# Interview

BlackRock-backed Scalable Capital eyes European listing after securing banking licence
Pro
Interview
October 16, 2025
BlackRock-backed Scalable Capital eyes European listing after securing banking licence
Last month, the Munich-based wealth platform became a bank. An IPO could be on the cards next.
Tom Matsuda
How to get a job at Revolut: ‘Our values aren’t just posters on a wall’
Interview
October 14, 2025
How to get a job at Revolut: ‘Our values aren’t just posters on a wall’
Europe’s biggest neobank has a notoriously intense workplace culture
Tom Matsuda
Isembard CEO’s grand plan to 'trigger a second industrial revolution’
Pro
Interview
October 2, 2025
Isembard CEO’s grand plan to 'trigger a second industrial revolution’
The manufacturing startup aims to reindustrialise Europe as concerns over supply chain resilience bubble up in defence
Anne Sraders
A swim in the Seine with H Company’s new boss, former Palantir exec Gautier Cloix
Interview
September 29, 2025
A swim in the Seine with H Company’s new boss, former Palantir exec Gautier Cloix
The man charged with managing the Paris startup’s lofty expectations isn’t afraid to jump in
Éanna Kelly
Defence startup Auterion founder: ‘It’s a winner takes all’ for drone software
Interview
September 24, 2025
Defence startup Auterion founder: ‘It’s a winner takes all’ for drone software
The US and Germany-based startup just raised $130m to build out its autonomous swarming software for drones
Anne Sraders
OpenAI’s Laura Modiano on the rise of the technical founder-CEO
Pro
Interview
September 22, 2025
OpenAI’s Laura Modiano on the rise of the technical founder-CEO
Sifted sits down with Modiano to discuss the challenges, cultural shifts and the M&A landscape in Europe’s startup scene
Kai Nicol-Schwarz
Ex-NSSIF and Molten Ventures investors pair up for new defence fund to back Series A and B dual-use tech
Pro
Interview
September 19, 2025
Ex-NSSIF and Molten Ventures investors pair up for new defence fund to back Series A and B dual-use tech
The pair believe that “stage is the biggest gap” in defence right now.
Anne Sraders
'Every person who had money rejected us’: Midas CEO on the journey to raising Turkish fintech’s largest ever round
Interview
September 19, 2025
'Every person who had money rejected us’: Midas CEO on the journey to raising Turkish fintech’s largest ever round
Midas counts investors such as QED and Nik Storonsky’s QuantumLight. But it initially faced difficulties in obtaining funding
Tom Matsuda
Cohere CEO on competing in Europe: ‘We’re happy to pay extremely high salaries’
Interview
September 18, 2025
Cohere CEO on competing in Europe: ‘We’re happy to pay extremely high salaries’
The US and Canada-based startup just announced a new office in Paris as it looks to expand across Europe
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Quantum Systems CEO Florian Seibel: ‘The big challenge is to not become like one of the primes’
Interview
September 1, 2025
Quantum Systems CEO Florian Seibel: ‘The big challenge is to not become like one of the primes’
The German drone maker on the unique innovation environment in Ukraine and what's next
Amy Lewin
How this AI agent startup raised millions with just two full-time employees
Pro
Interview
August 20, 2025
How this AI agent startup raised millions with just two full-time employees
Science Machine is the latest tiny team to raise millions with a super small headcount
Martin Coulter
The ‘vast majority’ of spacetech startups are pivoting to defence
Pro
Interview
August 18, 2025
The ‘vast majority’ of spacetech startups are pivoting to defence
Mark Boggett, CEO of space VC Seraphim Space, says the boom in defence has been a catalyst for space startups
Anne Sraders
Helsing-backer Plural is eyeing ‘mundane’ defence startups
Pro
Interview
August 7, 2025
Helsing-backer Plural is eyeing ‘mundane’ defence startups
Founding partner Sten Tamkivi is eyeing more logistics-oriented startups after the firm’s big bet on AI defence unicorn Helsing
Anne Sraders
Newly-formed VC firm PXN plots ‘golden triangle’ for north of UK
Interview
August 5, 2025
Newly-formed VC firm PXN plots ‘golden triangle’ for north of UK
The newly created £670m PXN Group has is aiming to take on the dominance of London, Oxford and Cambridge in the UK
Tom Nugent
Inside Humanoid’s plan to put a robot in every home
Interview
July 25, 2025
Inside Humanoid’s plan to put a robot in every home
The company is first going after industrial use cases, but aims to start targeting households from the early 2030s
Tom Nugent
Qonto likely to apply for banking licence within the year, says CEO
Interview
July 1, 2025
Qonto likely to apply for banking licence within the year, says CEO
The small business banking unicorn wants to reach millions more customers with a bigger suite of financial services
Amy Lewin
The German family office betting big on Trump’s favourite climate tech
Pro
Interview
June 26, 2025
The German family office betting big on Trump’s favourite climate tech
Underground Ventures, which invests solely in geothermal, is part of a new cohort of ultra-focused climate tech funds
Freya Pratty
Germany’s plan to hit €30bn in VC investments per year
Pro
Interview
June 24, 2025
Germany’s plan to hit €30bn in VC investments per year
KfW CEO Stefan Wintels is on a mission to get more private capital behind his country's high growth startups
Miriam Partington
Gautier Cloix will bring Palantir’s ‘secret sauce’ to H Company after cofounder exodus
Interview
June 20, 2025
Gautier Cloix will bring Palantir’s ‘secret sauce’ to H Company after cofounder exodus
Gautier Cloix spent a decade at US Big Data giant Palantir before taking on the role of CEO at France’s H Company
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
‘Hardware without algorithms is nothing’: IBM quantum lead on partnering with French competitor Pasqal
Pro
Interview
June 18, 2025
‘Hardware without algorithms is nothing’: IBM quantum lead on partnering with French competitor Pasqal
Despite competing on hardware, IBM and Pasqal decided to team up to push the industry forward
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Rob Lacher: 'Defence is the most complex and most interesting space I've seen as a VC'
Interview
June 17, 2025
Rob Lacher: 'Defence is the most complex and most interesting space I've seen as a VC'
Extracts from the Sifted Podcast with the Visionaries Club founding partner
Amy Lewin
How Anthropic is looking to attract top AI talent as it launches ‘aggressive’ European expansion
Pro
Interview
June 12, 2025
How Anthropic is looking to attract top AI talent as it launches ‘aggressive’ European expansion
Sifted speaks to Europe chief Guillaume Princen about the AI company's hiring spree in the region
Kai Nicol-Schwarz
'At Klarna, 99% of people don’t care about the IPO': buy now pay later’s poster child trumpets banking push after delayed listing
Pro
Interview
June 10, 2025
'At Klarna, 99% of people don’t care about the IPO': buy now pay later’s poster child trumpets banking push after delayed listing
Klarna is set to take on some of the world’s largest fintechs as well as traditional finance heavyweights in its consumer banking push
Tom Matsuda
$100m revenue companies growing at 20% is “not what investors are focused on,” says Goldman Sachs
Pro
Interview
May 30, 2025
$100m revenue companies growing at 20% is “not what investors are focused on,” says Goldman Sachs
The average company going public today is valued in the $5-10bn range, compared to $1-2bn a decade ago
Miriam Partington

