# Venture capital

The latest news and analysis from Europe’s venture capital industry, including angel investing, impact investing, LPs, VCs and funding roundups.

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
Arāya Sie Fund raises £7.5m first close for women-led startups amid tech ‘bro renaissance’
Pro
Exclusive
May 8, 2026
Arāya Sie Fund raises £7.5m first close for women-led startups amid tech ‘bro renaissance’
The fund is a rare joint venture between Arāya Ventures and female founder-focused accelerator Sie Ventures, aiming to back up to 40 startups
Anne Sraders
Fidelity quietly shuts down VC arm, sources say
Pro
Exclusive
May 7, 2026
Fidelity quietly shuts down VC arm, sources say
Fintech-focused CVC said to have sold off stakes in Moneybox, Greenly and other startups
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
Startups in Iceland to watch, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
April 30, 2026
Startups in Iceland to watch, according to VCs
One of Europe’s lowest populated countries is punching above its weight for innovation
Martin Coulter
16 French startups to watch, according to VCs
Pro
Investor survey
April 29, 2026
16 French startups to watch, according to VCs
As French tech recovers from a difficult two years, Sifted asked investors which companies they are keeping on their radar
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
Europe's fastest-rising ‘tier two’ tech hubs
Pro
Analysis
April 29, 2026
Europe's fastest-rising ‘tier two’ tech hubs
Garching, Heidelberg, Lausanne and the other youngling tech towns worth watching
Éanna Kelly and Jonathan Sinclair
Vinted hits €8bn valuation following big secondaries sale
News
April 27, 2026
Vinted hits €8bn valuation following big secondaries sale
The scaleup has become one of the hottest commodities on the secondaries market, insiders have told Sifted
Anne Sraders
The VC industry needs to reinvent itself
Pro
Sifted View
April 27, 2026
The VC industry needs to reinvent itself
Expect mayhem if a handful of AI market leaders fail to deliver blockbuster IPOs
John Thornhill
The European VCs hiring in spring 2026
Pro
List
April 24, 2026
The European VCs hiring in spring 2026
From Creandum and Northzone to Visionaries and Antler, these are the VCs currently in the market for fresh talent
Anne Sraders
How Galeries Lafayette’s heir built a startup machine
Pro
The big interview
April 22, 2026
How Galeries Lafayette’s heir built a startup machine
Guillaume Houzé launched Motier Ventures, the family office of the co-owners of the iconic Galeries Lafayette, in 2021
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet
These are the top 10 physical AI hubs in Europe
Pro
Analysis
April 22, 2026
These are the top 10 physical AI hubs in Europe
€7bn and counting: here’s where the most deals happened in the last two years
Éanna Kelly and Oshin Narang
Three lessons from Silicon Valley for Europe
Pro
Sifted View
April 20, 2026
Three lessons from Silicon Valley for Europe
Billboards scream AI dominance in San Francisco — but the continent's path may lie elsewhere
John Thornhill
14 Portuguese startups to watch, according to investors
Pro
Investor survey
April 20, 2026
14 Portuguese startups to watch, according to investors
A new generation of companies in AI, cybersecurity and SaaS is leading the charge
Martin Coulter
Nearly €80bn of public money is flooding into European VCs and startups. Is it what the market needs?
Pro
Analysis
April 17, 2026
Nearly €80bn of public money is flooding into European VCs and startups. Is it what the market needs?
Some investors are cautious about the influx of public money, arguing other systemic changes are needed instead
Anne Sraders
AI startups swallow half the funding across European tech
Pro
Analysis
April 17, 2026
AI startups swallow half the funding across European tech
AI startups captured 51% of funding in Q1; AI agents were the biggest VC draw
Oshin Narang
Londonmaxxing, for real: A bumper Q1 sees the city pull further ahead of Paris, Berlin
Pro
Analysis
April 16, 2026
Londonmaxxing, for real: A bumper Q1 sees the city pull further ahead of Paris, Berlin
London startups raised more in Q1 2026 than in the whole of H1 2025; the UK capital also captured over half of all European AI funding
Éanna Kelly and Jonathan Sinclair
Exclusive: 20VC leads €3.6m pre-seed for ‘TikTok meets Wikipedia’ startup Flare
Pro
Exclusive
April 16, 2026
Exclusive: 20VC leads €3.6m pre-seed for ‘TikTok meets Wikipedia’ startup Flare
The Copenhagen-based company provides an information verification browser extension
Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Baillie Gifford on filling Europe's growth investment gap: 'There’s a dearth of capital in Europe'
Pro
Interview
April 15, 2026
Baillie Gifford on filling Europe's growth investment gap: 'There’s a dearth of capital in Europe'
With clearly defined guardrails “someone else takes the risk”, says director Alan Coffey
Mimi Billing
Eka Ventures raises £80m to invest in startups ‘leaning into regulation’
Pro
News
April 13, 2026
Eka Ventures raises £80m to invest in startups ‘leaning into regulation’
The firm is focused on less popular areas like health, wellness and decarbonisation
Anne Sraders
Who gets ahead in VC? Mostly the usual suspects
Pro
Sifted View
April 13, 2026
Who gets ahead in VC? Mostly the usual suspects
New insights on the backgrounds of successful investors are a mix of unsurprising, surprising and depressing.
John Thornhill
AI bubble: Have VCs already forgotten 2021?
Pro
Analysis
April 13, 2026
AI bubble: Have VCs already forgotten 2021?
Future price hikes of AI models could throw startups’ unit economics out of whack
Freya Pratty and Anne Sraders
Unicorn stampede: Highest number of $1bn startups minted in Europe in four years
Pro
Analysis
April 10, 2026
Unicorn stampede: Highest number of $1bn startups minted in Europe in four years
14 billion-dollar companies emerge across AI, defence and fintech
Éanna Kelly, Ruggero Di Spigna and Oshin Narang
All the first-time European VC funds of 2026
Pro
List
April 10, 2026
All the first-time European VC funds of 2026
Tracked for the fifth year in a row: all the first-generation funds announcing a first or final close
Amy Lewin

# Venture capital

Missile startups are ‘the new wave’ in European defence

Arāya Sie Fund raises £7.5m first close for women-led startups amid tech ‘bro renaissance’

Fidelity quietly shuts down VC arm, sources say

15 hardware startups to watch in 2026, according to VCs

Startups in Iceland to watch, according to VCs

16 French startups to watch, according to VCs

Europe's fastest-rising ‘tier two’ tech hubs

Vinted hits €8bn valuation following big secondaries sale

The VC industry needs to reinvent itself

The European VCs hiring in spring 2026

How Galeries Lafayette’s heir built a startup machine

These are the top 10 physical AI hubs in Europe

Three lessons from Silicon Valley for Europe

14 Portuguese startups to watch, according to investors

Nearly €80bn of public money is flooding into European VCs and startups. Is it what the market needs?

AI startups swallow half the funding across European tech

Londonmaxxing, for real: A bumper Q1 sees the city pull further ahead of Paris, Berlin

Exclusive: 20VC leads €3.6m pre-seed for ‘TikTok meets Wikipedia’ startup Flare

Baillie Gifford on filling Europe's growth investment gap: 'There’s a dearth of capital in Europe'

Eka Ventures raises £80m to invest in startups ‘leaning into regulation’

Who gets ahead in VC? Mostly the usual suspects

AI bubble: Have VCs already forgotten 2021?

Unicorn stampede: Highest number of $1bn startups minted in Europe in four years

All the first-time European VC funds of 2026