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Hi Sifted Reader,

Happy International Women's Day! Here's what we have for you this morning:

🌈 Does Europe need an LGBTQ+ digital bank?
🤦‍♀️ Women's salary expectations
🚀 Hopin is now officially Europe's fastest-growing startup of all time
📃 The startups betting big on origami

\Fintech

Does Europe need an LGBTQ+ digital bank?

Last November, digital bank Daylight launched the beta version of its app — made primarily for LGBTQ+ members — in the US. CEO Rob Curtis says that it's going well, with thousands of users on the waiting list.

Now, it's looking to move into Europe. But, in a market already crowded with digital banks, catering for Gen Z, immigrants and shopaholics alike, is there room for it to take off this side of the Atlantic?

Kit Gillet talks to the Daylight team.

\A message from our sponsor Mitek

Protect your startup from fraud

You need to know your customers are who they say they are. On March 18, we'll gather a panel of experts to discuss how facial verification works, and how startups can protect themselves against fraud.

Register now to join the discussion.

\Member Venture Capital

Hopin is officially the fastest-growing European startup of all time

Virtual events platform Hopin has become the fastest-growing European startup ever in terms of the time it has taken to reach a $5bn valuation.

Wow.

The company has this year set a brand new benchmark for what "hockey stick growth" really looks like and makes other supposedly fast-growing startups like Wolt, Cazoo, or Revolut look pretty sluggish.

Michael Stothard digs into the data.

\Salaries

Salary expectations: women vs. men

Some good news, and some bad.

London-based startup jobs company Otta looked into how salary expectations compare between women and men who sign up to its platform.

On average, women say they'd take a lower salary than men with the same amount of relevant professional experience.

So what's the good new? (Plus, how much should you be getting paid?)

\International Women's Day

How not to screw over women at startups

In our Startup Life newsletter this Wednesday we'll be looking at how startups can be brilliant places for women to work — and how they can really muck it up.

Sign up for a deep dive into the culture at high-profile startups, top tips on looking after your women workers and data on the gender pay gap.

Sign up now.

\Consumer

How origami is shaping the startup world

You might not have thought it but origami has influenced a lot of industries — it's what got the 1995 Space Flyer Unit satellite off Earth and has helped surgeons operate on the human heart.

Today, there are dozens of origami-inspired startups in Europe designing new products — from clothing to chairs — and earning brownie points in the sustainability department. So, who's in Europe's origami squad?

Meet them here.

\Sponsored by Oracle NetSuite

How focusing too much on product can go wrong

“Technical people like myself can see people and culture stuff as uninteresting and tend to underinvest in it at the beginning, but they can become the biggest pain points for scaling. Focus on the areas you find boring, because these are the areas where things will go wrong,” says Avi Meir, CEO of business travel startup TravelPerk.

More advice from him here.

Sifted Suggests

🐦 UK challenger bank Starling is set to on Monday unveil the biggest fundraising in its seven-year history, saying it has secured more than £270m from investors at a more than £1bn valuation, according to Sky News.

😻 Is meow the time for cat tech? Here are 7 key takeaways from last week’s Sifted Talks all about feline-focused tech. Find out if now is cat tech’s time to shine and discover the challenges the market faces.

💁‍♀️ Femtech musings. How can we tackle taboo in femtech? Which areas of femtech need more focus? Insights from LocalGlobe, Parla and Dame here.

⭐ Founders, looking to raise your first fund? Catch up on this fundraising masterclass with Frontline’s Finn Murphy, Northzone’s Sarah Nöckel and 10x10’s Andy Davis for some pro tips.

🤔 Should deal fees be contentious? Jonathon Hollis, managing partner at Mountside Ventures thinks not. He makes the case why in this piece here.

🥊 Accelerator vs startup studio. What actually is the difference between an accelerator and a startup studio? And how do their pros and cons differ? It's clearly laid out here.

Events [digital only]

Sifted Talks: Crunching the numbers: How to use data to grow your startup | Online | March 10
How can you use numbers to make your product stand out? Join us on March 10 to find out how.

Leadership in tech from a female perspective | Online | March 8
Celebrate International Women’s Day with The Next Web, Antler VC and heaps of founders, partners and C-suites to hear their insights on how to succeed in tech.

Role models panel: pitching to the media | Online | March 9
How do you get the consumer, business and startup media’s attention? Sifted’s Germany correspondent Miriam Partington will be on the panel giving top tips. Hosted by Factory Berlin.

Your ultimate guide to 2021 | Online | March 18-20
The FTWeekend Festival is back, with a new Spring digital edition. Join to explore the big ideas and the cultural, economic and political questions of the moment alongside an eclectic array of tastings and demonstrations.

Sifted Resources

List: Europe's startup unicorns

Impact investors to know in Europe

How to pitch an opinion piece to Sifted

How to pitch a story to Sifted

Amy Lewin
Deputy Editor

Get in touch with her at amy@sifted.eu
Or tweeting @amyrlewin

Connor Bilboe
Editorial Assistant

Get in touch with him at connor@sifted.eu
He likes sustainability stories.

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Sifted - Salaries: what are you worth? 🤔

\Fintech

Does Europe need an LGBTQ+ digital bank?

\A message from our sponsor Mitek

Protect your startup from fraud

\Member Venture Capital

Hopin is officially the fastest-growing European startup of all time

\Salaries

Salary expectations: women vs. men

\International Women's Day

How not to screw over women at startups

\Consumer

How origami is shaping the startup world

\Sponsored by Oracle NetSuite

How focusing too much on product can go wrong

Sifted Suggests

Events [digital only]

Sifted Resources

Older messages

Your membership discount code is about to expire ⌛

Speedy food delivery frenzy 💨

How to learn from VC rejection ❌

The next SaaS superstars 💥

Green fintechs to watch 🌳

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