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Hello Sifted reader,

Back in May we started reporting on the layoffs affecting European tech companies. This week, a new wave hit the continent's shores.

As we discuss on the latest episode of the Sifted Podcast, Berlin-based presentation software startup Pitch announced it was letting go of 30% of its staff while Europe's largest vertical farming company, Infarm, told Sifted it's laying off 50 employees. 

In other news, we're trialling a new Friday layout for our newsletter. Does it get the thumbs up, or thumbs down? Let us know.

Fresh from the Sifted newsroom:

• How do you prepare the perfect pitch deck? 
• Could Cluj produce the next UiPath?
• Italy's largest bank closes its first VC fund

— Tom, digital editor & Amy, editor

🇷🇴 Could Cluj produce the next UiPath? Bucharest-born unicorn UiPath is one of Europe’s most successful startups. But what potential does Cluj, Romania's second city, have as a startup hub? It does have one of the highest GDP growth rates in the EU.

🤝 How to build the perfect pitch deck. When you’ve only got a few slides — and often only one chance — to make an impression, how do you stand out? Here's what investors are looking for.

💰 The state of Benelux startup funding. The region brought in a combined €4.7bn in VC capital in 2021, three times more than 2020. So what's going on?

🚲 Plus... the Benelux startups to watch in 2022. It's not all about Cowboy and VanMoof.

🐕 Would you take your dog for a walk in the metaverse? A new wave of startups is looking to make money from creating meta-mutts. But will it work?

🇮🇹 Italy's largest bank closes its first VC fund of €250m. Neva SGR, the VC arm of Intesa Sanpaolo, will write first cheques of up to €10m. It’s sector agnostic, but has a slight leaning towards fintech and deeptech. Amy O'Brien has more.

1️⃣ Northzone raises €1bn. The story Sifted readers couldn't get enough of this week? The news of European VC Northzone's huge new fund — its largest to date and one of the biggest in Europe so far this year. 

2️⃣ Sweden's SunRoof bags €15m. The startup produces roofs made from solar panels, and founder Lech Kaniuk says "there’s no competition in the world that would produce more power from a square metre". It's the latest in a flurry of deals for Europe's solar power startups.

3️⃣ 10 Norwegian startups to watch. Norway's tech scene has been described as "up-and-coming" for years. But some people think things are about to take off. Here are the startups you need keep an eye on.

4️⃣ The fastest growing climate tech startups. The industry is gaining more and more investor attention, and plenty of climate companies are showing strong signs of growth.

5️⃣ Have you heard of BVNK? If you haven't, you're not alone. When Sifted asked dozens of in-the-know European VCs and founders about the fintech, barely any had. But after launching 11 months ago, in May the mysterious startup closed a $40m Series A led by none other than Tiger Global — and that made a few ears prick up. So what does it do?

Get even more from Sifted with our range of specialist newsletters, covering:

• Climate Tech
• Fintech
• Startup Life
• Venture Capital

Sign up for bonus news, wisdom and gossip you won’t find anywhere else — not even on the Sifted site.

Don’t miss out.

We have some great speakers lined up for our Sifted Summit in October — and some of them have already given readers a taste of what wisdom they have to share:

💔 Jenny Holmström, CEO and cofounder of Coupleness, explains why you don't have to choose between your startup and your relationship.

🗣 Michelle You, founder and CEO of Supercritical, shares the lessons she's applying to building a startup second time around. 

👘 Trinny Woodall, CEO and founder of Trinny London, gets into why she sold her wardrobe instead of taking VC cash.

📋 Timothy Armoo, founder of Fanbytes, divulges five lessons he learned from his eight-figure exit.

🔥 Tessa Clarke, cofounder of OLIO, expands on why female founders need money, not more mentoring. 

Tom Nugent

Digital Editor

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

Amy Lewin
Editor 

Get in touch with her at amy@sifted.eu
Or tweeting at @amyrlewin

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