# Hardware

Exclusive: Connect Ventures raises $55m in first close of fifth fund to chase deeptech founders
Pro
Exclusive
September 23, 2026
Exclusive: Connect Ventures raises $55m in first close of fifth fund to chase deeptech founders
“You have to go where the best founders are going," managing partner Sitar Teli tells Sifted.
Anne Sraders
Bessemer and Creandum set to back new AI infrastructure startup at $600m valuation, sources say
Pro
Exclusive
September 4, 2026
Bessemer and Creandum set to back new AI infrastructure startup at $600m valuation, sources say
The startup was founded last year and designs and provides accelerator clusters for AI training
Anne Sraders
UK chip startup Fractile in talks to raise at $6.5bn valuation, reports say
News
August 20, 2026
UK chip startup Fractile in talks to raise at $6.5bn valuation, reports say
The company, headed up by CEO Walter Goodwin, last raised $220m in May from Founders Fund and Accel
Tom Nugent
Callosum raises $100m seed led by Atomico to tackle AI compute bottlenecks
News
August 20, 2026
Callosum raises $100m seed led by Atomico to tackle AI compute bottlenecks
UK startup’s platform helps developers route workloads across different models and chips to reduce costs
Martin Coulter
10 drone startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
August 14, 2026
10 drone startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
From micro drones that get rid of mosquitoes to firefighting, VCs are looking outside of defence
Anne Sraders
The most underrated areas in deeptech, according to First Momentum cofounder
Pro
Interview
August 11, 2026
The most underrated areas in deeptech, according to First Momentum cofounder
Andreas Fischer of First Momentum Ventures thinks humanoids are overhyped — but three areas are getting less attention
Anne Sraders
9 neocloud startups to watch, according to investors
Pro
Investor survey
July 23, 2026
9 neocloud startups to watch, according to investors
Investors from Episode 1 Ventures, Giant Ventures, Oldenburg Capital Partners, Northzone and Antler share their picks of the neocloud startups to watch
Tom Nugent
Neko raises $700m Series C: ‘We now have 100k members and are profitable at clinic level’
Pro
Interview
July 15, 2026
Neko raises $700m Series C: ‘We now have 100k members and are profitable at clinic level’
Sifted sits down with CEO Hjalmar Nilsonne at its new clinic in Stockholm
Mimi Billing
World Fund, IQ Capital among backers of €91m QuantumDiamonds round
News
July 9, 2026
World Fund, IQ Capital among backers of €91m QuantumDiamonds round
The Munich-based company builds semiconductor-inspection equipment to improve yield production for global chipmakers
Tom Nugent
Drone maker Quantum Systems raises $1.2bn, eyes humanoids
News
July 2, 2026
Drone maker Quantum Systems raises $1.2bn, eyes humanoids
The scaleup has hit an $8bn valuation
Anne Sraders
Industrial tech mapped — 64 startups to watch in Europe
Pro
Market map
June 18, 2026
Industrial tech mapped — 64 startups to watch in Europe
Factories, warehouses, materials: the companies powering Europe's industrial future
Ruggero Di Spigna
UK AI Hardware Plan ‘significant step’ forward, but missing key energy question
Pro
News
June 9, 2026
UK AI Hardware Plan ‘significant step’ forward, but missing key energy question
The AI Hardware Plan sets out how the government will back British companies developing chips and semiconductor technologies
Tom Nugent
What US chipmaker Cerebras’s IPO could mean for startups like Fractile
Pro
Analysis
May 19, 2026
What US chipmaker Cerebras’s IPO could mean for startups like Fractile
US chipmaker Cerebras went public with a 68% IPO day pop last week — and some believe it could bode well for European counterparts
Anne Sraders and Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Missile startups are ‘the new wave’ in European defence
Pro
Analysis
May 8, 2026
Missile startups are ‘the new wave’ in European defence
Europe’s need for increased missile capabilities is spurring a new set of startups, VCs say
Anne Sraders
European startups set to survive AI disruption, according to investors
Pro
Investor survey
May 5, 2026
European startups set to survive AI disruption, according to investors
Deeptech, healtech and fintech dominate AI immune companies
Damisola Sulaiman
15 hardware startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
May 1, 2026
15 hardware startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
From orbital transfer vehicles to chemical recycling, these are the hardware startups VCs are eyeing this year
Anne Sraders
French-Italian VC 360 Capital raises €85m for deeptech fund backed by European defence prime
Pro
Exclusive
March 23, 2026
French-Italian VC 360 Capital raises €85m for deeptech fund backed by European defence prime
The new fund will back up to 25 startups and spinouts in areas like semiconductors, cybersecurity, robotics and the energy transition
Anne Sraders
15 defence startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
March 20, 2026
15 defence startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs
From hypersonic missiles to micro ocean robots, a host of defence startups are catching VCs’ eyes
Anne Sraders
Iran war puts Europe’s air defence startups in the spotlight: ‘The gap is impossible to ignore’
Pro
Analysis
March 18, 2026
Iran war puts Europe’s air defence startups in the spotlight: ‘The gap is impossible to ignore’
A number of European startups like Tytan Technologies, Cambridge Aerospace and Frankenburg Technologies are aiming to build cheaper air defence systems
Anne Sraders
Iran war underscores the ‘urgency’ for Europe to build its defence capabilities, VCs say
Pro
News
March 3, 2026
Iran war underscores the ‘urgency’ for Europe to build its defence capabilities, VCs say
“Iran, Israel and the US are using military technology that are still R&D-ing Series A startups in Europe,” says one VC
Anne Sraders
Quantum Systems founder sold stake in ARX Robotics prior to launch of similar product
Pro
Exclusive
February 19, 2026
Quantum Systems founder sold stake in ARX Robotics prior to launch of similar product
The incident reveals a tangled web of investors and rivals in the new defence tech ecosystem
Anne Sraders
Insiders report ‘very anti-US vibe’ at Europe’s top defence conference
Pro
Analysis
February 16, 2026
Insiders report ‘very anti-US vibe’ at Europe’s top defence conference
VC attendees say the Munich Security Conference ‘felt like Slush’
Anne Sraders
OpenAI, Hugging Face angels back robotics startup Allonic in Hungary’s biggest ever pre-seed
Exclusive
February 10, 2026
OpenAI, Hugging Face angels back robotics startup Allonic in Hungary’s biggest ever pre-seed
Budapest-based Allonic is targeting the hardware bottleneck in robotics by developing a new way to produce robotic bodies
Tom Nugent
The European defence techs working with governments in 2026
Pro
List
February 2, 2026
The European defence techs working with governments in 2026
Defence startups have been winning contracts and wooing governments as billions flow into the sector
Anne Sraders

