Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast

This week we discuss: 2:24 Crypto winter and Bitpanda layoffs 4:17 Hiring tech startup Screenloop raises $7m 5:43 Wise and Songkick founders launch new VC fund 8:48 Christian Tooley from i³ investing on why you need to queer your dealflow 19:09 The EU has a new plan to supercharge European innovation

On this week's show: 02:20 — Idoven raises $19.8m to scale it's AI heart disease detection tech 05:00 — Kranus Health raises $6.5m to build the “viagra of digital therapy” 09:45 — Europe's top "digital nomad villages" 17:26 — How did travel booking site Omio rise from the ashes, after nearly being snuffed out by the pandemic

On this week's show: 03:22 — SoftBank backs Proximie in $80m round for AR surgery 06:00 — Epoch Biodesign has raised $11m to grow its plastic-eating enzymes tech 09:38 — What's going on in European tech hiring? 11:32 — Fintech reporter Amy O'Brien discusses a rare interview with N26 CEO Valentin Stalf 15:46 — Nathan Benaich talks about his research into why European universities are...

Amy is joined this week by our producer, Tim! First up, we’re chatting about big raises in crypto and the EU’s Ukrainian relief fund. Berlin correspondent Miriam Partington joins us to tell all about speedy grocery company Gorillas’ very rough week. Next, we discuss the founders trying to improve treatments for women’s health issues, from sustainable menstrual cups to 3D-printed breast implants fo...

This week on the show we’re talking to Freya Pratty about her joint investigation with Éanna Kelly into Pollen, an elite events company with heavy investor backing. We’ll hear about its angry customers who claim they’re owed thousands, and what Pollen has to say about it. We’re also finding out what European startup employees really think of their “ill equipped” bosses, and hearing about some of t...

Some of Europe's best known tech companies have cut thousands of staff this week, as the economic slowdown arrives on the continent. On the pod we discuss who's been hit hardest so far, how startups can best survive the storm, and what's in store for buy now, pay later startups, with credit becoming more expensive as interest rates rise. The stories we discuss: Tech company layoffs...

It’s our first real, live billionaire guest… Christian Angermayer, founder of ATAI Life Sciences, a startup that seeks to treat mental health disorders with psychedelics. But first, hear all about the four Polish grandpas who founded a quantum science startup because "retirement is boring”. We also called Miriam Partington, our Berlin correspondent, on a new movement coming out of Germany, ca...

Public markets are down and tech company stocks are no exception. How will the slump affect VC behaviour, and how should startups prepare for what's coming? We also ask whether NFT sports card platform Sorare is really worth $4.3bn and Amy, recording from the basement of Switzerland's FoodHack conference, gets her hands on some man made honey and fungal bratwurst.

We're live from Estonia! The Sifted Podcast recorded an extra special episode in front of an audience at our Sifted Sessions \Tallinn. This week we're talking about how a tiny country in the Baltics created global companies like Skype and Wise. Joining Amy on stage were Sifted reporter Anisah Osman Britton, Kaidi Ruusalepp, president of the Estonian Founders Society, and Triin Hertmann,...

This week, Amy calls in from Riga, and tells us about the Latvian startups she’s met at TechChill — turns out wind-turbine-fixing robots are big business! We discuss the latest in startup news, including the ‘world’s largest’ facility opening for cow-free milk and on-demand tailoring app Sojo raising £. After that, we talk to fintech reporter Amy O’Brien about the latest wave of fintechs targeting...

Amy’s away this week, so Eleanor is joined by guest host and Sifted writer, Éanna Kelly! We’re discussing the juicy investment news of the week, including new funds for university spinouts and Spanish deeptech. Next, we’re talking to our boss, John Thornhill, about what it’s like to be an older entrepreneur. Not that he’s old, of course… and finally, we chat with journalist Kai Nicol-Schwarz about...

“I’d say probably 70% of NFT people are out to scam”… but how do the heists work? This week, we’re talking to writer Eanna Kelly on the wacky world of NFT scams. We’re also speaking to Germany correspondent Miriam Partington about diversifying the investment landscape, and the hot new German tech startups everyone wants to work for.

This week, we’re back and talking to reporter Freya Pratty about all things Co2, from carbon capture to accounting. We ask: is it really possible to clean up our air with machines? We’re also talking to Maija Palmer about a dark horse metaverse application that’s got VCs flinging open their wallets. Finally, we’re discussing the most important meal of the day: lab-grown breakfasts of the future.

This week, in Eleanor's absence, we were joined by a special guest host… journalist-turned-Zapp VP of Strategy, Steve O’Hear! We discuss The Family, France’s most famous incubator whose cofounder has been accused of embezzlement. We also chat to journalist Tim Smith about his reporting on the toxic workplace allegations made against delivery startup Glovo. Finally, we’re discussing journalist...

This week, we’re talking about Getir, the speedy delivery company which has raised a massive $768m Series E round at a $11.8bn valuation. We ask, is the company really worth all that cash? We’re also speaking to reporter Mimi Billing about social shopping — or shopping-turned-social game — and the Finnish startup trying to bring the Chinese craze to Europe. Finally, we’re discussing our latest cov...

An episode with no audio issues? It’s true! This week, we’re discussing startups hiring ethical advisory boards — will it help them avoid Big Tech’s big mistakes? We’ll also be speaking to reporter Freya Pratty about how Brexit is squashing the UK’s edible bug industry, and discussing Sifted's most controversial story of the week.

We're back with episode 2 of the new season of The Sifted Podcast. Cursed by the audio gods, this was a second, DIY attempt at recording the podcast after a studio malfunction, so we apologise for the slightly suboptimal quality this episode (next time will be better, we promise). We didn't want to stop that from sharing some of what's been going on at Sifted this week, including di...

We’re back with season two — but we now look a bit different. Each week, Sifted editor Amy Lewin and deputy editor Eleanor Warnock will bring you the latest news coming from Europe’s tech and startup sector. In this first episode, we’ll be discussing the events unfolding in Ukraine and how they’re affecting local businesses and the people that work for them. We’ll hear from Ivan Babichuk, VP engin...

For years, squeamish — and typically male — VCs have avoided the topic of women’s sexual health. But a new wave of women-led audio erotica startups are here leading a quiet revolution in the world of pleasure and sexual wellbeing. In episode 4, we’ll hear from Sifted’s Germany correspondent Miriam Partington, Julie Lepique, cofounder and CEO of sensual audio platform Femtasy, and Andrea Oliver Gar...

Europe’s millennials are starting to get rich — with many cashing in on the continent’s fast-growing tech sector — and entrepreneurs are seeing dollar signs. In episode 3, we take you on a journey into the minds of the next generation of high-net-worth individual, and hear what they want from a digital bank. Think Coutts, oak-panelled walls, cigar smoking financiers, Switzerland — but all in one h...

Psychedelics aren’t only about getting high, and a new wave of startups is here that’s all about using natural and synthetic drugs to tackle the globe’s growing mental health crisis. In episode two, we’ll speak to Sifted Iberian correspondent Tim Smith about how psychedelics got from Ancient Greece to the VC boardroom. We'll also hear from a founder who took his employees off on a team-buildi...

Oranmore is just like any other sleepy Irish town — except for the fact that everything is delivered by futuristic drones. During lockdown, Oranmore became the testing bed for Manna Aero, a drone delivery startup that promises candy, curry and hot coffee to your door in a matter of minutes. In this first episode, we’ll hear from Sifted innovation editor Maija Palmer, Manna Aero founder Bobby Healy...