Fintech 

21 fintechs to watch in 2021, according to top founders

Sifted asked the founders of Checkout.com, N26, Fintonic, Lunar, Penta, Bnext, Bux and Plaid which fintech startups they saw hitting the big time in 2021.

This is what they came up with. 

Here's who's caught their eye.

 Sponsored by Zendesk 

Imagine a world where customer service is painless…

Zendesk for Startups has the resources you need to grow your startup — and it’s free for six months!

Read more, and apply, here.

 Crypto 

Crypto startup Ledger grapples with hack

The high bitcoin price should have been a great moment for the French cryptocurrency security startup Ledger.

But instead of reaching for the champagne, it’s had its work cut out grappling with embarrassing breaches that have exposed reams of customer data.

Chris O'Brien talks to the company (and the victims).

 Hiring 

Alright, which are the best London startups to work for?

Revolut, Gousto, Duffel, Paddle, Thought Machine and Hopin — along with a fair few more — according to this annual list compiled by hiring startup Otta, and friendly folk at Tech Nation and some VC firms. 

Beg to disagree? Let us know (confidentially!) 

And find the full list here.

 Fintech 

European fintechs spy opportunity in Visa’s failed Plaid deal

When Visa scrapped its $5.3bn bid to absorb data-sharing fintech firm Plaid last week, one European fintech in particular was overjoyed.

A source close to Tink, the Swedish open banking platform which raised $103m in December of last year, said the company and its investors were “punching the air” when they heard the deal had fallen apart.

Ryan Weeks finds out why.

 Sponsored by British Embassy Stockholm & Embassy of Sweden London  

10 startups working on sustainable alternatives to everyday transportation

If you haven't heard of Sweden's Einride and the UK's Arrival, you probably want to pay close attention to this piece. From electric (and self-driving!) vans to shared buses and bikes, these mobility startups are building the future.

How many do you know of? 

News that matters

🤲 Blair’s education legacy continues — albeit in a slightly different format. The former British PM’s son has secured $44m, the UK’s biggest ever edtech raise, for Multiverse (formerly WhiteHat). The startup connects apprentices with companies in a sorely needed bid to offer alternatives to university education.

🎰 A triple IPO whammy as German online car dealer Auto1, household-name delivery service Deliveroo and mobile games developer Huuuge all prepare to go public. Respectively, they plan to raise $1.2bn, $180m and $150m, with expected valuations of $6bn for Auto1 and $7bn for Deliveroo.

🛵 Not cottoned onto next hour deliveries yet? Glovo has. The Spanish startup is hoping to lead in the buzzy world of speedy grocery delivery, after a €100m cash injection from Swiss real estate investor Stoneweg which it will use to buy ‘dark stores’ — urban warehouses that make rapid delivery times possible.

👔 Personio goes mega in its recent Series D round, picking up $125m from Index Ventures and Meritech. It’s now valued at $1.7bn — from $500m this time last year. The HR platform has benefited from a huge shift in the working environment since Covid-19 hit.

💐 Bloom & Wild ain’t doing so bad either after a bumper year of sales. With a new funding injection of £73.8m and a valuation of £369m, the floral delivery startup is now backed by General Catalyst — who bet on Airbnb in its early days. Three years ago, founder Aron Gelbard predicted his startup would overtake household name Interflora by 2023.

🦁 LeoCare’s roaring. The French startup has raised €15m from Felix Capital, Ventech and Daphni to support its long-term approach to comprehensive insurance via mobile app. It plans to 7x its insurance portfolio by the end of the year.

🍼 Don’t worry baby... because French insurtech Alan is launching a free app for parents to contact doctors, engage in doctor-moderated community discussion and read articles about their baby’s health and development. Alan Baby is the first in a series of free medical apps it’ll be launching to reach more users across Europe.

🇫🇷 Quite a week for French insurtechs as Lovys secures €17m in its Series A round, co-led by Heartcore, NewAlpha and Raise Ventures. It was founded in 2017 and received €3.3m in seed funding in 2019.

💳 Twisto and shouto as the buy now, pay later (BNPL) startup based in Prague has just secured $16m in funding. BNPL presence in the region is expected to surge from 5% of ecommerce sales to 15% in the next five years, boosted by Covid-19.

🔋 VC firm Hambro Perks is prepping to acquire £150m worth of 17 private holdings from investment management company Invesco, which will be financed by its Special Opportunities Fund. Seven are biotech, four tech, and three are pharmaceuticals, as well as semiconductor developer Spin Memory, batterytech Nexeon and spacetech HawkEye 360.

Follow us on Twitter for more of these gems.

Sifted Suggests 

🤦‍♀️ From Fab to flop. This feature on Fab.com, the ecommerce startup that in 2011 was considered one of the fastest growing startups in the world, chronicles its history — from discarded ideas, to a $1bn valuation, and finally to its sale for a reported $15m in 2015. There’s lessons in here for any entrepreneur.

🛴 Are escooters actually green? Join our deputy editor Amy and the founders of Voi and Beryl in a webinar this Thursday as they discuss how micromobility startups could be a crucial part of urban decarbonisation efforts.

🇬🇧 Bored of London in lockdown? Here are the five digital cities attracting the most tech investment that Wired thinks will thrive after the pandemic.

🎶 TikTok’s taking over. PJ Pärson from Northzone’s handy Twitter thread is worth a read on the app and its impact — on startups, culture and branding.

🇪🇺 2020s: the European decade? Forbes details the relevant EU programmes for the next nine years, arguing that 2021 is the year for AI-powered social innovation — especially driven by Denmark, Estonia and Slovenia.

🗺️ Possible travel IPOs for your 2021 watchlist. While international travel has all but halted, the post-vaccine world offers opportunities for future profit potential. It might be time to dive in, even if it’s another year or two until jetsetters are back in force.