Rankings

Europe’s startup unicorns

Unicorns aren’t the rare beasts they once were in European tech — despite the long odds that companies shooting for that milestone still face.

As well as being a privately held, VC-backed company valued at $1bn, to be classed as a unicorn by Sifted, startups must have reached a $1bn valuation on any round prior to IPO or acquisition, been founded after 2005 and be both founded and headquartered in Europe.

Companies valued at $1bn at IPO but never at any prior financing stage are not considered unicorns as they are no longer privately held at that valuation.

To help you keep track, Sifted has compiled a list of Europe’s unicorns using data from Dealroom and our own internal research, which will be kept up to date whenever a new company hits the $1bn valuation, or if an existing unicorn raises further funding.

Note: if there are any companies missing from this list, or something needs updating, please let us know by email at rankings@sifted.eu

Last updated: 15 February 2024

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Hamburg, Germany

2021

Debt

€52.5m

€730m

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London, United Kingdom

2018

Growth Equity VC

€136.4m

€309.1m

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Munich, Germany

2018

Late VC

€27.3m

€236.4m

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Helsinki, Finland

2016

Series D

€190.9m

€381.8m

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Paris, France

2016

Series E

€183m

€492.8m

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Paris, France

2019

Series C

€257.3m

€379.2m

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Paris, France

2014

Series E

€463.6m

€926.2m

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London, United Kingdom

2012

Series D

€45.5m

€202.8m

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Milan, Italy

2013

Late VC

€140m

€580m

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Berlin, Germany

2005

Growth Equity VC

€90.9m

€409.1m

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Vienna, Austria

2014

Series C

€239.1m

€450.9m

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Paris, France

2006

Convertible

€104.5m

€510m

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London, United Kingdom

2011

Series E

€100m

€545.5m

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Tallinn, Estonia

2013

Series F

-

€1.7b

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Ellon, United Kingdom

2007

Late VC

€2.5m

€174.9m

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

2012

Late VC

€100m

€337.9m

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Madrid, Spain

2011

Debt

€15m

€423.4m

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Manchester, United Kingdom

2016

Late VC

€174m

€177.8m

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Vaduz, Liechtenstein

2019

Series B

-

€51.4m

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Munich, Germany

2011

Secondary

-

€1.6b

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London, United Kingdom

2012

Series D

€909.1m

€1.7b

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Berlin, Germany

2018

Late VC

€25m

€307.7m

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Frankfurt, Germany

2015

-

-

€114.5m

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Zurich, Switzerland

2009

Late VC

€500m

€706.8m

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

2014

Late VC

€150m

€1b

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Bærum, Norway

2016

Late VC

-

€204.6m

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Munich, Germany

2006

Series C

€127.3m

€273.4m

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Berlin, Germany

2013

Series F

€159.1m

€302m

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Paris, France

2012

Series F

€363.6m

€1.1b

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London, United Kingdom

2018

Series C

€164.6m

€255.7m

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

2017

Series B

€92.5m

-

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Cologne, Germany

2009

Late VC

€100m

€100m

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Ghent, Belgium

2018

Series D

€136.4m

€215.4m

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Paris, France

2014

Growth Equity VC

€136.4m

€186.4m

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Zurich, Switzerland

2016

Secondary

-

€148.2m

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Warsaw, Poland

2011

Late VC

-

€125.9m

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Levallois-Perret, France

2013

Debt

€250m

€487.2m

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Istanbul, Türkiye

2019

Series C

€231.8m

€425m

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Oslo, Norway

2018

Series B

€63.1m

€72.2m

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Stockholms kommun, Sweden

2016

Series C

€181.8m

€319.9m

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Berlin, Germany

2017

Late VC

€109m

€575m

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Stockholms kommun, Sweden

2009

Growth Equity VC

€409.1m

€463.2m

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Croix, France

2015

Series D

€304.6m

€420.8m

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Barcelona, Spain

2016

Series C

€109.1m

€198.8m

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Coimbra, Portugal

2011

Late VC

-

€251.1m

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Berlin, Germany

2020

Late VC

€150m

€1.1b

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Dublin, Ireland

2015

Late VC

€87.3m

€134.8m

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Munich, Germany

2011

Series G

€295.4m

€805.5m

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Berlin, Germany

2016

Series D

€227.3m

€560m

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Oslo, Norway

2007

Late VC

€218.2m

€244.6m

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Istanbul, Türkiye

2015

Late VC

€454.6m

€2.1b

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Berlin, Germany

2009

Series F

€99.1m

€805.3m

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London, United Kingdom

2011

-

-

€481.2m

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Vienna, Austria

2016

Late VC

€43.2m

€636.5m

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Berlin, Germany

2015

Debt

€324m

€216.6m

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Solihull, United Kingdom

2012

Growth Equity VC

€240m

€240m

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Stockholms kommun, Sweden

2020

Growth Equity VC

€1.5b

€1.9b

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Munich, Germany

2021

Series B

€209m

€311.5m

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London, United Kingdom

2012

Late VC

€101.8m

€785.5m

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London, United Kingdom

2006

Debt

€454.6m

€181.8m

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Istanbul, Türkiye

2012

Growth Equity VC

€95.5m

€247.4m

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Madrid, Spain

2009

Debt

€227.3m

€799.6m

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Stockholms kommun, Sweden

2005

Growth Equity VC

€727.3m

€3.8b

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Stockholms kommun, Sweden

2015

Debt

€145.4m

€655.4m

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Paris, France

2014

Series C

€99.1m

€531.3m

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London, United Kingdom

2014

Growth Equity VC

€252m

€260.9m

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Aarhus, Denmark

