# Germany

SoftBank leads $500m round for Agile Robots
News
November 12, 2026
SoftBank leads $500m round for Agile Robots
The Munich-based company has raised around $2bn to date as the humanoid race heats up
Tom Nugent
Accel leads $30m Series A for spatial AI defence startup SE3
News
November 12, 2026
Accel leads $30m Series A for spatial AI defence startup SE3
The startup launched roughly two years ago and says it is working on contracts with Germany and Ukraine
Anne Sraders
15 German startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
November 12, 2026
15 German startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
From AI neoclouds to robots for hospitals, these are the German startups catching VCs’ eyes
Anne Sraders
Deeptech VCs are still too risk-averse with spinouts, and it’s costing them, say Europe’s leading spinout investors
Pro
Interview
November 4, 2026
Deeptech VCs are still too risk-averse with spinouts, and it’s costing them, say Europe’s leading spinout investors
Deeptech is taking a bigger share of Europe's early-stage cheques than ever. University spinouts are still getting a sliver of it. Four investors who back them explain why, and how they deal with the challenges.
Oshin Narang
Photonics mapped: 74 European startups using light to power the AI era
Pro
Market map
November 3, 2026
Photonics mapped: 74 European startups using light to power the AI era
From optical chips to laser weapons, these are the companies turning photons into Europe’s next deeptech export
Ruggero Di Spigna
Missile startup Hypersonica raises €100m from Lightspeed, General Catalyst as missile defence takes off
News
November 2, 2026
Missile startup Hypersonica raises €100m from Lightspeed, General Catalyst as missile defence takes off
The Series B raise reportedly values the startup at around €700m.
Anne Sraders
15 photonics startups to watch, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
November 2, 2026
15 photonics startups to watch, according to VCs
Photonics are becoming red-hot as increasingly demanding AI workloads require faster and more efficient approaches to computing
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Ex-EQT investor Doreen Huber joins Interface Capital with eye for cyber deals amid ‘extremely scary’ AI agent boom
Pro
Interview
October 30, 2026
Ex-EQT investor Doreen Huber joins Interface Capital with eye for cyber deals amid ‘extremely scary’ AI agent boom
The former founder and Delivery Hero exec says cybersecurity threats are growing as fast as AI
Anne Sraders
This fintech wasn’t ‘actively’ fundraising. Then it closed a $90m round at an $800m valuation
Pro
Interview
October 29, 2026
This fintech wasn’t ‘actively’ fundraising. Then it closed a $90m round at an $800m valuation
New Enterprise Associates, Index ventures and Speedinvest participated in Spiko’s latest fundraise
Damisola Sulaiman
How to outcompete the ‘warp speed’ AI labs on hiring
How to
October 29, 2026
How to outcompete the ‘warp speed’ AI labs on hiring
Spoiler: it’s very hard. But flexible equity, secondaries and real task ownership can help in the recruitment race
Éanna Kelly
Who has the best LinkedIn photo in European tech?
Analysis
October 28, 2026
Who has the best LinkedIn photo in European tech?
We investigated the profile pics of Europe's founders and investors. The results are unlikely to move markets
Éanna Kelly
The climate tech startups still growing despite the funding slowdown
Pro
Analysis
October 28, 2026
The climate tech startups still growing despite the funding slowdown
Pivots, rebrands, new pitches: founders are reinventing themselves as AI takes the spotlight
Éanna Kelly
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
Follow Jensen’s money not his mouth
Pro
Opinion
October 26, 2026
Follow Jensen’s money not his mouth
Despite the region’s promise, the Nvidia CEO is right that there are many things that need fixing in Europe
John Thornhill
Scaleup capital drives a fifth straight quarter of growth, as Paris and Munich outstrip London
Pro
Sifted data
October 26, 2026
Scaleup capital drives a fifth straight quarter of growth, as Paris and Munich outstrip London
European tech notched the highest quarterly total for funding on record in Q3, the third quarter in a row the figure has been broken
Federico Scolari
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
14 Italian early stage startups to watch, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
October 23, 2026
14 Italian early stage startups to watch, according to VCs
Sifted asked investors from 2100, Vento, United Ventures, Italians Founders for their top picks
Ruggero Di Spigna
Italian startups are growing up: bigger early-stage rounds and more late-stage money, data shows
Pro
Sifted data
October 22, 2026
Italian startups are growing up: bigger early-stage rounds and more late-stage money, data shows
Bigger seeds, a rebound in growth rounds and a record year for late-stage equity point to a maturing pipeline
Federico Scolari
Can Europe and Canada build a tech alliance to rival the US?
Pro
Analysis
October 21, 2026
Can Europe and Canada build a tech alliance to rival the US?
Geopolitical tensions are pushing two tech ecosystems closer together. But can they overcome barriers to collaboration?
Martin Coulter
The banks, lawyers, accountants and PR firms supporting Europe’s 250 fastest-growing startups
Pro
Sifted 250
October 21, 2026
The banks, lawyers, accountants and PR firms supporting Europe’s 250 fastest-growing startups
The service providers most in demand with Europe’s fastest-growing startups, based on data collected for the Sifted 250
Jonathan Sinclair
Nvidia backs four German startups as European spending spree continues
News
October 20, 2026
Nvidia backs four German startups as European spending spree continues
The US chip giant is backing companies working on robotics, healthcare, AI-generated audio and satellites
Martin Coulter
The 'blurry' world of defence tech revenue
Pro
Analysis
October 16, 2026
The 'blurry' world of defence tech revenue
VCs report some founders are misrepresenting or not being transparent about defence revenue
Anne Sraders
Europe’s AI fintech market mapped: 94 startups automating the business of money
Pro
Market map
October 16, 2026
Europe’s AI fintech market mapped: 94 startups automating the business of money
From AI accountants to agents that pay other agents, Sifted maps the startups rebuilding the back office of finance
Ruggero Di Spigna
Jensen Huang wants Europe to dream bigger — with Nvidia’s help
Pro
Features
October 15, 2026
Jensen Huang wants Europe to dream bigger — with Nvidia’s help
Chip giant’s CEO talks Nscale, challenger Fractile and European stagnation
Maya Dharampal-Hornby

