Fintech 

Revolut staff vent frustration over share options

Staff at Revolut, the $5.5bn digital bank, have voiced their frustration over the company’s handling of its share option scheme — which allows employees to buy discounted shares in the future without paying tax.

Employees have faced delays getting the share options due to them, and have had little visibility of the options they’ve earned since late 2019, according to people familiar with the matter.

It's tough as some recently took a pay cut to get more equity.

Read the full story — a scoop — here. 

👌 How to ace your business profitability 👌

Turning profits are on all startups’ agendas — but it’s also a major source of anxiety in 2020.

Oracle’s latest report is bursting with profit-building tips from top executives to dive into.

Learn more here. [Sponsored post]

 Deeptech 

European startups rivalling SpaceX

We have lift off on the third part of our series mapping European startups challenging Elon Musk, and this time it’s all about those going after SpaceX.

In the past 20 years, SpaceX has spurred nothing short of a global revolution in the space sector. 

But on European soil, a flock of promising startups are in a race to also make it into the spacetech hall of fame.

Meet the startups challenging SpaceX here.

😀 Belgium's largest fintech on how to go public 😀

Last week, Unifiedpost became the first Belgian fintech to list on the stock market.

As the IPO adrenaline faded away, the company's CEO Hans Leybaert sat down with Sifted to chat about the dos and don'ts of IPO preparation.

Here are his top lessons and takeaways. [Sponsored post]

 Venture Capital 

Seaya Ventures launches a fresh €85m fund

The Madrid-based VC — which was the first financial investor in Spanish unicorns Cabify and Glovo — has launched its third fund today.

And this time, it's doubling down on the southern European region: “We see a huge opportunity and a more interesting local edge [here],” says Beatriz Gonzalez, founder and managing partner at Seaya.

Will the new fund will level the playing field for Spanish startups?

Tim Smith finds out.

 Healthtech 

Your.MD raises €25m in corporate funding

The London-based startup, which provides online health services, raised from the global health and hygiene company Reckitt Benckiser — and says that it would choose a strategic investor over any VC (for many reasons).

Meanwhile, between January and August this year it hit 26m users, and aims to help 1bn people through self-care in the next five years.

But what tricks does the company have up its sleeve to reach this huge milestone?

Mimi Billing gets the rundown.

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Sifted Suggests 

🤖 Two leading UK artificial intelligence angel investors — Nathan Benaich and Ian Hogarth — released the annual State of AI report last week. Check out our Sifted take on it here.

📊 Big Tech companies might be forced to share their data, according to a draft of the EU Digital Services Act. The FT reports.

💁‍♀️ The most influential women in UK tech. Computer Weekly's ninth annual list includes role models across all areas of tech, from Anne Boden, CEO of Starling Bank to Check Warner, cofounder and partner at Ada Ventures.

🤔 What makes great healthcare software? 12 points in particular, according to GP practice communication platform accuRx's latest healthtech manifesto. The startup's cofounder Jacob Haddad recently spoke with Sifted about how digital healthcare can work for all.

😵 Card payments are dying out, according to Sarah Kocianski from fintech consultancy 11:FS. She suggests it could be all eyes on account-to-account (A2A) payments in the future — payments made directly from one bank account to another — steered by technology and regulation.

💡 Female founders: how to get what you want. Playfair Capital shares advice on how to ace a VC meeting — from the preparation to the follow up — in light of its upcoming fourth edition of Female Founder Office Hours.

👋 Howdy, Blossom Capital. Ex-Samaipata VC Carmen Alfonso Rico celebrated her first day at Blossom Capital, the London-based VC focusing on early-stage startups. Find out how Blossom works behind the scenes here.

In case you missed it 

🔋 The transition to clean energy storage remains a broken puzzle. But could this super-hot box be the missing piece?

💳 Stripe is the world's most highly-valued private fintech, and has managed to firmly ground itself in Europe over the last seven years. Here's what's next.

🍫 French micro-store startup Totem wants to provide office workers with everything they need to get through the day, and thinks it's got what it takes to dominate.

Events
 

🇸🇪 Sting Day from Stockholm | Online | 22 Oct
Talks, trends and matchmaking for investors and tech startups, with panel discussions moderated by Sifted's Mimi Billing and Amy Lewin. [Sponsored post]

🌐 FT NextGen Event | Online | 22 Oct
Financial Times is hosting their second FT NextGen event virtually. Workouts, property investment and dating during Covid. Register today and use promo code NextGen2020 to receive £5 off your pass. [Sponsored post]

🇮🇹 Mapping Circular Startups in Italy | Online | 6 Oct
Want to learn about the circular business model landscape in Italy? Here's your chance.

🧘‍♀️ Menstrual Health - Facts, Stats and What's Next? | Online | 20 Oct
Women of Wearables invites you to hear the latest on a wide range of topics surrounding women's health, from the importance of building a sustainable healthcare product to the key trends to watch in the future.

🌍 Lubomila Jordanova from Plan A - Fighting climate change with technology! | Online | 21 Oct
Learn about how PlanA.Earth, a Berlin-based startup providing SaaS solutions to help businesses reduce their emissions, is working to save the planet.