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Sifted’s 250: Europe Leaderboard is out now! 👏 Selected from hundreds of applications, this ranking in partnership with Zoom, showcases the 250 fastest-growing startups across Europe in 2024 based on revenue growth. Across the year, Sifted has published seven leaderboards covering all corners of Europe from London to Athens and Berlin to Kyiv, to reveal the big themes across European tech in 2024. 🇬🇧 Congratulations to Allica Bank taking the #1 spot and all other startups featured. Our leaderboard is testament to the impressive European startup tech revival — thank you to everyone who applied over the year. Key takeaways unveiled ~ ~ Allica Bank from the UK tops the Sifted 250 Leaderboard with an impressive CAGR of 1438%, followed by Denmark’s kompasbank (1149%) and the UK’s Artios Pharma (697%). 🌎 London is home to 57 of these companies, followed by Paris (19), Stockholm (16), Berlin (13) and Milan (11). ~ B2B SaaS is the most represented vertical (75 companies), followed by fintech (64), climate tech (41), and consumer tech (38). ~ The 250 companies average €17m in annual revenue, contributing to a collective €4.2bn in revenue in their latest financial year.  📲 Digital banking is the top sector with 18 companies on the ranking Get to know the top 250 startups and investment teams backing them in our report here >> https://lnkd.in/e_FQaJyn Discover the full ranking here >> https://lnkd.in/ejq8PX2r #SiftedLeaderboards #EuropeanTech #StartupEurope

European founders are thinking creatively about exits 👉🚪👈 A growing number of European scaleups have voiced their intentions to make a public debut. The question is, when? Exit activity has been particularly muted in 2024, as companies wait for the macroeconomic climate to improve. But timing isn’t everything when it comes to an exit, IPO or not. Achieving a desirable outcome takes a lot of financial preparation and strategically weighing up all of the exit routes available. From staying private for longer to leveraging secondaries, here’s how European founders are rethinking exit strategies for 2025 and beyond: https://lnkd.in/dpHyfwat #Ad with Latham & Watkins Featuring Mike Turner, London partner at law firm Latham & Watkins, Edward Keelan, a partner at Octopus Ventures and London-based Latham & Watkins partner Shing Yuin Lo. #StartupEurope #Founder #ExitStrategy

Our journalists-turned-clairvoyants predict what's to come in 2025. ✍️ Based on hundreds of conversations, thousands of emails and a sprinkling of imagination, here's what the Sifted team thinks will happen for European tech in 2025. 🇨🇭 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐈: With the EU rushing to regulate AI, Switzerland could become a haven for AI companies with its potential for a technology-neutral regulation. 🌱 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟: Climate tech had a tough 2024. Following Northvolt's bankruptcy and a decline in funding, a third rebrand may be on the horizon to emphasise financial viability and green solutions. 📲 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩: Revolut, Bolt, and Wolt are all expanding beyond their core offerings, potentially becoming "everything apps" that offer a wide range of services. 📈 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: It’s a hype curve that’s showing no signs of turning down. 🎬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐌&𝐀 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬: Now that Europe’s name-brand neobanks are profitable and eying growth, blockbuster deals could be on the table again. 🪇 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐕𝐂 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐮𝐩𝐬. Do you disagree? Drop your predictions for the new year 👇 Dive into the team's 2025 predictions here >> https://lnkd.in/eBTyxprW #2025predictions #EuropeanTech #StartupEurope

Talking dogs seemed like a distant dream — now the tech is here. 🐾 In 2019, Stella, a dog in the US, shot to internet fame for her ability to “talk”. By pawing at a soundboard made up of large circular buttons, each dictating different word, she makes loose sentences. Not long after, a “talking dog” movement was born. Speech pathologist Christina Hunger, Stella’s owner, was inspired by the work she had done with non-verbal children. Hunger noticed that her pet was communicating in a similar way to toddlers before they started to talk and went on to develop the paw-friendly soundboard. #Ad with UNLEASHED by Purina: https://lnkd.in/eRtUvgda Do dogs really understand language? Will talking collars be the way of the future? Find out in our article featuring Christina Hunger and John McHale, founder of smart collar company, Shazam. #Petwearables #PetTech #Startups

Before the fireworks set off: A short fintech year in review and eight predictions for 2025. 🥂 2024 has seen fintech start to make a steady recovery, following the steep 2023 funding drop from $24bn to $8.4bn Funding for the sector is slowly bouncing back ($8.8bn) and most of Europe’s brand-name neobanks are now profitable. 👏 Revolut secured its long-awaited banking licence, crypto did indeed make a comeback and Klarna finally confirmed its plan to go public next year. But what will next year hold for fintech? Experts predict a focus on vertical solutions, regulatory streamlining and an M&A resurgence. Read the full predictions in our final article for 2024 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e_eP8Vcm See you in the New Year! 👋 #fintech #2025predictions #NYE

