Explore every episode of the podcast Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can Europe build AI champions? | 06 Nov 2025 | 00:41:24 | |
This week, Daphné Leprince-Ringuet is joined by head of research Jonathan Sinclair and senior reporter Kai Nicol-Schwarz to unpack the state of AI in Europe. Funding for European AI-native companies has nearly doubled to €8.9bn this year, and acquisitions hit a record high of 18 last month — all while valuations continue to climb. But do the numbers tell the full story? The trio digs into insights from Sifted’s inaugural AI ranking, alongside recent reporting, to explore questions like: Should France still be considered Europe’s AI hub? Why do 95% of GenAI pilots fail at big corporations? And when is the AI bubble going to burst? Read the report here: https://sifted.eu/rankings/ai-100-2025 Want to sponsor the podcast? Email commercial@sifted.eu Plus take our listener survey here: https://form.typeform.com/to/WbVxsSv7 | |||
| Erin Platts on SVB collapse and new role at Octopus Ventures: ‘There will always be churn’ | 30 Oct 2025 | 00:44:01 | |
This week host Amy Lewin sits down with Erin Platts, CEO of Octopus Ventures. Erin joined Octopus at the beginning of this year after a two decade stint at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), where she oversaw UK operations throughout its dramatic collapse in 2023. Erin walks Amy through the climactic weekend that SVB went under, revealing what really happened behind the scenes as industry partners scrambled to keep startups’ cash safe. The pair also dig into the state of venture in the UK, including the ups and downs faced by Octopus Titan, the £1.4bn listed fund that’s shed almost £600m in value since 2021 — and how Erin plans to steady the ship. They also discuss her views on the Mansion House Accord, her role on the UK government’s industry taskforce and why Octopus Ventures has experienced such high churn in recent years. Want to sponsor the podcast? Email commercial@sifted.eu Take out listener survey here: https://form.typeform.com/to/WbVxsSv7 (T&Cs apply) | |||
| How AI is transforming startups — for better or worse | 28 Aug 2025 | 00:25:59 | |
If you work at a tech startup, AI is a boon and a bane, empowering tiny teams to build at scale while wiping out entry-level jobs and flooding LinkedIn with “AI slop.” In this week's episode of the Sifted podcast, Amy is joined by senior reporter Miriam Partington, to discuss how founders and operators at Europe's fastest-growing companies are using AI. She shares what she's hearing about how the technology is hurting trust in brands, how engineering teams are being totally re-shaped and about why we're going from "an era of specialism to an era of generalism" in the talent market. Tell us what you think of the podcast: https://form.typeform.com/to/WbVxsSv7 | |||
| Why has Kry laid off 300 more employees? | 03 Nov 2022 | 00:28:14 | |
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| Will Rishi Sunak be good for UK tech? | 27 Oct 2022 | 00:28:07 | |
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| Interview: EQT Growth partner Carolina Brochado on the advice she's giving portfolio companies now and the craziest thing she did to win a deal (which she didn’t ultimately win) | 21 Oct 2022 | 00:33:33 | |
This week, we're treating you to something a little bit different. Eleanor's joined by EQT Growth partner Carolina Brochado, who recently launched a new €2.4bn fund to back later-stage European startups. That's not her only heavyweight credential: before joining EQT, Carolina was a partner at both the SoftBank Vision Fund and Atomico. | |||
| Gorillas is getting sold at a slashed valuation — who's losing the most money? | 13 Oct 2022 | 00:25:55 | |
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| Zuckerberg's metaverse plans get slammed by Herman Narula of Improbable (Live at the Sifted Summit) | 06 Oct 2022 | 00:29:29 | |
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| A breakthrough for self-driving cars, but will regulators spoil the party? | 30 Sep 2022 | 00:12:37 | |
| Klarna job losses climb to 800 in 2022 as the company cuts more roles | 22 Sep 2022 | 00:29:45 | |
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| Mass layoffs at Cazoo as the company shuts down its EU operations | 15 Sep 2022 | 00:28:05 | |
