# Sifted data

Go big and go abroad: Europe’s startups are expanding internationally as early as seed

13 early-stage deeptech startups Tier 1 VCs backed in H1 2026

Some of the continent’s most active investors backed companies tackling problems once considered too complicated

AI, dual use and spacetech: the new stars of debt funding

The sectors with the most momentum heading into H2

Sifted dug into the data to discover the hottest sectors across Europe in the first half of 2026

European rounds are getting bigger, but fewer companies are closing them

Every median value for every round has increased for each of the past three comparable years, but dealcount's down for many rounds.

Europe’s leading tech hubs by deal activity in H1 2026

Capital and specialisation are driving new (and smaller) European tech hubs

The sovereign capital, global chipmakers and serial investors behind Europe’s new unicorns 

Out of more than 300 investors, only 25 have invested in two or more new unicorn.

The 25 companies Europe’s startup insiders watched most closely in H1

Sifted Pro readership data reveals which European startups and scaleups investors, corporates and advisers were monitoring most actively in H1

One unicorn a week: Europe's new model for billion-dollar startups

Europe is minting unicorns again: younger, faster to $1bn and clustered around AI-native bets

H1’s biggest M&A deals

A look back at European exits so far this year

European deeptech investment hits annual record in just six months

European deeptech startups and scaleups have enjoyed a funding bonanza

Records broken as eight European startups raised $1bn+ rounds in 2026

$1bn+ rounds support scaling for Europe’s key AI companies

Series D funding rises 308% in first half of 2026

From Wayve to ElevenLabs, Europe's biggest scaleups are raising bigger rounds as AI reshapes the continent's funding landscape

Want to announce your funding round? Avoid Tuesdays at all cost

Analysis of 14k+ European funding announcements shows startups crowd into the middle of the week — making Tuesday the hardest day to stand out

Mistral, Oura, Helsing: The top 20 deals of 2025

The €1.7bn deal that kept Europe on the AI map — and other mega raises of the year

These 33 robot startups raised over €10m in Europe this year

AI advances have led to surge of interest in the field

European tech’s 2025 in data: VC funding reaches its third-best year on record

Europe’s top eight tech hubs all record year-on-year funding growth, as AI investment jumps 161%

The European startups which became unicorns in 2025

27 new unicorns pranced onto the European tech stage this year — a post Covid milestone

The European startups that turned a profit this year

Swinging to profitability remains a rare achievement for any startup

2025 equity funding surpasses 2024

AI and late-stage momentum revive Europe’s funding market, despite a drop in deal count

Europe breaks records across AI, defence and quantum in Q3

Dealmaking spiked in Q3, with seven new unicorns and two jumbo AI raises

H1’s biggest M&A deals

A recap on what’s hot in European exits so far this year

Startup funding in Paris drops a third in H1 2025

Sifted data for the first six months of the year shows significant decline in funding levels and deal count

Fintech funding lags deeptech, health and B2B SaaS in H1 2025

Bright spots in crypto and payments offer some respite for the sector