# Startup life

Discover what it's like to build a startup in Europe, with the latest trends covering diversity and inclusion, the future of work, hiring and funding.

Leaked pitch deck reveals Yann LeCun’s plan to build ‘first world model for business’
Pro
Exclusive
January 13, 2026
Leaked pitch deck reveals Yann LeCun’s plan to build ‘first world model for business’
Sifted reported earlier this week that LeCun has poached key team members from Meta and Google DeepMind
Freya Pratty and Anne Sraders
Inside Helsinki’s bet to win the race for international tech talent
Sponsored by
January 13, 2026
Inside Helsinki’s bet to win the race for international tech talent
Startups in the Finnish capital raised €579m in funding in 2025 — here’s how they’re luring in international talent
Sponsored by: Helsinki Partners
Why everyone is wrong about the future of search
Opinion
January 13, 2026
Why everyone is wrong about the future of search
Search is being disrupted by AI tools that remove the customer journey from query to click. However, trying to fix that with generative engine optimisation (GEO) is a dead end
Erik Wikander
Yann LeCun poaches from Meta, Google DeepMind for new startup
Pro
Exclusive
January 12, 2026
Yann LeCun poaches from Meta, Google DeepMind for new startup
New details on the buzzy startup's team formed by Meta’s former chief AI scientist to build world models
Anne Sraders and Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
How WONE is turning stress into a human performance advantage
Sponsored by
January 12, 2026
How WONE is turning stress into a human performance advantage
The health startup building stress intelligence - the ability to read your body's signals and respond before burnout takes hold
Sponsored by: WONE (Walking on Earth)
The 25 startups hiring the most right now in Europe
Pro
List
January 9, 2026
The 25 startups hiring the most right now in Europe
Revolut, SumUp and Enpal are leading recruitment efforts in the region
Éanna Kelly and Jonathan Sinclair
What do employees really want? Hint: it’s not perks
Sponsored by
January 8, 2026
What do employees really want? Hint: it’s not perks
Gym memberships and unlimited holidays are no longer enough. Startups and scaleups need to help their people understand how their day-to-day work makes a difference
Sponsored by: Wise
10 predictions for German tech in 2026
Pro
Features
January 8, 2026
10 predictions for German tech in 2026
Sifted asked 10 founders and investors what’s in store for Germany’s tech future
Miriam Partington
8 workplace predictions for 2026: AI agents become mainstream, new roles emerge and the GTM engineer job dies quietly
Pro
Features
January 7, 2026
8 workplace predictions for 2026: AI agents become mainstream, new roles emerge and the GTM engineer job dies quietly
European operators predict how the workplace will change in 2026
Miriam Partington
12 people to watch in European tech in 2026
Pro
List
January 7, 2026
12 people to watch in European tech in 2026
We asked founders and investors to nominate the people they think will shape the ecosystem in 2026
Freya Pratty
The 21 most valuable European startups and scaleups
Pro
List
January 6, 2026
The 21 most valuable European startups and scaleups
Four newcomers enter the list
Mimi Billing
Who will IPO in 2026? Here are Europe’s next candidates
Pro
Analysis
January 2, 2026
Who will IPO in 2026? Here are Europe’s next candidates
Sifted spoke to the companies that could be considering a public listing
Martin Coulter
The 10 fastest-growing European startup teams in 2025
Pro
Fastest-growing startups
December 31, 2025
The 10 fastest-growing European startup teams in 2025
Sifted ranks the top 10 fastest-growing startups by employee growth over the past 12 months
Jonathan Sinclair
Europe’s founders and VCs share their New Year resolutions for 2026
Features
December 31, 2025
Europe’s founders and VCs share their New Year resolutions for 2026
Which ones do you also want to adopt?
Martin Coulter
Startups which went bust in 2025
Pro
List
December 29, 2025
Startups which went bust in 2025
Sifted lists 17 startups which shut up shop this year
Maya Dharampal-Hornby
‘Failure is too expensive’: Should it be easier to fire tech talent in Europe?
Pro
Interview
December 24, 2025
‘Failure is too expensive’: Should it be easier to fire tech talent in Europe?
The high cost of sacking people is the root cause of the innovation gap with the US
Éanna Kelly
14 people in European tech who mattered in 2025
Pro
List
December 24, 2025
14 people in European tech who mattered in 2025
2025: the year of the bro-caster
Freya Pratty and Éanna Kelly
The roles startups will need to hire most in 2026
Analysis
December 24, 2025
The roles startups will need to hire most in 2026
From the next AI talent battle to the rise of new generalist roles, here’s where insiders think startups will need to hire most next year
Tom Nugent
The 2026 burn list: Notetaker bots, selling unfinished products, AI worship
Opinion
December 24, 2025
The 2026 burn list: Notetaker bots, selling unfinished products, AI worship
An end-of-year grumble from Sifted’s contributing editor Éanna Kelly
Éanna Kelly
Why deeptech investors keep coming back to Gothenburg
Sponsored by
December 22, 2025
Why deeptech investors keep coming back to Gothenburg
Gothenburg’s GoWest conference is the bustling centre of the Swedish west coast deeptech scene. Sifted takes a look at why investors keep coming back to the city
Sponsored by: GU Ventures
Lessons in founder endurance and the ‘joy of stress’
Pro
Sifted View
December 22, 2025
Lessons in founder endurance and the ‘joy of stress’
The stamina required to run a startup is not always innate — but it can be acquired
John Thornhill
The European startups that turned a profit this year
Pro
Sifted data
December 18, 2025
The European startups that turned a profit this year
Swinging to profitability remains a rare achievement for any startup
Federico Scolari
Taking a holiday is good for business
Opinion
December 17, 2025
Taking a holiday is good for business
Founders: not being able to switch off isn’t just an emotional weakness. It’s a systems problem
James Routledge
What Europe’s VCs and founders are reading this Christmas
Features
December 17, 2025
What Europe’s VCs and founders are reading this Christmas
Sifted asked London-based e-book platform Perlego which books Europe’s business leaders were reading this holiday season
Martin Coulter

# Startup life

Leaked pitch deck reveals Yann LeCun’s plan to build ‘first world model for business’

Inside Helsinki’s bet to win the race for international tech talent

Why everyone is wrong about the future of search

Yann LeCun poaches from Meta, Google DeepMind for new startup

How WONE is turning stress into a human performance advantage

The 25 startups hiring the most right now in Europe

What do employees really want? Hint: it’s not perks

10 predictions for German tech in 2026

8 workplace predictions for 2026: AI agents become mainstream, new roles emerge and the GTM engineer job dies quietly

12 people to watch in European tech in 2026

The 21 most valuable European startups and scaleups

Who will IPO in 2026? Here are Europe’s next candidates

The 10 fastest-growing European startup teams in 2025

Europe’s founders and VCs share their New Year resolutions for 2026

Startups which went bust in 2025

‘Failure is too expensive’: Should it be easier to fire tech talent in Europe?

14 people in European tech who mattered in 2025

The roles startups will need to hire most in 2026

The 2026 burn list: Notetaker bots, selling unfinished products, AI worship

Why deeptech investors keep coming back to Gothenburg

Lessons in founder endurance and the ‘joy of stress’

The European startups that turned a profit this year

Taking a holiday is good for business

What Europe’s VCs and founders are reading this Christmas