This week we discuss: 03:15 Presentation software startup Pitch laying off 30% of team 05:55 Vertical farming startup Infarm cuts 50 jobs 07:35 Northzone raises €1bn fund 10:00 EQT raises €2.4bn growth fund 12:24 SunRoof raised €15m to build solar roofs 20:17 Inside Europe’s largest cannabis manufacturing facility | |||
| Why did Snap shut down the French social app Zenly? | 08 Sep 2022 | 00:26:49 | |
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| The mystery of the vanishing investor | 01 Sep 2022 | 00:21:27 | |
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| Quantum Systems CEO Florian Seibel: ‘Having a dictator has advantages’ | 21 Aug 2025 | 00:48:39 | |
Germany-based defence tech Quantum Systems is one of Europe's leading makers of military drones, having completed thousands of missions in Ukraine and signed contracts with governments around the world. The company raised a €160m Series C in May 2025, hitting unicorn status, and is seeing its revenue double year on year. On this week's episode of the Sifted Podcast, host Amy sits down with Quantum Systems’ CEO Florian Seibel to hear about what peace in Ukraine will mean for the growing defence tech industry, what the future holds for unmanned vehicles and why he thinks Europe could take a leaf out of China's book when it comes to long-term planning. Seibel, not one to mince his words, calls out the people and investors jumping on the defence tech hype, and explains how working in a war zone and competing against enemy Russian drones has been the ultimate motivator for innovation. | |||
| Is Babylon going to be booted off the New York Stock Exhange? | 25 Aug 2022 | 00:23:41 | |
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| Why Robinhood tanked a crypto app’s valuation to re-enter the UK | 18 Aug 2022 | 00:26:01 | |
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| Klarna in crisis? Why normal folks are still investing | 11 Aug 2022 | 00:21:07 | |
This week we discuss: (05:10) Klarna’s valuation has plummeted — but people are still investing <link coming soon!> (12:35) What happens when you let 100 scientists run wild in a Belgian castle? Bootleg vodka and time travel Please take our listener survey! You get a month's Sifted membership for free, and we'd love to learn more about our listeners: | |||
| \Gorillas: €60m burn rate, big cash bailouts and a looming downround | 04 Aug 2022 | 00:24:51 | |
Please take our listener survey! You get a month's Sifted membership for free, and we'd love to learn more about our listeners: (06:13) Cornerstone VC has just raised a £20m fund to back diverse early-stage UK founders (12:12) A new wave of European fintechs are taking on the fractional ownership real estate model | |||
| \The next Tesla: could this startup birth the next era of Musk rivals? | 28 Jul 2022 | 00:25:51 | |
Please take our listener survey! You get a month's Sifted membership for free, and we'd love to learn more about our listeners: | |||
| \Should your boss pay your energy bills? | 21 Jul 2022 | 00:20:05 | |
Please take our listener survey! You get a month's Sifted membership for free, and we'd love to learn more about our listeners: | |||
| \Raids and possible “cartels”: Inside the latest Glovo drama | 14 Jul 2022 | 00:21:44 | |
This week we discuss: (2:59) Take our listener survey for a month of free membership! (03:05) Klarna’s valuation was slashed to $6.7bn (6:15) The latest in big layoffs: Hopin has let go 29% of its workforce this month and Babylon is planning on cutting 100 jobs (9:15) Glovo is raided by the European Commission amid concerns the company may have operated in a “cartel” (16:48) Pollen is being accused of missing payroll and not refunding customers | |||
| \Gorillas’ latest scandal — will their riders ever get paid? | 07 Jul 2022 | 00:28:02 | |
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| \The EU's big new plan for tech innovation | 30 Jun 2022 | 00:27:23 | |
| \From near death to an $80m Series E: How Omio survived | 23 Jun 2022 | 00:25:08 | |
On this week's show: 05:00 — Kranus Health raises $6.5m to build the “viagra of digital therapy” 17:26 — How did travel booking site Omio rise from the ashes, after nearly being snuffed out by the pandemic | |||
| Meet Europe’s ‘other’ defence tech unicorn: Tekever | 14 Aug 2025 | 00:14:15 | |
You might be forgiven for thinking Europe had just two big drone makers — Germany’s Helsing and Quantum Systems — given how many headlines both attract.
