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Hi Sifted Reader,

We're only two weeks into 2022 and Europe's unicorn stable is expanding fast. This week Ankorstore, Back Market, Flipdish and TravelPerk joined the ranks.

And the continent's long-established unicorns are also growing at pace. Checkout.com raised $1bn and became Europe's second most valuable startup this week. The curious thing is that it's got hardly any European investors. Today we're digging into why that might be, plus...

• Meet France's bootstrapped companies
• Trinny Woodall explains how she funded her startup without VC cash
• What do YC's new terms mean for European investors?

Payments giant Checkout.com hit a $40bn valuation this week after raising a $1bn round. That makes it the second most valuable startup in Europe.

But despite its London HQ, Checkout.com only has two European investors on its cap table — which is unusual compared with its rivals.

Why have local investors been left out of the party?

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Last year, the 30 French startups that achieved a $1bn valuation got most of the attention.

But some of the fastest-growing startups in France were actually bootstrapped companies — enterprises that have raised no venture capital money at all. 

Selin Bucak profiles some of the most interesting ones.

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Trinny Woodall, makeover expert of What Not to Wear fame, has been running her D2C makeup startup Trinny London since 2017. And like every founder, she faced the inevitable question: how much money do I need and where will I get it from?

But unlike most founders, she turned to her wardrobe for the answer, cashing in her clothes for £60k to fuel the company.

She explains how it all worked out.

From docks to warehouses, the supply chain is falling apart. Our next Sifted Talks on January 18 will explore how startups can navigate the current logistics crisis — and build a cleaner supply chain for the future.

Sign up here.

Less than two weeks into 2022, the world’s most famous startup accelerator, Y Combinator (YC), has set the tone for another hyper-competitive year in startup investing. 

The US accelerator announced it will up its investment into startups from $125k to $500k, and take a larger stake. 

So what does it mean for early-stage investors in Europe?

🥘 Flipdish, the online ordering platform for the hospitality industry, has raised a $100m Series C in a round led by Tencent. It's brought the company a unicorn valuation.

✈️ TravelPerk, the SME-focused business travel booking platform, has raised a $115m extension to its Series D round, bringing the round total to $275m. The company is now valued at $1.3bn, adding it to Europe's fast-growing unicorns list.

🤔 Trouble at the EIC? Startups promised equity funding by the European Innovation Council will have to wait months to get their cash as the European Commission struggles to set up the fund, Science Business reports.

💰 Vitt, a revenue-based financing platform, has emerged from stealth mode and announced a $15m seed round. The Berlin-based company is similar to Berlin's re:cap, which raised a $111m seed round last month, and companies like Ritmo, Requr and Viceversa.

🐈 Pet tech startups raised serious money in 2021, and optimists predict the value of the pet sector will rise from $100bn to $275bn in the coming decade. But do investors have an explicit thesis for the industry? We meet the investors betting on pet tech.

🇺🇳 The UN wants in on impact tech. The UNDP is sending experts to work directly with startup founders accepted into the Norrsken Impact Accelerator, saying it wants to deepen its ties to startups working on social and environmental challenges.

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