Startup Life 

"Don't do what I did"

Fredrik Jung Abbou is not your typical serial startup founder. He rarely appears in articles, he is never chief executive and he generally hides from the limelight.

But he has started eight companies —including digital health giant Kry and loans marketplace Lendo — and is an angel investor in AI startup Sana Labs, scooter company Voi and many more. 

So what's his advice for other founders?

Mimi Billing finds out.

🧐 Are you the next hospitality hero? 🧐

The Xcel scaleup programme, by leading global wholesaler METRO, is for cutting-edge startups looking to scale up their hospitality solutions in the ‘new world’.

The programme offers rare scaleup opportunities, expert coaching, a top global network and much more.

Learn more here. [Sponsored post]

 Venture Capital 

Don't be so down on Rocket Internet

When news broke last week that Rocket Internet, the German 'copycat' venture studio (and investor) was delisting from the stock market, plenty of people in Europe's startup scene felt a little bit of schadenfreude. 

But should we look down on Rocket Internet quite so much?

It's to thank for a big chunk of Europe's startup success, argues Nicolas Colin. 

Why?

🤙 Cybersecurity startups, a programme for you 🤙

Cyber startups — are you on the hunt for clients? Looking to run pilot projects? And keen for networking opportunities?

Then the (free!) Kaspersky innovation programme might be one for you.
 

Find out more here. Applications close September 13. [Sponsored post]

 Diversity 

A new 'standard' for VCs

There's no real way to 'rate' VCs — yet.

Today, non-profit Diversity VC is launching a new 'standard' for VC firms, to signal which investors are following diversity and inclusion best practice. 

But will the industry take it seriously?

Amy Lewin finds out more.

 Venture Capital 

Dawn raises $400m fund for B2B startups

Europe's biggest B2B startup investor, Dawn, has raised a new fund of $400m. 

The team will continue to invest in software startups covering data, analytics, security, fintech and — the buzziest sector of them all — the future of work. 

How does partner Evgenia Plotnikova feel about every other VC in Europe muscling in on the 'future of work' post-Covid?

Amy Lewin finds out. 

👩‍⚕️ Digital doctors: A one-pandemic wonder? 👩‍⚕️

Does a return to 'normal' life mean that healthcare systems will revert to their usual innovation-allergic selves?

Join us on September 15, 12pm BST to find out.

Our panel: 
- Livia Holm, director of policy at Kry
- Dr Harpreet Sood, NHS doctor and digital health advisor
- Martin Lindman, CEO of Doktor.se
- Jacob Haddad, cofounder of accuRx 

Reserve your spot here.

News that matters

💳 A new fintech unicorn. Mollie, the Amsterdam-based payment services provider, has raised €90m. It's hoping to win over small and medium-sized business customers from heavyweight competitors like Adyen and Stripe. Maija Palmer finds out how. 

🖌️ Adobe, watch out. Figma, the design tool beloved by Deliveroo and Spotify, is opening a European HQ in London this month. 

🌍 Green giant. Investment into European eco-friendly startups has doubled. Last year, so-called "net zero" companies (which add no extra greenhouse gases to the atmosphere) raised £2.1bn from VC funds. That means Europe is storming ahead of the US and China on this front. Sifted's Freya Pratty finds out more.

🛍️ Klarna is raising fresh funds at a $10bn valuation. Reuters reports that the Swedish fintech is in talks with investors; it last raised in August 2019 at a post-money valuation of $5.5bn.

👩‍💻 UK tech is on a hiring spree. The number of advertised jobs in the UK tech sector has jumped by 36% in the past two months. 

📦 On-demand warehouses. Supply chains are going digital — and in the latest logistics innovation news, French startup SpaceFill has raised €7m to build the ultimate on-demand warehouse network. It helps clients find storage space in less than an hour, and helps warehouses fill their empty space. Idinvest led the round.

☘️ VC investment in Ireland hits record high. €363m was invested in Irish startups between April and June 2020 (58% up on the same period last year) — but first-time funding has taken a drastic hit (down 60%).

🌞 Renewable energy raise. Amsterdam-based SaaS startup AMMP Technologies has raised €1.15m in a round led by Point Nine Capital. Its software enables big energy companies to manage remote renewable energy generation systems, like mini-grids, in emerging markets. 

🚴‍♀️ HumanForest, a shared e-bike startup, raises €2m. It has recently launched a "free" service (for the first 20 minutes) in London — and says 42,000 rides have been taken on its bikes since June. 

👩‍⚕️ Breast-screening startup Kheiron Medical lands big NHS deal. It will be rolling out its AI tool across the UK to support radiologists dealing with a backlog of cancer screenings.

🕵️ Identity verification platform Sumsub has raised $6m. The London-based startup aims to reach over 500 new SME customers worldwide by early 2021.

🚀 Germany joins the space race. Munich startup Isar Aerospace has begun rocket production and aims for launch by end of 2021.

🍎 Micro insurance startup BIMA closes $30m round. The Swedish company offers life and health insurance policies for consumers in emerging markets. 

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.

👉 Got news? 👈

If you've got news about European startups and tech to share and aren't sure who is the best reporter to contact, email it to news@sifted.eu.

Even if we don't write an article on it, we might just find a spot for it in our next newsletter.

Sifted Suggests 

🥟 The ultimate map of the Polish funding scene. Angel investors, VCs (local and foreign) and accelerators.

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