# Interview

BlackRock-backed Scalable Capital eyes European listing after securing banking licence

How to get a job at Revolut: ‘Our values aren’t just posters on a wall’

Isembard CEO’s grand plan to 'trigger a second industrial revolution’

A swim in the Seine with H Company’s new boss, former Palantir exec Gautier Cloix

Defence startup Auterion founder: ‘It’s a winner takes all’ for drone software

OpenAI’s Laura Modiano on the rise of the technical founder-CEO

Ex-NSSIF and Molten Ventures investors pair up for new defence fund to back Series A and B dual-use tech

'Every person who had money rejected us’: Midas CEO on the journey to raising Turkish fintech’s largest ever round

Cohere CEO on competing in Europe: ‘We’re happy to pay extremely high salaries’

Quantum Systems CEO Florian Seibel: ‘The big challenge is to not become like one of the primes’

How this AI agent startup raised millions with just two full-time employees

The ‘vast majority’ of spacetech startups are pivoting to defence

Helsing-backer Plural is eyeing ‘mundane’ defence startups

Newly-formed VC firm PXN plots ‘golden triangle’ for north of UK

Inside Humanoid’s plan to put a robot in every home

Qonto likely to apply for banking licence within the year, says CEO

The German family office betting big on Trump’s favourite climate tech

Germany’s plan to hit €30bn in VC investments per year

Gautier Cloix will bring Palantir’s ‘secret sauce’ to H Company after cofounder exodus

‘Hardware without algorithms is nothing’: IBM quantum lead on partnering with French competitor Pasqal

Rob Lacher: 'Defence is the most complex and most interesting space I've seen as a VC'

How Anthropic is looking to attract top AI talent as it launches ‘aggressive’ European expansion

'At Klarna, 99% of people don’t care about the IPO': buy now pay later’s poster child trumpets banking push after delayed listing

$100m revenue companies growing at 20% is “not what investors are focused on,” says Goldman Sachs