# Industry 4.0

The Swedish battery unicorn that wants to solve energy storage (and no, it isn't Northvolt)
Analysis
April 5, 2023
The Swedish battery unicorn that wants to solve energy storage (and no, it isn't Northvolt)
Polarium is set to enable storing renewable energy for when it’s needed
Mimi Billing
Heart Aerospace hopes to build a plane even Greta Thunberg would fly on
Analysis
February 13, 2023
Heart Aerospace hopes to build a plane even Greta Thunberg would fly on
Swedish startup Heart Aerospace has already sold 200+ electric planes to the US and Canada
Mimi Billing
Portuguese Smartex raises $24.7m Series A to modernise clothes factories
News
November 3, 2022
Portuguese Smartex raises $24.7m Series A to modernise clothes factories
Lightspeed Ventures, Tony Fadell and H&M are key investors in the three-year-old startup
Mimi Billing
Acquisitions are at an all-time high in European industrial tech startups
Analysis
October 20, 2022
Acquisitions are at an all-time high in European industrial tech startups
The economic downturn is not stopping investment growth in the industrial tech sector
Clara Rodríguez Fernández
Something to build on: founders on the future of construction tech
Analysis
January 4, 2022
Something to build on: founders on the future of construction tech
Covid-19 is helping to push a stubbornly analogue industry into the future
Sifted reporters
Tech disrupts the €2tn construction market
Analysis
June 23, 2021
Tech disrupts the €2tn construction market
Construction is one of the biggest industries in Europe, as well as one of the least digitalised. That’s attracting tech innovation and entrepreneurs.
Marie Mawad and Kit Gillet
Using E.coli to reshape the $6tn chemicals industry
News
February 11, 2021
Using E.coli to reshape the $6tn chemicals industry
Swedish startup EnginZyme raises €11m to get synthetic biology into manufacturing at scale.
Maija Palmer
Tech-for-wood: 011h raises €10m to build low-carbon wooden “smart buildings”
News
December 11, 2020
Tech-for-wood: 011h raises €10m to build low-carbon wooden “smart buildings”
This Spanish startup’s says its wooden buildings will be 20% cheaper to build and 50% cheaper to run than traditional counterparts
Tim Smith
Elon Musk may have met his match in the German unions
Analysis
November 27, 2020
Elon Musk may have met his match in the German unions
A conflict with the unions could be a stumbling block for Musk in his mission to make 500,000 electric vehicles a year in his Berlin gigafactory.
Miriam Partington
What Station F’s future unicorns say about Europe
News
November 19, 2020
What Station F’s future unicorns say about Europe
Station F has picked out 40 early-stage companies it thinks will be Europe’s future stars — and the list says a lot about current trends in the startups ecosystem.
Marie Mawad in Paris
Construction for Tesla’s gigafactory in Berlin is full steam ahead, but not everyone is happy about it
Analysis
October 27, 2020
Construction for Tesla’s gigafactory in Berlin is full steam ahead, but not everyone is happy about it
Tesla bulldozing into Berlin may have shaken local environmentalists, but it’s brought excitement to others in the region.
Miriam Partington
Europe’s startups battle Airbnb for digital nomad market
Analysis
October 22, 2020
Europe’s startups battle Airbnb for digital nomad market
As the pandemic sees more people adopt the digital nomad life, European startups are challenging Airbnb for dominance of the mid-term rental market.
Tim Smith in Barcelona and Kit Gillet in Bucharest
Debate: Do founders make the best CEOs?
Opinion
October 2, 2020
Debate: Do founders make the best CEOs?
Balderton investor Suranga Chandratillake and founder Heba Bevan debate the topic.
Heba Bevan and Suranga Chandratillake
Electric planes: not so far-fetched after all
News
September 23, 2020
Electric planes: not so far-fetched after all
Heart Aerospace’s all-electric 19-seater aircraft is planning commercial flights for 2026
Mimi Billing
Meet Adeyemi Ajao — the man who took on Zuckerberg
Interview
September 16, 2020
Meet Adeyemi Ajao — the man who took on Zuckerberg
Adeyemi Ajao, one of Spain’s most prolific entrepreneurs, sat down with Sifted to talk social media, big data and how to fix Spain’s innovation problems
Tim Smith
Turning €4,000 into a unicorn: lessons from Klaxoon’s founder
Interview
August 13, 2020
Turning €4,000 into a unicorn: lessons from Klaxoon’s founder
Matthieu Beucher started Klaxoon after a stint at a car parts factory. Here’s about turning his idea into the next French billion-euro startup — despite financiers with cold feet.
Marie Mawad in Paris
Going against the current - VR company Varjo raises $54m
News
August 12, 2020
Going against the current - VR company Varjo raises $54m
Wasn’t VR dead? Well, not according to the backers of Finnish startup Varjo
Mimi Billing
11 winetech startups to know in France
Analysis
August 11, 2020
11 winetech startups to know in France
Think of this as Sifted’s wine tour, starting in Bordeaux. Here’s our list of up and coming winetech startups worth knowing, straight from the home of Château Margaux.
Marie Mawad in Paris
The startup giving a boost to local community spirit
Analysis
July 31, 2020
The startup giving a boost to local community spirit
Lockdowns have given us a renewed love for our local areas — and that looks set to continue.
Amy Lewin
The €200,000 luxury drone and the startup behind it
Analysis
July 30, 2020
The €200,000 luxury drone and the startup behind it
Delair designs and builds ultra-high-end super expensive drones in France. They’re not for the average Joe.
Marie Mawad in Paris
Why Covid is your ticket to working by the beach
Analysis
June 2, 2020
Why Covid is your ticket to working by the beach
If everyone’s working remotely, will Europe’s tech capitals lose to smaller hubs with lifestyle perks? Marseille for one is making a push to shine.
Marie Mawad in Paris
How to scale your deeptech startup to success
How To
June 1, 2020
How to scale your deeptech startup to success
Could the EIT Digital Challenge be the boost your startup needs for international growth?
Sponsored by: EIT Digital
Used laptops and Playstations are best-sellers during Covid
News
May 5, 2020
Used laptops and Playstations are best-sellers during Covid
Refurbished electronics startup Back Market is having a good crisis: it's seen sales double — and it’s raised $120m from Goldman Sachs.
Marie Mawad in Paris
Covid-19 crisis will “create the next Googles and Amazons”
News
April 9, 2020
Covid-19 crisis will “create the next Googles and Amazons”
Maker groups start to organise globally and tech industry stars come together in a global hackathon to find ways to combat the pandemic.
Maija Palmer

