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OCTOBER 26, 2022

Hello Sifted reader,

It's already been a week of wins for some: plant-based meat maker Heura raised €20m via a convertible note; carbon capture and storage tech startup Paebbl drummed up €8m; and Sweden's H2 Green Steel could get the hydrogen-powered steel plant it's been dreaming of with €3.5bn in debt financing. 

Meanwhile, we're in search of European startup accelerators — if you know of any that might not already be on our radar, please let us know here. 

Also from the Sifted newsroom:

• Could Sunak be the UK's most startup-friendly PM yet? 

• Creator economy startups to watch, according to VCs

• A new fund championing female founders 

🗳️ Will Sunak support startups? Britain is onto its third prime minister this year — and it could be third time lucky for the country's startups. From launching funds to labelling himself a "tech geek", here's what Rishi Sunak has done for UK startups so far — and what he's promised to do in the future.

🩺 100+ health(tech)-conscious angels. Europe's healthtech scene is in good shape this year, with multiple €100m+ rounds in 2022 already. Looking for an angel investor interested in the sector? Sifted has gathered heaps of active healthtech angels into one handy list. 

🖊️ There's a freelancer frenzy in... Germany, which has seen its number almost triple in the last few months, according to global freelancer platform Freelancer.com. The cost of living is a likely cause for the increase in side hustle demand, as German inflation recently rose to its highest level in 70 years. 

📱 Creator economy startups to follow. Whether you like it or not, social media platforms — and the influencers monetising them — are a huge part of the digital world. Given that they're unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon, here are 12 startups focused on the creator economy that VCs reckon are worth watching. 

🤝 The US debt investors in Europe. As raising equity funding gets harder, raising debt financing is losing its taboo status for startups. But the odd thing is, most of the debt investors in Europe are... from the US. Which are the most active firms, and what do they want?

🇩🇪 Germany's alternative hotspots. Berlin and Munich are widely considered Germany's main startup hubs — but there are companies making waves elsewhere in the country too. Here are the 10 fastest-growing German startups outside of the usual locations, covering everything from e-vehicles to AI tools. 

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR TEACHERS' VENTURE GROWTH

Teachers’ Venture Growth (TVG) brings founders over 30 years of experience and a long-term commitment to help them scale their businesses into global leaders.

💪 More funding for female founders. Female-founded startups are still only getting a tiny fraction of European investment — but Austria-based Female Founders is out to change that. It's announced the first close of a €20m fund, raising €12.5m to support women founders and gender-diverse teams across Europe.  

🏡 Capturing carbon — and cash. Carbon capture and storage tech startup Paebbl transforms its carbon stores into carbon-negative construction materials, which are then used to build eco-friendly architecture. It's celebrating an €8m raise this week, which will be used to bring its product to market. 

🥩 Fake it 'til you make it. Heura, which makes plant-based meat alternatives, has raised €20m via a convertible note — a debt investment that converts to equity at the next funding round. The Barcelona-based company has now raised €38m in total, after raising a €16m round in July. 

🔥 Hydrogen power, here we come. H2 Green Steel is one step closer to opening a hydrogen-powered steel plant in northern Sweden, after securing support for the €3.5bn in debt financing it needs. A mix of five commercial banks (including BNP Paribas and UniCredit) and the Swedish Export Credit Corporation all signed conditional debt agreements to the collective value of €3.3bn. 

SIFTED TALKS

Do you want to scale your business and make a profit? In our next Sifted Talks, we’ll discuss top tips for a successful revenue strategy — one that’s robust enough to navigate the profit vs growth dilemma.

📉 Baby steps or a big jump? Germany's startup plans. In an effort to get its startup ecosystem into warp speed, Germany's government is looking at potential new measures to tackle some of the bug bears of the system. But what would the propositions mean and, more importantly, will they actually work? Philipp Herkelmann explains. 

💳 The problems with subscriptions — and how open banking could help. (Sponsored by TrueLayer.)

Sadia Nowshin

Editorial Assistant

Get in touch with her at

sadia@sifted.eu

She tweets from 

@sadianowshin_

Amy Lewin

Editor

Get in touch with her at

amy@sifted.eu

She tweets from

@amyrlewin

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