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Hi Sifted Reader,

Cop26 is over and it saw a strong presence of banks, insurers and PE firms... but barely any VCs. Yikes! Read below to find out why. Also see:

The 75 employees made millionaires by Klarna
European metaverse companies to watch
How to avoid internal comms breaking down

\Fintech

Klarna has turned 75 employees into millionaires

The mega Swedish fintech — which is valued at $46bn — is not only making its investors and founders rich. Its employees are big winners too.

That’s according to a Sifted analysis of its 2021 shareholder book, which revealed how many shares Klarna employees and alumni have banked.

So how much equity did they need to get so rich?

Get an inside look here.

Fintech fanatics, get more top coverage in our weekly Fintech newsletter. Sign up here.

\A message from our sponsor Sailthru

Create chemis-tree with customers this holiday season

Almost two thirds of customers say it’s important to them that the brands they shop with personalise their retail experiences. Find out how to make your holiday emails personal with Sailthru’s annual holiday emails guide.

Download it here.

\For Members Deeptech

The European metaverse companies to watch, according to investors and founders

With Mark Zuckerberg spending billions to turn Facebook into a metaverse company and Disney announcing metaverse plans, it's clear that the market is hot stuff.

And because it's all so new, there's oodles of room for startups to grow in a range of areas like VR, games development and software.

But which European metaverse startups do investors in the field think you should have on your radar?

Maija Palmer finds out.

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

\Opinion

Where were the VCs at Cop26?

When Five Seasons Ventures' Dr Micol Chiesa and 2150's Christian Jølck arrived at Cop26, something was amiss. Other than Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Initiative, there were no VC firms on the list of events as keynote speakers or VC-focused events.

Here's why this can't happen again.

If you want more insights on sustainability, take a peek at our Sustain newsletter. Get it in your inbox here.

\Startup Life

How to avoid internal comms breaking down

Keeping everyone on your team on the same page as the company grows is no piece of cake — but it's really, really important.

Luckily Charlotte Chorley, who heads up communications at Healx, the Cambridge-based biotech startup, has some advice for us all.

Get six golden tips here.

This article first featured in a recent issue of our Startup Life newsletter. which you can sign up for here.

\Sponsored by Distrito Digital

How Spanish startups are reversing the country’s brain drain

Spain's startup scene isn't too shabby. With a value of €46bn, it's home to unicorns Glovo and Cabify, yet 87,000 skilled workers have left over the last decade citing a lack of opportunities or in search of better wages, job offers and quality of life.

But things are changing: employment has exceeded 20m people for the first time since 2008, thanks in part to a new generation of founders and the organisations supporting them. Young talent especially is flooding back into the ecosystem.

Here's why.

News That Matters

🇺🇸 Getir expands stateside. The grocery delivery company — which is valued at $7.5bn — now wants to mimic its European success in the US, announcing on Thursday that it has launched operations in Chicago and plans to expand into New York and Boston.

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👀 SoftBank’s getting closer to Europe. In this podcast, discover why the mega investor is doubling down on the continent now, and learn how it assesses its teams and founders.

📣 The Sifted Podcast launches Friday! On the topic of podcasts, our very own series launches on November 19, covering a range of interesting topics like drone delivery, audio erotica and neobanks of the future. You won’t want to miss it.

🤪 Meetings have gone crazy. Research from the calendar app Reclaim.ai found that the average professional now spends 21.5 hours a week in meetings. That’s 5.6 one-on-one meetings per week, up from 0.9 in February 2020 pre-pandemic.

Events

Serial entrepreneurs’ secret sauce | Paris | November 24
Head over to Station F to get insights and advice from three serial entrepreneurs. Featuring Jean-Daniel Guyot, cofounder of Memo Bank and Capitaine Train, Arbia Smiti, cofounder of Rosaly and Carnets De Mode and Alexis Fogel, cofounder of Stonly and Dashlane.

How to build a tech startup | Online | December 9
If you’re considering launching a tech company, this workshop will guide you through all the essentials, from establishing your concept to bringing it to international markets.

Sifted Members

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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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Klarna has made 75 staff millionaires 👀

\Fintech

Klarna has turned 75 employees into millionaires

\A message from our sponsor Sailthru

Create chemis-tree with customers this holiday season

\For Members Deeptech

The European metaverse companies to watch, according to investors and founders

\Opinion

Where were the VCs at Cop26?

\Startup Life

How to avoid internal comms breaking down

\Sponsored by Distrito Digital

How Spanish startups are reversing the country’s brain drain

News That Matters

Sifted Suggests

Events

Sifted Members

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