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Hi Sifted Reader,

Happy Monday — and welcome to another week of Euros entertainment. Today, we've got a timely piece mapping out the European startups getting tech-y with football, so read on for that, and all of this...

17 payments startups to watch, according to VCs
How to get diversity right in fintech
Tech-for-good VC BGV bought by pension asset manager (!)

\Football

Euro 2021: The startups changing football

Football isn't the game it was when the Euros began. There's a whole lot more money involved — and a whole lot more tech too.

Behind the scenes, technological advances are changing the way in which players are scouted and managed, and how fans engage with the game.

From wearables to online gaming, read about them here.

\A message from our sponsor Twilio

Scale your startup with free credits and resources

Twilio’s startup programme is offering credits and resources to launch and scale your customer engagement strategy.

Apply here.

\For Members Fintech

Europe’s top 17 payments startups, according to investors

Payment fintechs are hot stuff right now.

Mollie, Klarna and Checkout.com are now Europe's three most highly-valued fintechs; 10 of the 16 biggest fintech exits in Europe from 2013-2019 involved a payments company; and fintech players like Tink are pivoting into payments.

But which European startups are tacking the pain points in the payments space right now?

Isabel Woodford caught up with five top VCs to find out.

If you're not yet a Sifted member, subscribe here for as little as £19 per month.

\Opinion

As a gay man in fintech I thought I was ‘good’ at diversity. I was wrong.

As a gay man from a rural Swedish town, Christer Holloman, founder and CEO of fintech Divido, thought that getting diversity right would be easy.

Taking a closer look, he realised that wasn't the case. Having the right values is one thing, but Holloman thinks that the key to pushing diversity forward in the fintech space ultimately comes down to holding everyone accountable.

Here's why.

\News

Tech-for-good VC Bethnal Green Ventures bought by pension asset manager

One of the UK’s most active early-stage VCs, social impact focused Bethnal Green Ventures, is being acquired by asset manager Connected Asset Management, which manages a UK pension scheme.

The deal is a sign of how pension funds, which are some of the world’s most conservative investors, are increasingly pushing into both venture capital and impact investing.

Eleanor Warnock reports.

\Sponsored by TIS

4 ways to solve cashflow management headaches

Cashflow management is rarely a task met with floods of enthusiasm, but getting organised around managing money when it comes to wages, bills, product and more is crucial to business growth.

On this journey, however, managing payments processes can become increasingly complex, leading to issues you'd be wise not to ignore.

Get all the problems — and solutions — here.

Sifted Suggests

👀 The top trends in tech. McKinsey has released a primer looking at the technologies attracting most VC money and seeing the most patent filings. Can you guess what’s hot?

😇 European female angels to know. This Twitter thread is a quick way for you to get to know some of Europe’s female angels. There's some overlap with our recently updated list of female VC partners.

🤔 Better off virtual? TNMT dives into the investor and consumer appetite for virtual work throughout the pandemic — including events, meetings and collaboration tools — and explores whether there’s life for them in a world when Covid is no longer a threat.

🚀 Corporate innovation in the entrepreneurial age. Dealroom and Sifted have launched a new report looking at the potential power of startup-corporate partnerships in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Read it here.

🏆 Can ecommerce stay on top? As most of the world hid in their homes last year, retail ecommerce grew like never before. Checkout.com has released a report suggesting ways that merchants can continue to capitalise on the ecommerce boom.

Events [digital only]

2021 Startup Grind Europe | Online | 29 June
Catch Sifted’s deputy editor Amy Lewin hosting a fireside chat with Northzone partner Jessica Schultz at this year’s Startup Grind. They'll be talking about how founders can use VC FOMO to their advantage — and more.

Why trans and non-binary issues matter | Online | 6 July
Last week, insurtech Zego rolled out its trans and non-binary policy, which outlines how it will support transitioning employees. Join its upcoming event to learn more about the issues faced by trans and non-binary communities.

How to get a VC to say ‘yes’ | Online | 6 July
Join our next Sifted Talks to find out what the VC deal funnel looks like.

Sifted Members

The on-demand grocery battle is getting bloody — here’s the state of play

Did JPMorgan overpay for Nutmeg?

An audience with Point Nine Capital on what’s coming up in B2B SaaS

European edtech — no longer last in class?

Introducing Europe’s SaaS soonicorns

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 - 17 promising payments startups 💳

\Football

Euro 2021: The startups changing football

\A message from our sponsor Twilio

Scale your startup with free credits and resources

\For Members Fintech

Europe’s top 17 payments startups, according to investors

\Opinion

As a gay man in fintech I thought I was ‘good’ at diversity. I was wrong.

\News

Tech-for-good VC Bethnal Green Ventures bought by pension asset manager

\Sponsored by TIS

4 ways to solve cashflow management headaches

Sifted Suggests

Events [digital only]

Sifted Members

Older messages

On-demand grocery: the state of play 🔥‍

Why a European WeChat won't work 🙅‍♀️

The country with the most dating apps per person 💖

Peter Thiel goes big on Europe 💰

C-suite churn chaos 😳

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