View this email in your browser

OCTOBER 21, 2022

Hello Sifted reader,

Central and eastern European climate tech startups are having a moment — they've raised $502m in the first half of this year alone, compared to $398m for the whole of 2021. But get more granular and cracks appear — the region still has a long way to go before it catches up to the rest of Europe, and some key sectors lag behind others.

The industrial tech sector is also awash with cash in 2022 — startups have raised $4.8bn so far this year, again that's more than the sector managed during last year's boom. 

Also from the Sifted newsroom:

• 5 European tech myths, debunked
• Ali Parsa comes to brunch
• The Italian startups to watch
• Where would climate scientists spend $100m?

🚫 Who you gonna call? Mythbusters! While 2022 has admittedly not been as lucrative as the heyday of 2021 for most sectors of European tech, there are a few false statements making the situation seem worse than it is. Deploying data that details what's really going on, here's the truth behind five myths you've probably heard doing the rounds this year. 

🫐 Babylon's CEO sits down for brunch. Ali Parsa says that he feels taking the healthtech giant public was his biggest mistake — and that's not all he shared. From arriving in the UK as an asylum seeker to making the Sunday Times Rich List, he opens up while digging in to a goji berry yoghurt bowl, naturally.

🌳 Where would you splash the cash to save the planet? Climate scientists, if anyone, would be high up on the list of people you'd ask to pick the tech with the potential to save the world. So that's what Freya Pratty did, giving them a $100m money pot in the process.

Want more climate news? Sign up for Sifted's Climate Tech newsletter here.

🇮🇹 Italian startups to watch. Italy has become somewhat of an emergent stallion in the startup scene, producing fintech unicorns Scalapay and Satispay this year. But who could be next? For investors keen to get in on the country's up-and-coming tech stars, here are the companies to keep an eye on. 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR SEEDRS

True! A crowd round is an important complement to traditional VC, not its replacement. Learn more about leveraging crowdfunding with Seedrs.

Learn here.

💼 The best European startups to work for. While Europe has seen its fair share of startup layoffs this year, not all companies are stalling on growth. And according to Otta's latest Rocket List of best European startups to work at, fintech is the place to be.  

📱 Does Europe need a superapp? WeChat and AliPay are rampant across Asia, and pool almost everything a person could need into one handy superapp. Europe is yet to be tempted by its own version — but there are candidates looking to solve that, apparently unperturbed by a potential lack of demand. 

🏦 Nuri turns to termination. Digital bank Nuri, which filed for insolvency earlier this year, shut up shop this week after failing to find any new investors or acquirers to save the business. 215 employees will lose their jobs and the bank has asked customers to withdraw funds before December 18. 

🦄 Europe's deeptech unicorns. Deeptech is the envy of Europe right now as startups keep growing despite an economic downturn — the sector's even set to surpass 2021's heady fundraise total. 18 unicorns have been birthed so far this year, but the diversity of those $1bn titans is less worthy of celebration.

⚽ From league tables to cap tables. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Rio Ferdinand, more footballers are swapping the kind of pitches they're interested in by turning their eyes to angel investment. Big names on the list have put money into everything from new social media apps to NFT games — but what else is on their radar? 

SIFTED TALKS

Our latest mythbusting video, in partnership with TrueLayer, exposes the truth behind unused subscriptions. With the cost of living continuing to rise, how can companies keep their subscribers active as well as loyal?

Watch now.

⏬ How to fundraise in a downturn. The timing of SaaS management platform Cledara's first raise was far from ideal, landing smack bang in the middle of a downturn. After taking a pause to refresh tactics, it got back on the horse — CEO and founder Cristina Vila shares the lessons she learned.

🤥 Founders: stop fibbing. White lies and exaggerations are common practice at founder networking events as everyone tries to sell their startup story. But, founder of Sanctus James Routledge argues, a room full of porkies helps nobody. 

⛔ Why bankers make terrible fintech CEOs. On paper, it sounds like the perfect marriage: a banker with experience in finance using their expertise to lead a startup. The reality, as CEO of Griffin David Jarvis details, is that the traditional banker mindset is no match for the modern fintech scene. 

Newsletters → Get even more from Sifted with our range of specialist newsletters. Sign up below for bonus news, wisdom and gossip you won’t find anywhere else — not even on the Sifted site:

• Climate Tech 
• Fintech
• Startup Life
• Venture Capital

Pro → Our top level of membership lets you dive deep into the latest trends from startup Europe with our must-have research and community, including our new in-depth report on the state of European agritech, exclusively for Pro members. 

Sadia Nowshin

Editorial Assistant

Get in touch with her at

sadia@sifted.eu

She tweets from 

@sadianowshin_

Tom Nugent

Digital Editor

Get in touch with him at

tom@sifted.eu

He tweets from

@TJNugent92

Copyright © 2022 SIFTED (EU) LTD, All rights reserved.

Want to tailor what you receive from us?
You can update your preferences to manage your newsletter subscriptions,
or you can unsubscribe from Sifted if you never want to hear from us again.