Fintech 

Fintechs raised $3.3bn since lockdown 

Europe's fintech sector seems in fine fettle — over $3.3bn has been raised by financial startups since mid-March. 

But some sub-sectors are performing better than others.

Isabel Woodford takes a closer look at the data.

 Sitting on a business concept?  

 Huckletree, the home of entrepreneurship, has launched a new virtual Academy, starting September 21, for aspiring founders to propel their business idea forwards. 

From acing your financial model to pitching like a pro, the Academy has it all covered in six evening modules.

Get the earlybird offer of £180 using code RAEARLYBIRD20. [Sponsored post]

 Venture Capital 

Why VCs should care about measuring ESG

Companies that implement environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals typically perform 4.8% better than those that don’t.

So why aren't all VCs focusing on measuring ESG?

Dilan Mizrakli Landgraff, cofounder at early-stage investor Antler, thinks they're missing a trick.

🥊 A CFO’s business bounceback guide 🥊

CFOs' to-do lists were long enough before the economic downturn, and now they're even longer.

But what should be ticked off those lists first? And what should startups be doing to put their best foot forward as the economy reopens?

Find out here. [Sponsored post]

 Venture Capital 

Picking winners from eastern Europe 

Entertainment companies, mobility firms and tools for developers; some of central and eastern Europe's top investors share which startups in the region they'll be watching closely over the coming months. 

Discover some new names here.

🙋 Which are Europe's top femtech startups? 🙋

You've heard of period tracking apps, you've possibly tried out a tampon startup and you might have read an article about fertility tech.

But which other femtech startups are doing exciting things?

Let us know. Email Mimi Billing.

News that matters

🥕 Grocery gold. Delivery Hero has acquired Greek-founded, Dubai-based on-demand grocery startup Instashop for $360m. Instashop, which fulfils tens of thousands of orders per day, is a market leader in the Middle East and north Africa — and is profitable. It's only raised $7m since launching in 2015. For more on the big opportunity for delivery firms in grocery, see our in-depth report.

⚽ Score! Challengermode, a Swedish esports platform, has raised $12m from Alibaba's investment arm. A.C. Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović is also an investor. Challengermode has already partnered with FIFA and hopes to land more partnerships with brands, tournament organisers and game developers.

🇮🇸 Spreadsheet fans, listen up. Grid, an Icelandic smart spreadsheet software startup, has raised $12m in a round led by VC firm NEA. Here are the other Icelandic startups to keep an eye on.

👋 Adieu. Pia d'Iribarne, partner at VC firm Stride, is leaving. It's been an interesting few months for Stride — the team said they stopped investing in order to focus on their existing portfolio, meanwhile partner (and podcaster) Harry Stebbings launched his own micro VC fund.

👷 Can we fix it? Skrap, a London-based 'skip hire disrupter', has raised £1.2m. It wants to move beyond hiring out skips to also rent construction companies portaloos, concrete mixers and machinery. 

If you're a fan of our 'News that matters' and 'Sifted Suggests' sections, check out our newsfeed here, where we collect all of these gems — and more.

Sifted Suggests 

🇫🇷 Time to think differently about France. The startup scene ain't what it was.

💰 Your startup valuation, explained. From VC investor — and regular Twitter threader(?) — Fred Destin. 

🎷 Corporate innovation news, once a week 🎷

The biggest companies in the world are paying more and more attention to startups — investing in them, acquiring them, trying to copy them. 

Sign up to our weekly sister newsletter Future Proof so you don't miss a move.

In case you missed it 

🍆 Good vibrations. Men’s sexual wellness gets the tech treatment. 

👩‍🏫 “Children should be learning how to thrive in a data and technology-driven environment from day one.” Why education needs an overhaul, asap.

🍺 “Beer fridges, ping pong tables, free meals, sleep pods — at best they are lipstick on a pig.” Why startups need to rethink how they support mental health in the workplace.

🤸‍♀️ Share the fun 🤸‍♀️

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