2015

Series D

€35m

€451.2m

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Perpignan, France

2011

Series C

€90.9m

€233.4m

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

2011

Series E

€235m

€388m

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Paris, France

2013

Series F

€322.7m

€633.2m

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London, United Kingdom

2012

Series D

€318.2m

€439.3m

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London, United Kingdom

2017

Lending Capital

€18m

€107.5m

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Altrincham, United Kingdom

2011

Late VC

-

€281.3m

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

2011

Series C

€727.3m

€1b

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

2012

Late VC

€100m

€310m

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Paris, France

2012

Debt

€100m

€861.8m

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Paris, France

2023

Series A

€385m

€487.7m

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London, United Kingdom

2015

Late VC

€454.6m

€1.2b

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London, United Kingdom

2017

Series C

€172.7m

€246.9m

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London, United Kingdom

2016

Series D

€200m

€376.4m

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Berlin, Germany

2013

Series E

€818.2m

€1.6b

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London, United Kingdom

2021

Growth Equity VC

€1b

€1.4b

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

2012

Growth Equity VC

€90.9m

€181.8m

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Stockholms kommun, Sweden

2016

Debt

€4.5b

€7b

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Paris, France

2019

Late VC

€300m

€300m

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London, United Kingdom

2015

-

-

€782.5m

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Leudelange, Luxembourg

2010

Growth Equity VC

€90.9m

€95.5m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2015

Growth Equity VC

€727.3m

€2.3b

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Chaumont-Gistoux, Belgium

2005

Growth Equity VC

€150m

€357.6m

Logo

Berlin, Germany

2012

Series E

€72.7m

€432.7m

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Berlin, Germany

2008

Series D

€272.7m

€289m

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Oulu, Finland

2013

Secondary

-

€140.5m

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Bristol, United Kingdom

2008

Growth Equity VC

€240m

€517.2m

Logo

Paris, France

2016

Series B

€72.7m

€304.6m

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London, United Kingdom

2012

Series D

€181.8m

€264.9m

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Paris, France

2015

Series E

€254m

€433.5m

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London, United Kingdom

2018

Series B

€90.9m

€214.4m

Logo

Paris, France

2020

Series C

€40m

€153.5m

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Munich, Germany

2015

Late VC

€43.9m

€703.6m

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Amsterdam-Duivendrecht, Netherlands

2015

Late VC

€355m

€1.3b

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Copenhagen, Denmark

2015

Series C

€181.8m

€387.4m

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London, United Kingdom

2006

Secondary

€160m

€336.4m

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Paris, France

2016

Late VC

€5m

€626.6m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2016

Series E

€117.3m

€336.4m

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London, United Kingdom

2016

Secondary

-

€700m

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Berlin, Germany

2020

Series C

€10m

€228.4m

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Helsinki, Finland

2005

Late VC

-

€712.3m

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Oslo, Norway

2013

Debt

€55m

€21.8m

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London, United Kingdom

2015

Secondary

-

€1.6b

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Sveta Nedelja, Croatia

2009

Series D

€500m

€800m

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Prague, Czech Republic

2014

Debt

€45m

€539.4m

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Milan, Italy

2013

Series D

€320m

€464.4m

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Munich, Germany

2014

Series E

€58.8m

€341.1m

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Dublin, Ireland

2019

Series B

€24.6m

€399.1m

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Zurich, Switzerland

2009

Series D

€136.4m

€247.9m

Logo

Berlin, Germany

2020

Late VC

€58.2m

€431.4m

Logo

Berlin, Germany

2015

Late VC

€57.7m

€350.4m

Logo

Paris, France

2013

Series D

€200m

€289.1m

Logo

Berlin, Germany

2016

Series F

€38m

€423.1m

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Vernier, Switzerland

2008

Late VC

€374.6m

€415.5m

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Saint-Mandé, France

2018

Angel

-

€669.6m

Logo

Paris, France

2016

Series C

€100m

€261.3m

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London, United Kingdom

2019

Convertible

€45.5m

€137.3m

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Chemnitz, Germany

2014

Series E

€106m

€284.9m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2014

Late VC

€156.6m

€1b

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Montpellier, France

2016

Late VC

-

€296.2m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2017

Series C

€81.8m

€139.3m

Logo

Berlin, Germany

2016

Series D

€200m

€296.4m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2019

Series C

€336.4m

€970.5m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2014

Series D

€145.4m

€508.8m

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London, United Kingdom

2007

Grant

-

€113.6m

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Sheffield, United Kingdom

2014

Series E

€59.1m

€163.6m

Logo

Berlin, Germany

2018

Series C

€250m

€1b

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Ireland

2008

Late VC

€63.6m

€114.6m

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Barcelona, Spain

2015

Late VC

€95.8m

€501.3m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2017

Series B

€105.5m

€183.4m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2016

-

-

€246.8m

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Vienna, Austria

2018

Late VC

€259.1m

€259.1m

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Tallinn, Estonia

2015

Series C

€90.9m

€174.8m

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Grenoble, France

2020

Project, Real Estate, Infrastructure Finance

€600m

€1.9b

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Paris, France

2009

Debt

€71.9m

€587.8m

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Vilnius, Lithuania

2008

Late VC

-

€483.4m

Logo

Bruchsal, Germany

2011

Series E

-

€699.5m

Logo

Paris, France

2013

Late VC

€266m

€447.8m

Logo

Dublin, Ireland

2019

Lending Capital

€909.1m

€214.7m

Logo

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

2014

Convertible

€50m

€1.3b

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2010

Series E

€265.4m

€595.2m

Logo

Paris, France

2009

Late VC

€60m

€386.2m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2016

Series C

€136.4m

€183.4m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2017

Debt

€125.5m

€1.2b

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2018

Late VC

-

€278.6m

Logo

London, United Kingdom

2005

Lending Capital

€90m

€791.4m