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European tech had a record-breaking 2021 when it came to funding rounds, but local investors are missing out on the party. Why? They’re unable to match the big cheques that foreign investors are offering the region’s brightest startups. Sifted finds out why this is and how it impacts the European tech ecosystem. Plus:

• VCs bet on who will become a decacorn this year
• The secrets behind a good leadership meeting, according to Hopin
• What to expect for femtech in 2022 

European tech is booming but VCs and regulators warn that foreign investors, not local ones, are reaping the benefits. Why? They’re able to write fatter cheques than European investors at later rounds, and then reap the benefits. 

A case in point is Europe’s second most valuable startup, Checkout.com, which has just two European investors on its cap table. But why does this matter as Europe’s startup ecosystem matures?

Eleanor Warnock explores what's holding local investors back.

Early-stage startups can access a free growth plan for one year, as well as $50k in credits, via the Mixpanel Startups Program. 

Learn more here.

Now that the European tech ecosystem is maturing, there’s a shiny new milestone in sight — becoming the next decacorn. 

In 2021 26 European companies reached a $10bn+ valuation and gained the title, including lithium-ion battery startup Northvolt, digital bank Revolut and data platform Celonis. 

So which European startups are tipped to join their ranks in 2022? 

Connor Bilboe picked some top VCs’ brains to find out.  

Leadership meetings are often not quite as useful as they could be — as Lily Chang, chief of staff at Hopin, knows well.

From setting a recurring time that everyone can make, to narrowing down who’s invited to each one, there are some simple ways to make them a whole lot better.

Chang shares her top tips with Amy Lewin.

Femtech really took off in 2021, as global VCs poured a record-smashing $1bn into the sector’s shining stars — including breast pump maker Elvie’s £70m Series C funding round and period app Flo’s $40m Series B round. 

But while this first generation of femtechs focused on fertility, pregnancy and contraception, a new generation of startups is turning its attention to addressing more taboo issues like menopause and endometriosis. 

So who are the game-changing startups to watch in 2022? 

Miriam Partington spoke to scientists and founders to find out.

Ecommerce is booming, but that means tough competition. How can startups thrive as online-only operations? Our next Sifted Talks will dig into best practices.

Register now for Sifted Talks on January 26.

⚽ Serena Williams jumps on the NFT craze. French startup Sorare has welcomed tennis star Serena Williams as an adviser to its board of directors. Founded in 2018, Sorare — which is valued at $4.3bn — allows football fans to buy and sell non-fungible “player tokens” and get rewarded in crypto for their players’ performance in fantasy games. It’s yet another sign of the NFT craze. 

🥩 Lab-grown meat gets a cost-cutting boost. Dutch lab-grown meat startup Mosa Meat has revealed how it removed the controversial and costly ingredient fetal bovine serum (FBS) from its process. Mosa claims its alternative can cut production costs by 80% — and by sharing its secret publicly, may inspire more investor confidence in the sector. 

💀 Robotic exoskeletons for humans have arrived. Wandercraft, a Paris-based startup, has raised $45m to bring the world’s first self-balanced exoskeleton closer to commercial launch. When it launches, it’ll be the first time people with spinal cord injuries or those in stroke rehabilitation have the chance to try self-supported walking at home.

🍒 Berlin VC Cherry Ventures launches €300m seed fund. Cherry is best known for backing companies like Auto1, Flaschenpost, Flink and Seller X. It added 14 new companies to its portfolio in 2021 — take a look at which of these are soonicorns.   

💰 Europe's largest quantum round to date. Terra Quantum, the Swiss startup offering quantum computing as a service over the cloud, has raised a whopping $60m Series A funding round — in a sign that investors, even in Europe, are willing to take bigger bets on the emerging technology. Terra Quantum told Sifted it plans to use some of the funds to strengthen its position in the current ferocious quantum computing talent war.  

⭐Four ways startups can win the war for talent. There are now officially more tech roles than there are people to fill them. But one way to beat the odds is to take greater risks with hiring, according to Becky Liu, people ops lead at Founders Factory.

🛵 Unit economics for speedy grocery delivery, broken down. 10-minute grocery delivery startups are exploding. But do the huge amount of variables mean the numbers will fuel long-term growth? This post helps answer that question. 

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