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Hi Sifted Reader,

With summer on the horizon, you might be seeking out the best "workation" opportunities on the continent. And today our Barcelona-based reporter, Tim, scouts out the best digital nomad villages in Europe. Plus…

• The top early-stage VCs in the Netherlands
• How to build a fully remote startup
• Klarna's valuation slash

— Sophie, editorial assistant & Tom, digital editor

Working abroad as a digital nomad often sounds like a dream come true. But loneliness, poor wifi and a lack of decent accomodation can sour the deal.

That’s where digital nomad villages step in — with coworking spaces and coliving apartments, these villages encourage community and collaboration in some of Europe's most idyllic places.

So where are the best places to go?

Zendesk is designed to resolve customer enquiries and issues quickly via messaging, live chat, social, email and phone. Apply for the startup program for six months free.

The Netherlands is small, but powerful. With over 11k startups based in the country and a record €5.3bn invested in Dutch startups in 2021, it’s one to watch.

But who's driving the country's tech boom? Using Dealroom data, we've ranked the best early stage VCs investing in the Netherlands.

So who made the list?

This article is free to read for all until 9am BST / 10am CEST, at which point only our paying members will have access.

Many companies adopted remote working as a temporary measure during the early stages of Covid, and those who’ve maintained hybrid or remote work practices may not be properly set up to thrive. 

We spoke to Lydia Kothmeier, VP of operations at Storyblok — a fully remote startup — about how to get it right. 

So what's the secret to making remote working a success?

📉 Klarna faces valuation slash to $15bn. The Swedish buy now, pay later giant raised a $639m round at a $46bn valuation led by SoftBank in 2021. But this year its valuation may be slashed to $15bn, as the company is in talks with investors to raise a fresh funding round of at least $500m. This follows a difficult period for the company, as CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced plans to lay off 10% of Klarna’s global workforce just three weeks ago. 

🇨🇿 Rohlik raises €220m Series D. Speedy grocery delivery companies might have had a rough time recently but online grocery business Rohlik — which became the Czech Republic's first-ever unicorn last year — seems to be weathering the storm. It's just raised €220m in a Series D round led by Sofina, and plans to use the cash to accelerate tech innovation, including electric mobility and automation of its fulfilment centres.

🇫🇷 Formance raises $3.1m pre-seed round. The Paris-based payment flows API startup has raised a $3.1m pre-seed round to scale up its product offering, onboard more fintech clients and grow its team. There were several notable investors in the round, including Y Combinator, Hoxton Ventures and Frst.

👨‍⚕️ Kranus Health raises $6.5m Series A. The Munich-based health startup raised a $6.5m Series A in a round led by French healthtech-focused VC Karista. The startup seeks to provide treatment for erectile dysfunction through a 12-week treatment plan delivered through a digital therapy app.

💡 You’ve got a brilliant product and an amazing team, but how do you find your first paying customers? (Sponsored by Google Cloud).

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Sophie Zhang

Editorial Assistant

Get in touch with them at sophiezhang@sifted.eu

Tom Nugent

Digital Editor 

Get in touch with him at tomnugent@sifted.eu
Or tweeting at @TJNugent92

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