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: 11 March 2024
Hamburg, Germany
2021
Debt
€52.5m
€730m
London, United Kingdom
2018
Growth Equity VC
€136.4m
€309.1m
Munich, Germany
2018
Late VC
€27.3m
€236.4m
Helsinki, Finland
2016
Series D
€190.9m
€381.8m
Paris, France
2016
Series E
€183m
€492.8m
Paris, France
2019
Series C
€257.3m
€379.2m
Paris, France
2014
Series E
€463.6m
€926.2m
London, United Kingdom
2012
Series D
€45.5m
€202.8m
Milan, Italy
2013
Late VC
€140m
€580m
Berlin, Germany
2005
Growth Equity VC
€90.9m
€409.1m
Vienna, Austria
2014
Series C
€239.1m
€450.9m
Paris, France
2006
Convertible
€104.5m
€510m
London, United Kingdom
2011
Series E
€100m
€545.5m
Tallinn, Estonia
2013
Series F
-
€1.7b
Ellon, United Kingdom
2007
Late VC
€2.5m
€174.9m
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2012
Late VC
€100m
€337.9m
Madrid, Spain
2011
Debt
€15m
€423.4m
Manchester, United Kingdom
2016
Late VC
€174m
€177.8m
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
2019
Series B
-
€51.4m
Munich, Germany
2011
Secondary
-
€1.6b
London, United Kingdom
2012
Series D
€909.1m
€1.7b
Berlin, Germany
2018
Late VC
€25m
€307.7m
Frankfurt, Germany
2015
-
-
€114.5m
Zurich, Switzerland
2009
Late VC
€500m
€706.8m
Cambridge, United Kingdom
2014
Late VC
€150m
€1b
Bærum, Norway
2016
Late VC
-
€204.6m
Munich, Germany
2006
Series C
€127.3m
€273.4m
Berlin, Germany
2013
Series F
€159.1m
€302m
Paris, France
2012
Series F
€363.6m
€1.1b
London, United Kingdom
2018
Series C
€164.6m
€255.7m
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2017
Series B
€92.5m
-
Cologne, Germany
2009
Late VC
€100m
€100m
Ghent, Belgium
2018
Series D
€136.4m
€215.4m
Paris, France
2014
Growth Equity VC
€136.4m
€186.4m
Zurich, Switzerland
2016
Secondary
-
€148.2m
Warsaw, Poland
2011
Late VC
-
€125.9m
Levallois-Perret, France
2013
Debt
€250m
€487.2m
Istanbul, Türkiye
2019
Series C
€231.8m
€425m
Oslo, Norway
2018
Series B
€63.1m
€72.2m
Stockholms kommun, Sweden
2016
Series C
€181.8m
€319.9m
Berlin, Germany
2017
Late VC
€109m
€575m
Stockholms kommun, Sweden
2009
Growth Equity VC
€409.1m
€463.2m
Croix, France
2015
Series D
€304.6m
€420.8m
Barcelona, Spain
2016
Series C
€109.1m
€198.8m
Coimbra, Portugal
2011
Late VC
-
€251.1m
Berlin, Germany
2020
Late VC
€150m
€1.1b
Dublin, Ireland
2015
Late VC
€87.3m
€134.8m
Munich, Germany
2011
Series G
€295.4m
€805.5m
Berlin, Germany
2016
Series D
€227.3m
€560m
Oslo, Norway
2007
Late VC
€218.2m
€244.6m
Istanbul, Türkiye
2015
Late VC
€454.6m
€2.1b
Berlin, Germany
2009
Series F
€99.1m
€805.3m
London, United Kingdom
2011
-
-
€481.2m
Vienna, Austria
2016
Late VC
€43.2m
€636.5m
Berlin, Germany
2015
Debt
€324m
€216.6m
Solihull, United Kingdom
2012
Growth Equity VC
€240m
€240m
Stockholms kommun, Sweden
2020
Growth Equity VC
€1.5b
€1.9b
Munich, Germany
2021
Series B
€209m
€311.5m
London, United Kingdom
2012
Late VC
€101.8m
€785.5m
London, United Kingdom
2006
Debt
€454.6m
€181.8m
Istanbul, Türkiye
2012
Growth Equity VC
€95.5m
€247.4m
Madrid, Spain
2009
Debt
€227.3m
€799.6m
Stockholms kommun, Sweden
2005
Growth Equity VC
€727.3m
€3.8b
Stockholms kommun, Sweden
2015
Debt
€145.4m
€655.4m
Paris, France
2014
Series C
€99.1m
€531.3m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Growth Equity VC
€252m
€260.9m
Aarhus, Denmark
2015
Series D
€35m
€451.2m
Perpignan, France
2011
Series C
€90.9m
€233.4m
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2011
Series E
€235m
€388m
Paris, France
2013
Series F
€322.7m
€633.2m
London, United Kingdom
2012
Series D
€318.2m
€439.3m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Lending Capital
€18m
€107.5m
Altrincham, United Kingdom
2011
Late VC
-
€281.3m
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2011
Series C
€727.3m
€1b
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2012
Late VC
€100m
€310m
Paris, France
2012
Debt
€100m
€861.8m
Paris, France
2023
Series A
€385m
€487.7m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Late VC