# Hardware

Exclusive: Connect Ventures raises $55m in first close of fifth fund to chase deeptech founders

Bessemer and Creandum set to back new AI infrastructure startup at $600m valuation, sources say

UK chip startup Fractile in talks to raise at $6.5bn valuation, reports say

Callosum raises $100m seed led by Atomico to tackle AI compute bottlenecks

10 drone startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs

The most underrated areas in deeptech, according to First Momentum cofounder

9 neocloud startups to watch, according to investors

Neko raises $700m Series C: ‘We now have 100k members and are profitable at clinic level’

World Fund, IQ Capital among backers of €91m QuantumDiamonds round

Drone maker Quantum Systems raises $1.2bn, eyes humanoids

Industrial tech mapped — 64 startups to watch in Europe

UK AI Hardware Plan ‘significant step’ forward, but missing key energy question

What US chipmaker Cerebras’s IPO could mean for startups like Fractile

Missile startups are ‘the new wave’ in European defence

European startups set to survive AI disruption, according to investors

15 hardware startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs

French-Italian VC 360 Capital raises €85m for deeptech fund backed by European defence prime

15 defence startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs

Iran war puts Europe’s air defence startups in the spotlight: ‘The gap is impossible to ignore’

Iran war underscores the ‘urgency’ for Europe to build its defence capabilities, VCs say

Quantum Systems founder sold stake in ARX Robotics prior to launch of similar product

Insiders report ‘very anti-US vibe’ at Europe’s top defence conference

OpenAI, Hugging Face angels back robotics startup Allonic in Hungary’s biggest ever pre-seed

The European defence techs working with governments in 2026