What’s in store for deeptech in 2025? VCs weigh in 🔮 European deeptech has faced its share of challenges in 2024, but it’s not all bad news. Investor interest remains high with $14bn invested in deeptech companies this year. VCs predict 2025 will be a pivotal year, with consolidation and M&A, AI dominance and targeted hardware growth. Read the full predictions in our latest article: https://lnkd.in/eiZFK8ia #deeptech #2025predictions #startupeurope

What is the best B2B SaaS company out there? 👑 Sifted, in partnership with Sapphire Ventures, explores the top 100 B2B SaaS companies soon to join the ranks of the $1bn-plus unicorns. Our report includes companies working on everything from diverse apps, sites and platforms designed to kill repetitive tasks, train artificial intelligence, improve automation, combat cybersecurity threats to businesses and more. Get the inside scoop on eight founders' journeys and companies, highlighted from the top 100, featuring: Sean Williams, founder and CEO at AutogenAI Meri Beckwith, co-founder at Lindus Health Stef van Grieken, cofounder and CEO at Cradle Pedro Gómez, cofounder and CEO of Orbem, Ex-Klarna head Lena Hackelöer founder of Brite Payments Ben Simpson and Lisa Simpson, founders of Easol Allister Furey, cofounder and CEO of Sylvera Wouter Durville, cofounder and CEO of TestGorilla Discover the full list here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4rAFU6j  Download the report to discover what this means for European Tech 👉https://lnkd.in/eG-ixGzq #B2BSaaS #Ranking #StartupEurope

Mushroom coffins? No more bed bugs? Dog wakes? 🍄 🐜 🪦 Here is Sifted listicle for the weirdest VC deals of the year: 🧱 Sort A Brick (Lithuania): This AI-powered Lego sorting service raised €1.15m to clean, sort, and repackage old Lego bricks to reduce waste. 🌬️ OW Smell Made Digital (UK): This startup raised $2.2m for its "digital smell solutions," aiming to improve sleep quality through curated scents. 🪦 Depet (Spain): This company raised €5m to organise pet funerals, including wakes and cremations. 🍄 Loop Biotech (Netherlands): This company raised €2m for its "living coffin" made of mushrooms, promoting faster decomposition. 🪳Valpas (Finland): This company raised €4m for its "smart bed legs" that attract and capture bed bugs. Find out more on each company and Éanna Kelly's take on the most over-used jargon and best startup names in 2024 👉 https://lnkd.in/e6xiPfsb #VC #2024deals #StartupEurope

How do you boost employee engagement and retention? 👩💻 Miriam Partington, Sifted's Startup Life reporter chatted to Lenke Taylor, Personio’s chief people officer, about how employers can design surveys to collate employee feedback — and actually act on the results. Here's your how to guide for an effective employee feedback survey: ✍️ Define your goals: What do you want to learn from the survey? ✍️ Choose the right format: Annual engagement surveys or regular pulse surveys? ✍️ Explain anonymity and confidentiality: Build trust with your employees. ✍️ Pick your questions wisely: Break it down into categories that are important for your organisation, ask questions on leadership and test your questions. ✍️ Encourage participation: Publish regular participation numbers — get people to be a little competitive. ✍️ Most importantly — Implement the feedback: Show employees you're listening and taking action and don't forget communication after the survey. 🔗 Find out more about this powerful tool in our article here: https://lnkd.in/e38-T4yF #employeeengagement #feedback #surveys 

A few highlights from another fantastic year at Sifted! 🥂 This year, our Sifted Daily newsletter became a true morning must-read, growing to 130k+ subscribers — thank you for making us part of your daily routine. ✨ We’ve published over 1,000 articles, and our hard-hitting investigations and commentary earned us recognition: 👉 Freya Pratty & Tim Smith: Shortlisted for B2B Story of the Year (Headline Money Awards) for their DN investigation 👉 Amy Lewin & Anisah Osman Britton MBE: Shortlisted for Tech Commentator of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 👉 Sifted: Shortlisted for B2B Title of the Year We’re proud to see our journalism recognised for the value it brings to Europe’s tech ecosystem. 📊 This year, we levelled up our data and intelligence offering through Sifted Pro, with exciting new features on the way to deliver even more value.   🚀 We also launched Sifted Leaderboards with huge success – including 7 regional leaderboards, 5 research reports and a flagship Sifted 250!   ✍️ In July, we introduced Sifted for Startups – a free subscription for startups across Europe – and have already welcomed 2,500 new subscribers to this fast-growing community. ⛰️ In October, we hosted our most successful Sifted Summit yet, featuring an unmatched line-up of speakers, workshops, side events and networking opportunities. 🌟 Other notable mentions: • Our first in-person Sifted Talks event with Way of Life • Two exclusive podcast series in partnership with Morgan Stanley and UNLEASHED by Purina • Our first two interactive features published in partnership with with Mastercard and Zoom. And to top it all off, we reached 100K+ followers on LinkedIn! It’s been a remarkable year, and we’re grateful to you — our readers and supporters — for being part of it. Wishing you a happy holiday season and an exciting 2025. We can’t wait to share what’s next! 🔮 #HappyHolidays #2024Recap