€454.6m
€1.2b
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series C
€172.7m
€246.9m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series D
€200m
€376.4m
Berlin, Germany
2013
Series E
€818.2m
€1.6b
London, United Kingdom
2021
Growth Equity VC
€1b
€1.4b
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2012
Growth Equity VC
€90.9m
€181.8m
Stockholms kommun, Sweden
2016
Debt
€4.5b
€7b
Paris, France
2019
Late VC
€300m
€300m
London, United Kingdom
2015
-
-
€782.5m
Leudelange, Luxembourg
2010
Growth Equity VC
€90.9m
€95.5m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Growth Equity VC
€727.3m
€2.3b
Chaumont-Gistoux, Belgium
2005
Growth Equity VC
€150m
€357.6m
Berlin, Germany
2012
Series E
€72.7m
€432.7m
Berlin, Germany
2008
Series D
€272.7m
€289m
Oulu, Finland
2013
Secondary
-
€140.5m
Bristol, United Kingdom
2008
Growth Equity VC
€240m
€517.2m
Paris, France
2016
Series B
€72.7m
€304.6m
London, United Kingdom
2012
Series D
€181.8m
€264.9m
Paris, France
2015
Series E
€254m
€433.5m
London, United Kingdom
2018
Series B
€90.9m
€214.4m
Paris, France
2020
Series C
€40m
€153.5m
Munich, Germany
2015
Late VC
€43.9m
€703.6m
Amsterdam-Duivendrecht, Netherlands
2015
Late VC
€355m
€1.3b
Copenhagen, Denmark
2015
Series C
€181.8m
€387.4m
London, United Kingdom
2006
Secondary
€160m
€336.4m
Paris, France
2016
Late VC
€5m
€626.6m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series E
€117.3m
€336.4m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Secondary
-
€700m
Berlin, Germany
2020
Series C
€10m
€228.4m
Helsinki, Finland
2005
Late VC
-
€712.3m
Oslo, Norway
2013
Debt
€55m
€21.8m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Secondary
-
€1.6b
Sveta Nedelja, Croatia
2009
Series D
€500m
€800m
Prague, Czech Republic
2014
Debt
€45m
€539.4m
Milan, Italy
2013
Series D
€320m
€464.4m
Munich, Germany
2014
Series E
€58.8m
€341.1m
Dublin, Ireland
2019
Series B
€24.6m
€399.1m
Zurich, Switzerland
2009
Series D
€136.4m
€247.9m
Berlin, Germany
2020
Late VC
€58.2m
€431.4m
Berlin, Germany
2015
Late VC
€57.7m
€350.4m
Paris, France
2013
Series D
€200m
€289.1m
Berlin, Germany
2016
Series F
€38m
€423.1m
Vernier, Switzerland
2008
Late VC
€374.6m
€415.5m
Saint-Mandé, France
2018
Angel
-
€669.6m
Paris, France
2016
Series C
€100m
€261.3m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Convertible
€45.5m
€137.3m
Chemnitz, Germany
2014
Series E
€106m
€284.9m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Late VC
€156.6m
€1b
Montpellier, France
2016
Late VC
-
€296.2m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series C
€81.8m
€139.3m
Berlin, Germany
2016
Series D
€200m
€296.4m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Series C
€336.4m
€970.5m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series D
€145.4m
€508.8m
London, United Kingdom
2007
Grant
-
€113.6m
Sheffield, United Kingdom
2014
Series E
€59.1m
€163.6m
Berlin, Germany
2018
Series C
€250m
€1b
Ireland
2008
Late VC
€63.6m
€114.6m
Barcelona, Spain
2015
Late VC
€95.8m
€501.3m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series B
€105.5m
€183.4m
London, United Kingdom
2016
-
-
€246.8m
Vienna, Austria
2018
Late VC
€259.1m
€259.1m
Tallinn, Estonia
2015
Series C
€90.9m
€174.8m
Grenoble, France
2020
Project, Real Estate, Infrastructure Finance
€600m
€1.9b
Paris, France
2009
Debt
€71.9m
€587.8m
Vilnius, Lithuania
2008
Late VC
-
€483.4m
Bruchsal, Germany
2011
Series E
-
€699.5m
Paris, France
2013
Late VC
€266m
€447.8m
Dublin, Ireland
2019
Lending Capital
€909.1m
€214.7m
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
2014
Convertible
€50m
€1.3b
London, United Kingdom
2010
Series E
€265.4m
€595.2m
Paris, France
2009
Late VC
€60m
€386.2m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series C
€136.4m
€183.4m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Debt
€125.5m
€1.2b
London, United Kingdom
2018
Late VC
-
€278.6m
London, United Kingdom
2005
Lending Capital
€90m
€791.4m