at unicorn valuation
Pro
Exclusive
July 15, 2026
Exclusive: Aramco in talks to back Humanoid at unicorn valuation
Humanoid is working on two robots: one for industrial use cases, and one for people to have in their homes
Freya Pratty and Tom Nugent

Tom Nugent

RobCo hits unicorn valuation in employee share sale

Five key takeaways from Sifted Summit 2026

Sifted Summit day two: dispatch

The VCs that could run the UK’s £1bn Scale-Up Fund

Northern Gritstone CEO: Exiting to US acquirers isn’t a failure

New solo GP firm backing early-stage AI and deeptech startups hits first close of maiden fund

‘We are in a land grab moment’: Lexroom CEO on the race to buy up legaltechs

The DeepMind mafia building startups in Europe

Exclusive: Mistral robotics chief seeks €200m for new startup

Exclusive: Legaltech Lexroom seals first two M&A deals four months after $50m Series B

UK government seeks fund manager for £150m northern scaleup fund

VCs rejoice as UK government rules out spinout exit tax

Nvidia backs Spanish spinout IPronics in $125m Series B

Just three deals make up almost half of all VC funding in Germany this year

The 10 robotics startups that raised the biggest rounds in H1 2026

All the decacorns in Europe: listed

Record number of CVCs making repeat bets on European robotics

UK chip startup Fractile in talks to raise at $6.5bn valuation, reports say

UK spinout investor Northern Gritstone to open San Francisco office

European robotics startups raised more in six months than past two years combined

James Dacombe’s Olix raises at $3.3bn valuation

Why European VCs are quietly cheering the chip rout

9 neocloud startups to watch, according to investors

Exclusive: Aramco in talks to back Humanoid at unicorn valuation