# Venture capital

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

EU offers quota deal to end UK-France standoff over €5bn Scaleup fund
Pro
Exclusive
July 2, 2026
EU offers quota deal to end UK-France standoff over €5bn Scaleup fund
The talks follow France’s attempt to block UK participation in the fund
Freya Pratty and Martin Coulter
Common Ventures launches scheme to get working-class grads into startups
Interview
July 2, 2026
Common Ventures launches scheme to get working-class grads into startups
Social mobility programme backed by Atomico, Phoenix Court and the Sutton Trust
Martin Coulter
Tapestry VC launches $80m fund aimed at backing repeat founders
Pro
Interview
July 1, 2026
Tapestry VC launches $80m fund aimed at backing repeat founders
Founder Patrick Murphy relocates to London in search of European deals
Martin Coulter
Ex-Speedinvest partner Rick Hao closes $50m solo GP fund for deeptech startups
Pro
Exclusive
July 1, 2026
Ex-Speedinvest partner Rick Hao closes $50m solo GP fund for deeptech startups
Ruya Ventures will invest in startups working on everything from batteries and semiconductors to robotics, AI and novel compute
Tom Nugent
French bid to block UK from €5bn EU fund sparks backlash
Pro
Analysis
July 1, 2026
French bid to block UK from €5bn EU fund sparks backlash
Founders and investors divided over British involvement in Scaleup fund
Martin Coulter and Anne Sraders
Why this AI founder ditched bootstrapping for a $17m deal with 20VC
Pro
Interview
July 1, 2026
Why this AI founder ditched bootstrapping for a $17m deal with 20VC
Fonio founder Daniel Keinrath spent years avoiding VCs. But a shift in pricing — and a meeting with Harry Stebbings — changed his mind
Éanna Kelly
More VC mergers are coming, says P101 founder
Pro
Interview
June 30, 2026
More VC mergers are coming, says P101 founder
The Italian VC just acquired a fellow seed investor in what it says is the first such consolidation deal in the country
Anne Sraders
Exclusive: British Business Bank to back UK scaleups with £400m per year
Pro
Exclusive
June 29, 2026
Exclusive: British Business Bank to back UK scaleups with £400m per year
The state bank will write first-time cheques of £10m-40m
Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Berlin’s Peec AI targeting $200m valuation in new fundraise, sources say
Pro
Exclusive
June 26, 2026
Berlin’s Peec AI targeting $200m valuation in new fundraise, sources say
The startup last raised $21m in November
Anne Sraders, Freya Pratty and Maya Dharampal-Hornby
The seed rounds you may have missed in H1
Pro
Analysis
June 26, 2026
The seed rounds you may have missed in H1
Forget the headline-grabbers like AMI Labs and Ineffable Intelligence — here are the overlooked deals of the first half of 2026
Éanna Kelly
Brent Hoberman on UK tech post-Starmer: 'Are we going to tax everyone to high hell?'
Podcast
June 25, 2026
Brent Hoberman on UK tech post-Starmer: 'Are we going to tax everyone to high hell?'
While the UK's tech scene booms, political uncertainty looms
Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Visionaries general partner Judith Dada joins AI startup Langdock as co-CEO
News
June 25, 2026
Visionaries general partner Judith Dada joins AI startup Langdock as co-CEO
Dada hopes her move to become a VC-operator will “kick off a trend” among European investors
Anne Sraders
Exclusive: British Business Bank backs 10 VC funds with £90m pot
Exclusive
June 25, 2026
Exclusive: British Business Bank backs 10 VC funds with £90m pot
It’s the first time the UK’s state economic development bank has committed capital specifically for underrepresented groups
Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Records broken as eight European startups raised $1bn+ rounds in 2026
Pro
Sifted data
June 24, 2026
Records broken as eight European startups raised $1bn+ rounds in 2026
$1bn+ rounds support scaling for Europe’s key AI companies
Federico Scolari
Revolut, Wise and UiPath-backer Seedcamp raises $320m
Pro
Interview
June 22, 2026
Revolut, Wise and UiPath-backer Seedcamp raises $320m
'We won't back companies that have sovereignty as a sole differentiator,' says Seedcamp
Freya Pratty
Eric Slesinger’s 201 Ventures plots second defence fund, sources say
Pro
Exclusive
June 19, 2026
Eric Slesinger’s 201 Ventures plots second defence fund, sources say
Slesinger’s debut fund was backed by LPs like the NATO Innovation Fund
Anne Sraders
Luxembourg Venture Days connects capital and dealflow
Paid for and produced by
June 17, 2026
Luxembourg Venture Days connects capital and dealflow
Meet LPs, investors and high-growth startups and scaleups in one curated event
Paid for and produced by: Startup Luxembourg
UK defence prime BAE Systems invests €50m in VCs Lakestar, Expeditions
News
June 16, 2026
UK defence prime BAE Systems invests €50m in VCs Lakestar, Expeditions
It comes as the defence prime is more actively investing in defence startups via an incubator programme
Anne Sraders
ASML eyeing more Mistral-style startup bets, CEO says
Pro
Interview
June 16, 2026
ASML eyeing more Mistral-style startup bets, CEO says
The CEO sat down with Sifted to talk Mistral, physical AI and why M&A is an “exception”
Anne Sraders
European tech has discovered some swagger
Pro
Sifted View
June 15, 2026
European tech has discovered some swagger
A string of mega deals has brought a new sense of mission and ambition to the continent's tech sector
John Thornhill
Why SpaceX IPO could spark a ‘$200bn private markets boom’
Pro
Analysis
June 12, 2026
Why SpaceX IPO could spark a ‘$200bn private markets boom’
“In the medium to long term, the secondary market will see a boost"
Freya Pratty and Anne Sraders
European doomerism creeps into tech conferences: 'We have challenges'
Pro
Opinion
June 12, 2026
European doomerism creeps into tech conferences: 'We have challenges'
Investors worry about the wide gap between the US and Europe — but points of optimism remain
Anne Sraders
Exclusive: NIF hires ex-EIB investor to run fund of funds programme
Pro
Exclusive
June 12, 2026
Exclusive: NIF hires ex-EIB investor to run fund of funds programme
The role was previously left unfilled after founding partner Thorsten Claus departed in 2024
Anne Sraders and Freya Pratty
Paul Murphy leaves Lightspeed — but plans to keep investing
Pro
News
June 12, 2026
Paul Murphy leaves Lightspeed — but plans to keep investing
Sifted understands Murphy will remain as a Lightspeed venture partner until the end of the year
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and Freya Pratty

