Sifted

"Europe can’t rearm unless it reindustrialises, and that’s an uphill battle when having the world’s most expensive energy prices. Europe is going to have to make real changes to its energy policies if it's to have any real hope of rearming." Me in Sifted stating what should be painfully obvious, but alas many Europeans are in denial about. Europe's energy costs are going to have to come way down for it to reindustrialise, and that means making different policy choices. Europe needs cheap energy abundance. https://lnkd.in/eaTMCwuc

“What’s happening in America is crazy... not only does it feel like we’re going backwards, it feels like we’re being deliberately hurtful." That's what "the Queen of British VC" Eileen Burbidge told me in my first Brunch with Sifted when we got onto the subject of the rollback of DEI initiatives in the wake of Donald Trump's inauguration earlier this year. Born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Burbidge studied Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the alma mater of much of the so-called “PayPal mafia”. After scoring post-grad roles with American tech companies like Apple and Verizon, Burbidge relocated to London to work for the recently-launched Skype. Even though she was fired by its founder Niklas Zennström a year into the job, Burbidge stayed in close contact with the team and later helped its founding engineers conduct due diligence for their investment fund Ambient Sound Investments. By 2011, she set up her own fund and the UK’s first seed-specific VC Passion Capital was born. Passion is behind many of the biggest names in UK tech including neobank Monzo, payments fintech GoCardless and car insurtech Marshmallow — her influence across London’s tech industry has earned her the moniker “Queen of British VC". Despite her success, Burbidge is in equal parts forthright and self-deprecating. “I'm 100% here because of luck,” she tells me. Over brunch, she speaks candidly about VC’s gender gap and the importance of fertility healthcare—and even wades into the war on DEI in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election. Tuck into the rest of my brunch with the "Queen of British VC" here: https://lnkd.in/eaFfS-7Q

📢 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 – 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲! Join the leaders of 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁-𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 on October 8-9 2025, at Magazine London. Here’s what you can expect:  ⁃ 𝟯,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲𝘀 from across the startup ecosystem ⁃ 𝟮𝟬𝟬+ 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 featuring the very best names in the business  ⁃ 𝟲𝟬+ 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 represented under one roof in London ⁃ 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 with investors, operators and  founders ⁃ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀, 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗫𝗢 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 This year’s theme is all about 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 –  startup Europe is driven by the determination (and grit) to tackle the toughest challenges. Sifted Summit 2025 will explore how the ecosystem is preparing for the long-haul. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 — 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 > https://lnkd.in/eu6BJS7r Don’t miss your chance to be part of the conversation. #SiftedSummit #TechInnovation #StartupEcosystem

NEW: Since 2021, investment firm Future Planet Capital (FPC) has secured more than £100m in public funds without any competitive bidding process. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the UK Space Agency are among the government departments and agencies to have contributed to the £110m UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S). Midven, a VC firm based in Birmingham, was awarded the contract when UKI2S first launched in 2002, helping the British government invest tens of millions of pounds in fast-growing companies. That changed in 2021, when FPC bought Midven — making it the de facto manager of the funds. Since FPC's takeover, however, business partners and government officials have raised questions over the company’s suitability for the project, sources say. "Future Planet Capital is proud to manage UKI2S on behalf of the government,” Sakura Holloway, investment director at UKI2S, tells Sifted. “Accountability and responsibility are fundamental to what we do — as is backing the UK’s most ambitious innovators and helping them change the world for the better." 📖 Article by Freya Pratty and Kai Nicol-Schwarz

I am over the moon to share that we've oversubscribed our initial target and completed our second close at £18.2 million ($23 million) of our £20 million ($25 million) Arāya Super Angel Fund and that British Business Investments has committed £5million, the first time they've committed to a solo GP. So many people to thank but firstly, I am grateful to every investor that believes in what we're building at Arāya Ventures. A special thank you to the team at British Business Investments Mark Barry, Nancy Liu, Jasleen Haer & Jay Coulson. I'm excited about the founders and teams we've already backed and the value we've been able to provide from day one to some of our portfolio companies. Founders 👉🏾 we back all founders and write £150k - £450k cheques to consumer and B2B businesses at pre-seed and seed in Health, FinTech, Commerce and Future of Work. Investment opportunities can be sent to hello@araya.ventures. Thank you to Miriam Partington at Sifted for covering the fund close (link in comments) 👇🏾

As a reporter covering industries like deeptech and defence, I’ll admit, it can be frustrating to see so many men at conferences, on panels and, yes, quoted in my own stories.    Gender diversity is a big problem for the European tech and VC ecosystems, and those inequities can feel particularly extreme in areas like defence tech. But I’ve spoken to or heard about a number of women investors making their mark in the defence tech niche — and, after interviewing a few of them recently, I decided to highlight several women investors in defence that the rest of the VC world should have on their radar. Know someone I've missed? Send me a message. Sifted https://lnkd.in/ePd3bpkx

The results are in — founders are “exhausted”, run down and lacking in hope. Sifted surveyed 138 founders across Europe on how they have found the last year — as the tough economic climate continues to bite, many founders are experiencing physical or mental health issues. What can be done to improve the current state of founder mental and physical health? 🫂 Explore the findings from those founders surveyed and read our articles on supporting founder burnout in the comments below >> https://lnkd.in/eXt32ucj

A new ranking by Sifted, Financial Times and Statista has spotlighted the 150 leading startup hubs across Europe. Munich and Paris-based centres dominate, claiming four of the top five spots — with UnternehmerTUM finishing first for the second year in a row. Scores were based on alumni ratings, industry perception and the track record of companies which have gone through the hubs' programmes. More about the top 10 here: https://lnkd.in/eCn-U7CM And the full list here: https://lnkd.in/eMeb9usE UnternehmerTUM | STATION F | Start2 Group | HEC Paris - Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute | Founders Factory | Venture Kick | Lanzadera | SSE Business Lab | STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play

Sifted Connects presents: Dinner in London! 🍷 Powered by Remote, we kicked off the evening with a fireside chat between Anisah our startup life reporter and Andrina L., global director of people partners. Our topic of the evening — Fast growth, strong culture: How to find the right balance. After the discussion, dinner was served with a three-course meal hosted by Bob Bob Ricard. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a fabulous evening to wine, dine and connect! 🗓️ If you missed it we are hosting our second dinner in London on March 26 — sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eajPW6BS

In the last few weeks, VCs, operators and other tech people have mentioned the Swedish AI agent startup Lovable in passing. One in particular told me it is "the biggest story of the moment." (This was before the reports on the startup's $15m pre-Series A yesterday.) So, what is it that makes this startup so different from all the rest? I visited the offices in central Stockholm to find out. Thank you Nad Chishtie and Fabian Hedin for taking the time. More here: https://lnkd.in/dXJjXFXy