Hello Sifted reader,

Fundraising can be an ordeal when it’s the only thing on a founder’s plate — but what happens when you throw a pregnancy into the mix, too? Sifted speaks to the women who’ve been there and done it to find out. Here's what you can expect from founder life when you're expecting.

Also from the Sifted newsroom:

—Sadia, editorial assistant & Tom, digital editor

🍼 What's it like to fundraise while pregnant? Pregnancy is far from easy, but some founders haven't let that stop them from nurturing the other baby in their life: a startup in need of funding.

From dealing with morning sickness during pitches to working out whether or not to tell VCs about the pregnancy, Sifted spoke to six women who stepped onto the investor roadshow when they were expecting. Here are their stories.

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💻 Europe's most active deeptech investors. One of the few areas of tech that wasn't significantly affected by 2022's downturn was deeptech. European startups in the sector drummed up $17bn last year. But which VCs are signing the most cheques?

🤑 The VCs getting the best of both worlds. “Crossover investors” dabble in both private and public markets, and their share of total VC investment in Europe is growing: 26% in 2021, compared to 13% four years prior. Here’s why they’ve been so prolific — and what the year ahead could hold.

🗣 The generative AI that mimics the human voice. Poland’s ElevenLabs wants to up the text-to-speech and audio-to-audio game by creating software that can generate a human voice with minimal restrictions — and it's just raised a $2m pre-seed round led by Czech VC Credo.

🤲 How to raise cash in a downturn. From the looks of it 2023 is set to be tough for founders looking to raise. So if you are setting out on a fundraising mission in the next 12 months, here are some tips from AI data platform V7 — which, despite a turbulent fundraising environment, raised a $33m Series A back in November.

🥑 Balderton’s Suranga: "It’s hard to change an industry overnight." Founder-turned-investor and one of Europe’s best-respected VCs Suranga Chandratillake sits down for brunch to chat about diversity and nepotism in the industry, what goes down at a Balderton offsite and how his past as a "tragic, incredibly sad, geeky programmer" led him to success.

🎙 The Sifted Podcast. From why gigafactory startup Britishvolt went bust to Steven Bartlett's new fund, via a chat with the founder of Stability AI and a guest appearance from veteran tech journo Steve O'Hear, this week's episode of the Sifted Podcast is a whirligig of European tech.

Sifted Talks | Online

January 31 | Navigating 2023 — how two unicorns are restructuring.
2022 was a change of fortune for many high-growth startups in Europe, but have they learned anything from a turbulent time in European tech? At our upcoming virtual event, two unicorn founders will share how they’ve rescued their runway and dive into practical tips on how startups can navigate the next 12 months. Join us for free on January 31

Sifted Sessions | In-person

What does 2023 look like for the Nordic startup scene? Is bootstrapping a better bet than VC? Should capital-intensive scaleups buddy up? How can your company foster the startup ecosystem? We’re bringing Sifted Sessions \ Stockholm to Magasinet this March 8 to answer these questions. Early bird rates end Feb 3 — book now for the best rate!

Sifted Sessions are coming to Berlin — May 25, 2023. The DACH nations are nothing short of economic powerhouses, and we're excited to bring together the region’s leading startup founders and operators for a day of unmissable conversations and intimate networking. Join the pre-reg list to be the first to hear when tickets are available — we expect this one to be a sell-out!

🤝 Growing your team in 2023? When looking for a new addition to your team, it's easy to forget that the candidates aren't the only ones being assessed. From creating inclusive job descriptions to holding engaging interviews, experts offer their advice on how to nail the hiring process.

📈 The roadmap to hiring your first 50 employees. Getting a team started with the right talent can be difficult — especially when other companies are competing for the best hires. But your first 50 employees are crucial — so here's when to hire, who to interview and what to keep in mind throughout the process.

🤐 The secret to hiring the perfect team. Experience in the sector, past responsibilities, success under their belt — these are all classic, and important, factors to consider when hiring. But cofounder of LiveFlow Anita Koimur thinks that including a personality test in the interview process could be the key to finding the best fit.