Tom Nugent

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

Sovereignty comes to pan-European spinout event Stage Two
Features
October 26, 2026
Sovereignty comes to pan-European spinout event Stage Two
The annual Berlin shindig sees academic founders from across the continent pitching their ideas to VCs
Tom Nugent
Nvidia funds European startups. They spend it on Nvidia
Pro
Analysis
October 23, 2026
Nvidia funds European startups. They spend it on Nvidia
The chip giant's latest European shopping spree saw it tour London, Stockholm, Paris and Berlin
Federico Scolari, Freya Pratty, Tom Nugent, Anne Sraders and Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Yann LeCun and Arthur Mensch back Zurich robotics startup in $30m pre-seed
News
October 22, 2026
Yann LeCun and Arthur Mensch back Zurich robotics startup in $30m pre-seed
Enact Intelligence, cofounded by a 1X and Physical Intelligence alum, has raised Switzerland’s largest ever pre-seed round
Tom Nugent
What Europe’s spinouts need to capitalise on deeptech boom: patient capital, customer obsession and support for female founders
Analysis
October 15, 2026
What Europe’s spinouts need to capitalise on deeptech boom: patient capital, customer obsession and support for female founders
Europe’s academic founders have been a magnet for VC capital this year
Tom Nugent
Stryker to invest $400m in CMR Surgical, with option to buy it outright
News
October 12, 2026
Stryker to invest $400m in CMR Surgical, with option to buy it outright
The listed medtech will act as exclusive US sales agent for CMR’s robot-assisted surgery system
Tom Nugent
UK looks to ban non-competes to stop ‘drag on innovation’
News
October 9, 2026
UK looks to ban non-competes to stop ‘drag on innovation’
The move follows lobbying by some of the UK’s most valuable AI companies
Tom Nugent
Ex-OpenAI robotics lead’s factory startup in insolvency proceedings
Pro
Exclusive
October 9, 2026
Ex-OpenAI robotics lead’s factory startup in insolvency proceedings
German startup Daedalus was founded in 2024 by former OpenAI technical lead Jonas Schneider
Tom Nugent
Inside the London startup turning veterans, Amazon alumni and an ex-VC into factory owners
Pro
Interview
October 9, 2026
Inside the London startup turning veterans, Amazon alumni and an ex-VC into factory owners
Automated manufacturing startup Isembard recently opened what it says is the largest factory in the UK capital since the second world war
Tom Nugent
Slush names inaugural list of 20 tech talents under 20
Exclusive
October 7, 2026
Slush names inaugural list of 20 tech talents under 20
Helsinki tech event’s first Slush 20U20 list of Europe’s most talented youngsters building the next generation of tech companies includes Lovable alumni, a NASA engineer and Thiel fellow
Tom Nugent
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

Tom Nugent

Sovereignty comes to pan-European spinout event Stage Two

Nvidia funds European startups. They spend it on Nvidia

Yann LeCun and Arthur Mensch back Zurich robotics startup in $30m pre-seed

What Europe’s spinouts need to capitalise on deeptech boom: patient capital, customer obsession and support for female founders

Stryker to invest $400m in CMR Surgical, with option to buy it outright

UK looks to ban non-competes to stop ‘drag on innovation’

Ex-OpenAI robotics lead’s factory startup in insolvency proceedings

Inside the London startup turning veterans, Amazon alumni and an ex-VC into factory owners

Slush names inaugural list of 20 tech talents under 20

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