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Hi Sifted Reader,

Today's line up:

🤷 Why is Europe so bad at social media?
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The TransferWise ex-employees turned founders
🤩 And the 150+ fintechs to watch in 2021

\Opinion

Why can't Europe build a Clubhouse?

Europe's record on building social media giants is... not great. And now Clubhouse, another app born and bred in the Valley, is getting everyone excited.

So what's up? Are local investors not experienced enough in the sector? Is it our pesky linguistic and cultural differences? Or are we just a bit snobbish about building social apps?

Nicolas Colin has a big think.

\French tech

France isn't the next Silicon Valley — and that's a good thing

The country is churning out ambitious entrepreneurs, unicorns and global brands. But will French tech emerge with a distinct identity?

Read out latest Sifted report on the French tech revolution here.

\For members \Fintech

Meet the TransferWise 'mafia'

Since its launch in 2010, the fintech has not only made its name as one of the biggest in Europe, but it's produced its own ecosystem of founders too — much like the PayPal mafia over the pond.

From Michele Esposito, cofounder of Candu, to Victor Trokoudes, founder of Plum, we've listed its most promising progeny.

Check out the full list here.

\Fintech

The European fintechs to watch in 2021

We're only one and a half months into 2021, and the European fintech sector has already raised €2bn. For scale, 2020 was a record year, with €5.3bn raised.

We've updated our list of fintechs to watch — the ones we think could bring in another record year for the continent's hottest startup sector.

From Alan to Zelf, check out the full list.

\Membership

Introducing Sifted Membership

We've just launched our new paid membership model, which provides unlimited access to exclusive member content and member-only events.

Support the next stage of our expansion.

\Deeptech

France's deeptech opportunity

French state bank Bpifrance has invested over €20bn into the nation's startups, but it's particularly excited by deeptech.

That's because these startups are focused on long-term trends.

Find out more in our analysis of the sector. (It's part of our latest deep-dive report on French tech.)

\Sifted Talks

How to sell SaaS in a crowded market

What are the big mistakes early-stage SaaS companies make while selling?
Is freemium here to stay?
What can we learn from big SaaS success stories — and failures?

Find out on Thursday. Sign up now.

News that Matters

🌱 A new fund for planet-friendly startups. Brand-new 'for profit, for purpose' VC firm Revent is raising a €50m fund that will focus solely on startups working on economic empowerment, climate, and health and wellbeing. Sifted's Amy Lewin spoke to founding partner Lauren Lentz about winning over LPs, measuring impact and tying partner carry to impact performance.

💥 And another new fund for SaaS startups. London-based VC firm Flashpoint has announced its new secondary fund, which is aiming for a $200m close. Focused on the less-invested-in regions of Europe, Flashpoint has invested in the Russian streaming platform ivi and Polish sales automator Growbots.

🤖 AI company Hyperganic has just raised $7.8m from HV Capital, VSquared, Converge and Hermann Hauser. The Munich-based startup claims its form of engineering could be “as significant as the industrial revolution”.

💾 TikTok's data problem. The French consumer association has asked the EU Commission to open an investigation into the social-video app's use of consumer data.

🗺️ GetYourGuide's talking travel positive, telling Sifted the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines around the world is "a true inflection point in travel." The booking platform has just raised €80m in credit.

🏥 Another French hospital under cyberattack? The Central Hospital in Dax near Lyon is the most recent victim of ransomware breaches in the nation. France's cybersecurity agency has pointed to a weakness in software company Centreon that has led to several similar incidents. It's comparable to the infamous SolarWinds breach over in the US.

🔮 Nothing's finally becoming something. The London-based firm set up by OnePlus cofounder Carl Pei has had a mysterious PR campaign so far, but has now announced a community equity round will take place in early March on Crowdcube.

\Sustainability

Our new sustainability-focused newsletter launches tomorrow

Subscribe to our newest (and greenest) newsletter, Sustain, which covers the critical intersection between startups, innovation and the future of our planet.

Don't miss the first edition.

Sifted Suggests

💹 Bill Janeway's new series. The VC, economist and cofounder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking has just released a must-watch eight-part series on the relationship between VC, economic growth and tech innovation.

❤️ Calculate to your heart's content, using Omnicalculator's post and pre-money valuation tool. Just pop in funds raised and investor equity (or either form of valuation) and bob's your uncle.

🤐 Parler's back online, and this fascinating NYT piece explains how the social networking platform did it — including enlisting Russian firm DDoS-Guard.

🎧 How many Clubhouses could we get? Benedict Evans and Toni Cowan-Brown explore what social media really is on Another Podcast.

Sifted resources

Sifted readers predict what's in store for 2021

The most active angel investors in the UK

The best London startups to work at in 2021

How to pitch an opinion piece to Sifted

How to pitch a story to Sifted

Michael Stothard
Editor

Get in touch with him at michael@sifted.eu
Or find him tweeting @MStothard

Isabella Pojuner
Editorial Intern

Get in touch with her at isabella@sifted.eu
She's into climate tech and crypto.

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Sifted - Meet the TransferWise 'mafia' 😛

\Opinion

Why can't Europe build a Clubhouse?

\French tech

France isn't the next Silicon Valley — and that's a good thing

\For members \Fintech

Meet the TransferWise 'mafia'

\Fintech

The European fintechs to watch in 2021

\Membership

Introducing Sifted Membership

\Deeptech

France's deeptech opportunity

\Sifted Talks

How to sell SaaS in a crowded market

News that Matters

\Sustainability

Our new sustainability-focused newsletter launches tomorrow

Sifted Suggests

Sifted resources

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