# Venture capital

EU offers quota deal to end UK-France standoff over €5bn Scaleup fund

Common Ventures launches scheme to get working-class grads into startups

Tapestry VC launches $80m fund aimed at backing repeat founders

Ex-Speedinvest partner Rick Hao closes $50m solo GP fund for deeptech startups

French bid to block UK from €5bn EU fund sparks backlash

Why this AI founder ditched bootstrapping for a $17m deal with 20VC

More VC mergers are coming, says P101 founder

Exclusive: British Business Bank to back UK scaleups with £400m per year

Berlin’s Peec AI targeting $200m valuation in new fundraise, sources say

The seed rounds you may have missed in H1

Brent Hoberman on UK tech post-Starmer: 'Are we going to tax everyone to high hell?'

Visionaries general partner Judith Dada joins AI startup Langdock as co-CEO

Exclusive: British Business Bank backs 10 VC funds with £90m pot

Records broken as eight European startups raised $1bn+ rounds in 2026

Revolut, Wise and UiPath-backer Seedcamp raises $320m

Eric Slesinger’s 201 Ventures plots second defence fund, sources say

Luxembourg Venture Days connects capital and dealflow

UK defence prime BAE Systems invests €50m in VCs Lakestar, Expeditions

ASML eyeing more Mistral-style startup bets, CEO says

European tech has discovered some swagger

Why SpaceX IPO could spark a ‘$200bn private markets boom’

European doomerism creeps into tech conferences: 'We have challenges'

Exclusive: NIF hires ex-EIB investor to run fund of funds programme

Paul Murphy leaves Lightspeed — but plans to keep investing