# Germany

SoftBank leads $500m round for Agile Robots

Accel leads $30m Series A for spatial AI defence startup SE3

15 German startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs

Deeptech VCs are still too risk-averse with spinouts, and it’s costing them, say Europe’s leading spinout investors

Photonics mapped: 74 European startups using light to power the AI era

Missile startup Hypersonica raises €100m from Lightspeed, General Catalyst as missile defence takes off

15 photonics startups to watch, according to VCs

Ex-EQT investor Doreen Huber joins Interface Capital with eye for cyber deals amid ‘extremely scary’ AI agent boom

This fintech wasn’t ‘actively’ fundraising. Then it closed a $90m round at an $800m valuation

How to outcompete the ‘warp speed’ AI labs on hiring

Who has the best LinkedIn photo in European tech?

The climate tech startups still growing despite the funding slowdown

Sovereignty comes to pan-European spinout event Stage Two

Follow Jensen’s money not his mouth

Scaleup capital drives a fifth straight quarter of growth, as Paris and Munich outstrip London

Nvidia funds European startups. They spend it on Nvidia

14 Italian early stage startups to watch, according to VCs

Italian startups are growing up: bigger early-stage rounds and more late-stage money, data shows

Can Europe and Canada build a tech alliance to rival the US?

The banks, lawyers, accountants and PR firms supporting Europe’s 250 fastest-growing startups

Nvidia backs four German startups as European spending spree continues

The 'blurry' world of defence tech revenue

Europe’s AI fintech market mapped: 94 startups automating the business of money

Jensen Huang wants Europe to dream bigger — with Nvidia’s help