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Hi Sifted Reader,

The conversation around ethnic diversity in European tech often centres on entrepreneurs in the UK. But what about the Black and mixed-race female founders in other parts of Europe? 

With the help of For Colored Girls Who Tech founder Vera Baker, Sifted has compiled a list of the women you should know about, plus...

• We zoom in on what ESG leads at VC firms actually do  

• We look into what will make the metaverse sound "real"

• And we ask: are VCs looking for love in all the wrong places? 

Vera Baker, founder of the For Colored Girls Who Tech newsletter, has been tracking the women she calls the "Hidden Figures" of European tech for years. 

These Black and mixed-race female founders are building everything from biotech businesses to banking apps.

Miriam Partington has the full list here. 

It may be small, but with some 11k tech companies and counting, the Netherlands is taking the European startup world by storm. What’s next for the Dutch tech landscape? What obstacles stand in its way, and where will it grow next?

One of Europe's biggest VC firms, Atomico, has hired its first ESG and sustainability director: Soline Kauffmann-Tourkestansky.

Why? What will she do? And which other firms have sustainability managers?

Isabel Woodford and Connor Bilboe find out.

The metaverse currently looks rather... embryonic. But besides the visual tech, there's another crucial and often forgotten, part of making virtual worlds seem "real" — sound. 

Without hearing noises grow and fade as you "move" around a virtual space, it just doesn't feel right.

So how do you actually create this kind of spacial audio? And which European companies are beginning to make (sound) waves?

Maija Palmer finds out. 

Retaining finance talent isn’t easy as competitors continue to fight for the pick of the crop. On February 16, join Typeform, Partechan and Spendesk as we explore how to nurture young professionals and create fulfilling finance roles.

Sign up to our next Sifted Talks here.

Although you may have found a keeper on the likes of Hinge, Thursday or Bumble, VCs haven't so much.

In fact, dating is one of few tech sectors in Europe that has seen funding decrease since 2015.

Dating apps seem to get friend-zoned by their investors after Series A, and substantial raises for dating tech in Europe are becoming rarer and rarer. 

Sifted's Intelligence team dives into dating app funding trends. 

Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab for women and ethnic minority entrepreneurs helps startups grow their businesses — even in a biased marketplace. Apply for mentorship, training and £200k in funding. 

Join the five-month accelerator programme here.

💸 Going West. Berlin-based digital health company Ada Health has closed a $120m Series B round, which it will use to supercharge its growth and double down on its presence in the US — exactly the intentions expressed by Daniel Nathrath when he spoke to Sifted following the company's last raise in May. 

🚗 Cashing in, again. Less than six months after its SPAC listing in New York, UK-founded online car retailer Cazoo has sold a $630m stake to a group of investors led by Viking Global. It'll use the extra cash to bolster its growth and expansion in the UK and Europe. 

🇫🇷 BNPL, French-style. Paris-HQ'd Alma is another buy now, pay later fintech aiming to make its mark on the scene in Europe, and has just bagged a $130m Series C round to fuel its expansion across the continent. It's also raised $109m in debt financing. 

🚢 10 European startups simplifying supply chains, according to VCs. From startups helping businesses monitor shipments in real time to zero-emissions delivery systems, these are the up-and-coming logistics companies to watch. [Members]

🌱 Farm to fork — what does it actually mean? Sifted's Connor Bilboe explains all you need to know about the concept, which is all about making Europe’s food systems more environmentally and socially friendly.

💡 Why startups are hiring "fractional" CFOs. Hiring a chief financial officer can take time and money that early-stage startups don't have. But a part-timer can be the solution, according to Dave Rosenberg from Oracle NetSuite. Here he shares his three golden rules for making this approach work. 

🏖️ How to run a really great offsite. As the world opens up, properly (we hope), you might be thinking of taking the team away for a few days. Here's what you need to consider to make your offsite a winner.

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