• The biggest rounds so far this year — per country
• What it's like to fundraise as a Black woman in Europe 
• The SPACs valued higher than Tesla

\Venture capital 

In data: Europe's largest funding rounds of 2021

\Our latest report Fintech Unwrapped 2.0 

Everything you need to know about fintech’s future 

\Startup Life

“There was an assumption that we must not be that intelligent” — one Black founder’s fundraising experience

Hair care startup Afrocenchix just announced a $1.2m seed funding round led by Google, making it only the ninth UK company run by a Black woman to secure VC funds in the last 10 years.

The fundraising process, says cofounder Rachael Twumasi-Corson, was “horrible”, with VCs asking ignorant questions and partners making racist comments during pitches.

Don't be like those investors. Read Freya Pratty's piece.

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Which of these 13 European tech SPACs are valued higher than Tesla?

European companies are going public via special purpose vehicles — but with enormous valuations, sometimes bigger than Tesla.

Some companies are valued more than 30 times their 2022 sales expectations, which is huge compared to most normal stock market listed companies — generally valued two to eight times over those expectations.

Here are some of the most valuable.

Want to read more in-depth articles like this and attend exclusive member events? Sign up to Sifted Membership to get full access.

\Startup Life 

Not all fun and GIFs: inside the lives of startup social media managers

Running a company’s social media accounts might sound fun — but it also involves spending a lot of time on platforms that can often be negative and stressful.

We spoke to three social media managers from European startups about how they deal with the challenges and care for their mental health.

Cecile Bussy reports.

\Sponsored by Purina Accelerator Lab

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News that Matters

🛍️ Dija in acquisition talks. Gopuff, the US delivery app, is in talks to acquire Dija, the London-based 10-minute grocery delivery startup, according to two people close to the conversations. 

💰 Another startup from ex-Monzonauts launches, and it's backed by — you guessed it — Tom Blomfield. The company, Packfleet, is a logistics startup and has just raised £1m.

💥 Terra Quantum, a Swiss quantum computing company, has announced a breakthrough that allows quantum cryptography keys to be transmitted over a distance of more than 40,000km — the circumference of the Earth.

💳 Wise's IPO. The money transfer business started trading at £8 per share in its London direct listing, valuing the company at about £8bn. Here are five takeaways from the company's story.

💸 DN Capital's new €300m fund. VC fund DN Capital, known for its investments in Auto1, Shazam and GoStudent, has closed its fifth fund at €300m.

🇫🇷 Younited Credit, a French startup offering consumer credit products, has raised a $170m funding round, led by Goldman Sachs. 

🇳🇱 Bunq, an Amsterdam-based challenger bank, has raised $228m, giving the company a $1.9bn valuation.

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