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Happy almost New Year Reader,

Today we've got a run through of our most-read stories of 2021, covering everything from Revolut's employee millionaires to quantum computing and, of course, the metaverse.

We've also got a roundup of our favourite sustainability deals this year, and a bunch of predictions from expert founders and investors on what they think is in store for European tech in 2022...

It's been a huge year for European tech, and it's been a lot of fun to write about.

There have been funding rounds galore, juicy (and less juicy) IPOs and acquisitions and technological marvels. We've also delved into everything from advice on being in a relationship with a founder, to why you should move to Svalbard.

But here, dear reader, are our most-read stories of 2021. 

Consumer habits aren’t changing. They have changed — and during the pandemic, they decisively skewed towards online shopping. But which startups are well placed to take advantage of that?

Find out here.

2021's been an impressive year for Nordic tech. $14m was invested into the region, which is home to two of Europe’s top four most valuable private companies: Klarna and Northvolt. 

Klarna's employees are off creating new fintechs, and Northvolt's leading the way on making Sweden one of Europe's key impact innovation hubs.

So what do the experts expect to happen in the region next year?

In the future, doctors may be able to remove harmful pathogens directly from our blood and farmers could be growing their crops in vast towers with precision-controlled climates. 

But to get to this “utopia”, the startups developing these technologies need resources to be able to scale.

So what do they need? Clue: it's not just money.

Europe’s climate tech startups received a record $18bn in VC-backed funding this year, up from $7bn in 2020. 

From startups using urine to make sustainable fertiliser to those cooking up lab-grown foie gras, we've cherry-picked the deals that grabbed our attention this year.

Connor Bilboe has the sustainability stories you should know about.

A lot has happened in eastern European tech in 2021. There was UiPath's massive $36bn IPO, Czech grocery startup Rohlik became a unicorn and, excitingly, a new all-female angel investment group for the region launched.

But what's 2022 got in store for eastern Europe? 

🤔 Wondering how to attract the best C-suite talent? Filing leadership positions can make or break startups. Read these tips on how to find the top people possible.

✨Will Gen Z cancel VC? Hear one millennial investor's thoughts on what venture capital's fate could be under Gen Z. 

🇺🇸Goodbye London, hello New York. Lewis Liu, cofounder of Eigen Technologies, explains why he's moving his company headquarters across the pond.

😠Stop sending us scouts! VC scout programmes benefit VCs and the scouts, but not founders, says Anh-Tho Chuong Degroote, cofounder of Lago.

👨Need a model for empathetic management? Perhaps you should look to Ted Lasso: it’s a masterclass on leadership in a multicultural setting, says Zaharenia Atzitzikaki.

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