Hello Sifted reader,

Europe might have seen fewer unicorn births in 2022 than it did last year, but that hasn't stopped some startups striking the $1bn gong in the past 12 months. And that's left some VCs with plenty to celebrate too — can you guess which VC in Europe had the sharpest eye last year?

If that wasn't enough, Sifted's latest Pro Briefing has the lowdown on what the data says about this year's cohort — from the biggest rounds to where to find the continent's unicorn factories.

Also from the Sifted newsroom:

📸 The best founder photos of 2022. It's back. Utilising funky poses or unique props (and, in one case, a giant bug head), some founders like to make their headshots stand out from the crowd of subtle smiles and monochrome profiles. Their efforts definitely don't go unnoticed, and the most memorable ones have being lying in wait for some time in a Sifted Slack channel, ready for this moment.

Georgina Ustik returns to run us through some of the more, erm... interesting... snaps we've seen over the past year, from balancing on buses to big boyband energy.

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🛒 Which speedy grocery startups are still delivering? Lockdown brought a boom of companies offering to deliver the weekly food shop to your front door in record time — but now we're allowed to roam the aisles of supermarkets once more, how are the startups that survived the slump doing?

🦄 2022's unicorn winners. Among the financial turmoil of the past year, some startups still had reason to celebrate as they passed the coveted threshold of a $1bn valuation. Here are the teams who managed it, and a break down of how the unicorn scene shaped up this year.

💸 Which VCs backed the most unicorns? Companies can't reach that magical status without some cash. And while some investors never see a unicorn, others have got a great track record when it comes to backing companies that make it all the way past $1bn.

💰 How to up your board meeting game. They can be tedious affairs, but board meetings have a lot of value if they're done right. Lucile Cornet, partner at Eight Roads, details the do's and don'ts of a good meeting, and how to make the most of the opportunity to avoid wasting anyone's time.

🏔 Does fund size matter? VC funds are only getting bigger: 2022's median raise is €69m so far this year, compared to 2021's €32.5m. That might sound like good news, both for firms and prospective startups looking for cash — but there could be downfalls to super-sizing funds.

🏭 The dawn of another industrial revolution. The steam train. Factory automation. And now...? Finnish startup Coolbrook's new reactor, which can reach temperatures higher than electricity to offer a fossil-fuel alternative when making steel and cement, hopes to be next in line. Could this new invention be the next major development in industrial production?

Sifted Talks \ Online

January 18, 2023 — Digital fraud is rife: Is your business safe?

As our lives become more and more digital, it’s hard to know how to stay protected while keeping costs low. What can we expect from the future of security and identification? In our free Sifted Talks, experts from GoCardless, Kroo, Mettle and SEON get inside the the mindset of a fraud and discuss strategies for uncovering fraud patterns.
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January 31, 2023 — The unicorn model: What’s working and what’s not?

VCs are seeking a rarer breed of scaleup, one that’s robust to market turbulence. But how can startups find their path to profitability without losing growth opportunities? We’ll be joined by experts from Rohlik, Seedcamp and Uipath who’ll share their top tips for navigating this new structure and discuss when it’s time to acquire or find a buyer.

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🧐 The VCs interested in techbio. Startups at the intersection of tech and biology are having their time in the limelight, as funding into the sector has grown quickly since 2020. But which investors are making moves?

👀 Techbio startups to watch. From genome reprogramming to aiding spinal cord injury recovery, this developing sector is opening up a lot of new possibilities. Here are 18 techbio companies that VCs in the space reckon are worth keeping an eye on.

🌋 What's behind the techbio boom? Since 2020, investors have pumped almost $18bn into European biotech startups, which is about the same amount of funding the sector got in total across the six years prior. So, why are VCs suddenly so keen to get in on the game?

🥳 How to throw an inclusive holiday social. As the year creeps to a close, it's likely you've got a festive office party on the calendar. While holiday celebrations are a great way to bring the team together, it's important to ensure that those festivities make everyone feel included. Inclusion expert Abadesi Osunsade gives her advice on how to run a gathering that everyone can attend.

☠️ Are megafunds killing venture capital? Francesco Perticarari, managing partner at Silicon Roundabout Ventures questions if, as VC firms close bigger and bigger funds, the escalating scale of these raises could actually be doing more harm than good.