# Industry 4.0

The Swedish battery unicorn that wants to solve energy storage (and no, it isn't Northvolt)

Heart Aerospace hopes to build a plane even Greta Thunberg would fly on

Portuguese Smartex raises $24.7m Series A to modernise clothes factories

Acquisitions are at an all-time high in European industrial tech startups

Something to build on: founders on the future of construction tech

Tech disrupts the €2tn construction market

Using E.coli to reshape the $6tn chemicals industry

Tech-for-wood: 011h raises €10m to build low-carbon wooden “smart buildings”

Elon Musk may have met his match in the German unions

What Station F’s future unicorns say about Europe

Construction for Tesla’s gigafactory in Berlin is full steam ahead, but not everyone is happy about it

Europe’s startups battle Airbnb for digital nomad market

Debate: Do founders make the best CEOs?

Electric planes: not so far-fetched after all

Meet Adeyemi Ajao — the man who took on Zuckerberg

Turning €4,000 into a unicorn: lessons from Klaxoon’s founder

Going against the current - VR company Varjo raises $54m

11 winetech startups to know in France

The startup giving a boost to local community spirit

The €200,000 luxury drone and the startup behind it

Why Covid is your ticket to working by the beach

How to scale your deeptech startup to success

Used laptops and Playstations are best-sellers during Covid

Covid-19 crisis will “create the next Googles and Amazons”