Tom Nugent

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

Peter Sarlin’s NestAI wants to help Europe reduce reliance on foreign models for defence
Interview
July 14, 2026
Peter Sarlin’s NestAI wants to help Europe reduce reliance on foreign models for defence
The startup is launching AI models for defence it says will help Europe own and control its own tech, reducing reliance on foreign providers
Tom Nugent
Exclusive: Defence tech Project Q lands €15m Series A 11 months after last raise
Pro
Exclusive
July 14, 2026
Exclusive: Defence tech Project Q lands €15m Series A 11 months after last raise
Expeditions led the round, which also included German defence specialist Hensoldt and VC Heliad
Tom Nugent
Europe’s newest defence unicorn raises $175m Series B
News
July 9, 2026
Europe’s newest defence unicorn raises $175m Series B
Kraken Technology Group designs and manufactures maritime technologies and vehicles for coastal security
Tom Nugent
World Fund, IQ Capital among backers of €91m QuantumDiamonds round
News
July 9, 2026
World Fund, IQ Capital among backers of €91m QuantumDiamonds round
The Munich-based company builds semiconductor-inspection equipment to improve yield production for global chipmakers
Tom Nugent
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
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
Self-driving scaleup Wayve set to test LSE’s Pisces
News
July 1, 2026
Self-driving scaleup Wayve set to test LSE’s Pisces
London hopes its new private markets platform can help stem the flow of UK companies floating abroad
Tom Nugent
Ex-Speedinvest partner Rick Hao closes $50m solo GP fund for deeptech startups
Pro
Exclusive
July 1, 2026
Ex-Speedinvest partner Rick Hao closes $50m solo GP fund for deeptech startups
Ruya Ventures will invest in startups working on everything from batteries and semiconductors to robotics, AI and novel compute
Tom Nugent
21 spinouts to watch, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
July 1, 2026
21 spinouts to watch, according to VCs
Built on research in strategically important areas, homegrown spinouts offers VCs a route into Europe’s growing tech sovereignty ecosystem
Tom Nugent
Startups and VCs divided over UK’s long-awaited defence investment plan
Pro
Analysis
July 1, 2026
Startups and VCs divided over UK’s long-awaited defence investment plan
Some of Europe's top drone startups are eagerly awaiting more UK defence spending
Anne Sraders and Tom Nugent
DeepMind handpicked this startup for its robotics accelerator. Now it’s raised an $11.7m seed round
Pro
Exclusive
June 24, 2026
DeepMind handpicked this startup for its robotics accelerator. Now it’s raised an $11.7m seed round
Acumino builds robot models for dexterous tasks in industrial automation and is looking to scale the number of deployments it has with customers
Tom Nugent
Andy Burnham was Manchester tech’s ‘hype man’. Will he be the same for Britain?
Pro
Analysis
June 23, 2026
Andy Burnham was Manchester tech’s ‘hype man’. Will he be the same for Britain?
Over the past decade, Andy Burnham has overseen one of Europe’s fastest-growing tech hubs as mayor of Greater Manchester
Tom Nugent and Martin Coulter
CuspAI to hit $2.6bn valuation with backing from Jeff Bezos, reports say
News
June 17, 2026
CuspAI to hit $2.6bn valuation with backing from Jeff Bezos, reports say
The new round would more than quadruple the UK startup’s valuation from September last year
Tom Nugent
10 legaltechs to watch in Europe, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
June 12, 2026
10 legaltechs to watch in Europe, according to VCs
The legaltech sector in Europe is capturing a lot of VC attention, driven by a cohort of companies using AI to disrupt one of our oldest professions
Tom Nugent
Google DeepMind chose these startups for its first robotics accelerator
Pro
List
June 10, 2026
Google DeepMind chose these startups for its first robotics accelerator
The companies will get three months of mentorship and technical support building AI into their core products
Tom Nugent
Startup founders we’d send to win the World Cup
Analysis
June 10, 2026
Startup founders we’d send to win the World Cup
With some big calls and controversial omissions, we pulled together a fantasy football team for European tech
Éanna Kelly, Tom Nugent, Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Martin Coulter
UK AI Hardware Plan ‘significant step’ forward, but missing key energy question
Pro
News
June 9, 2026
UK AI Hardware Plan ‘significant step’ forward, but missing key energy question
The AI Hardware Plan sets out how the government will back British companies developing chips and semiconductor technologies
Tom Nugent
All the decacorns in Europe: listed
Pro
List
June 9, 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
The most active legaltech investors in Europe
Pro
Most active investors
May 25, 2026
The most active legaltech investors in Europe
Investors including General Catalyst, Y Combinator, Benchmark and Balderton are piling into one of European tech’s buzziest sectors
Tom Nugent
Investors continue to pile into AI legaltech as Lexroom raises $50m Series B
Pro
Exclusive
May 19, 2026
Investors continue to pile into AI legaltech as Lexroom raises $50m Series B
The startup has developed an AI platform it says is used by more than 8,000 law firms and corporate legal teams
Tom Nugent
The DeepMind mafia building startups in Europe
Pro
Founder factories
May 18, 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
Euan Blair’s Multiverse boosts valuation with $70m fundraise
News
May 15, 2026
Euan Blair’s Multiverse boosts valuation with $70m fundraise
The workforce training unicorn hasn’t raised capital since 2022
Tom Nugent
The hottest cities for robotics deals in Europe
Pro
List
May 11, 2026
The hottest cities for robotics deals in Europe
Equity investment into European robotics startups more than doubled in 2025, reaching €1.45bn
Tom Nugent
Can’t code? This startup just raised $9m to make you a workflow automation genius
Exclusive
May 7, 2026
Can’t code? This startup just raised $9m to make you a workflow automation genius
A roster of high-profile angels including ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski and Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen were among the investors
Tom Nugent

Tom Nugent

Peter Sarlin’s NestAI wants to help Europe reduce reliance on foreign models for defence

Exclusive: Defence tech Project Q lands €15m Series A 11 months after last raise

Europe’s newest defence unicorn raises $175m Series B

World Fund, IQ Capital among backers of €91m QuantumDiamonds round

Mapped: the AI labs taking over King’s Cross

Anthropic release puts science startups on the defensive

Self-driving scaleup Wayve set to test LSE’s Pisces

Ex-Speedinvest partner Rick Hao closes $50m solo GP fund for deeptech startups

21 spinouts to watch, according to VCs

Startups and VCs divided over UK’s long-awaited defence investment plan

DeepMind handpicked this startup for its robotics accelerator. Now it’s raised an $11.7m seed round

Andy Burnham was Manchester tech’s ‘hype man’. Will he be the same for Britain?

CuspAI to hit $2.6bn valuation with backing from Jeff Bezos, reports say

10 legaltechs to watch in Europe, according to VCs

Google DeepMind chose these startups for its first robotics accelerator

Startup founders we’d send to win the World Cup

UK AI Hardware Plan ‘significant step’ forward, but missing key energy question

All the decacorns in Europe: listed

The most active legaltech investors in Europe

Investors continue to pile into AI legaltech as Lexroom raises $50m Series B

The DeepMind mafia building startups in Europe

Euan Blair’s Multiverse boosts valuation with $70m fundraise

The hottest cities for robotics deals in Europe

Can’t code? This startup just raised $9m to make you a workflow automation genius