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| \Can N26 be trusted? A rare interview with the founder | 17 Jun 2022 | 00:26:00 | |
On this week's show: 06:00 — Epoch Biodesign has raised $11m to grow its plastic-eating enzymes tech 11:32 — Fintech reporter Amy O'Brien discusses a rare interview with N26 CEO Valentin Stalf 15:46 — Nathan Benaich talks about his research into why European universities aren't producing top tech companies at the same rate as the US | |||
| \Will Gorillas survive this week’s C-suite exodus? | 09 Jun 2022 | 00:24:50 | |
Amy is joined this week by our producer, Tim! First up, we’re chatting about big raises in crypto and the EU’s Ukrainian relief fund. Berlin correspondent Miriam Partington joins us to tell all about speedy grocery company Gorillas’ very rough week. Next, we discuss the founders trying to improve treatments for women’s health issues, from sustainable menstrual cups to 3D-printed breast implants for breast cancer survivors. https://sifted.eu/articles/web2-web3-fintech/ https://sifted.eu/articles/felix-capital-600m-fund/ https://sifted.eu/articles/eu-fund-ukrainian-startups/ | |||
| S2 E14 \Customer scandal surrounds elite event company Pollen | 02 Jun 2022 | 00:24:29 | |
This week on the show we’re talking to Freya Pratty about her joint investigation with Éanna Kelly into Pollen, an elite events company with heavy investor backing. We’ll hear about its angry customers who claim they’re owed thousands, and what Pollen has to say about it. We’re also finding out what European startup employees really think of their “ill equipped” bosses, and hearing about some of the continent’s top companies raking in investment this week. | |||
| S2 E13 \Mass layoffs are here — who's been hit? | 26 May 2022 | 00:18:13 | |
Some of Europe's best known tech companies have cut thousands of staff this week, as the economic slowdown arrives on the continent. Startup Life newsletter https://bit.ly/3a0Zcsx | |||
| S2 E12 \The billionaire betting big on psychedelics | 19 May 2022 | 00:25:18 | |
It’s our first real, live billionaire guest… Christian Angermayer, founder of ATAI Life Sciences, a startup that seeks to treat mental health disorders with psychedelics. But first, hear all about the four Polish grandpas who founded a quantum science startup because "retirement is boring”. We also called Miriam Partington, our Berlin correspondent, on a new movement coming out of Germany, called steward ownership, that promises startups an alternative to giving over equity and control of their company. | |||
| S2 E11 \Tech stocks are crashing — what does it mean for startups? | 12 May 2022 | 00:25:32 | |
Public markets are down and tech company stocks are no exception. How will the slump affect VC behaviour, and how should startups prepare for what's coming? We also ask whether NFT sports card platform Sorare is really worth $4.3bn and Amy, recording from the basement of Switzerland's FoodHack conference, gets her hands on some man made honey and fungal bratwurst. | |||
| S2 E10 \Wise, Bolt and Skype: How Estonia churns out unicorns | 05 May 2022 | 00:22:25 | |
We're live from Estonia! The Sifted Podcast recorded an extra special episode in front of an audience at our Sifted Sessions \Tallinn. This week we're talking about how a tiny country in the Baltics created global companies like Skype and Wise. Joining Amy on stage were Sifted reporter Anisah Osman Britton, Kaidi Ruusalepp, president of the Estonian Founders Society, and Triin Hertmann, founder of sustainable investment platform Grünfin. | |||
| S2 E9 \The fintech targeting… seafarers? | 28 Apr 2022 | 00:26:32 | |
This week, Amy calls in from Riga, and tells us about the Latvian startups she’s met at TechChill — turns out wind-turbine-fixing robots are big business! We discuss the latest in startup news, including the ‘world’s largest’ facility opening for cow-free milk and on-demand tailoring app Sojo raising £. After that, we talk to fintech reporter Amy O’Brien about the latest wave of fintechs targeting underserved communities, including migrants, international workers and… seafarers! Finally, Amy (Lewin — not O'Brien) interviews Nord Security cofounder and co-CEO Tom Okman about their recent mammoth $100m raise. | |||
| S2 E8 \VC horror stories | 21 Apr 2022 | 00:24:56 | |
Amy’s away this week, so Eleanor is joined by guest host and Sifted writer, Éanna Kelly! We’re discussing the juicy investment news of the week, including new funds for university spinouts and Spanish deeptech. Next, we’re talking to our boss, John Thornhill, about what it’s like to be an older entrepreneur. Not that he’s old, of course… and finally, we chat with journalist Kai Nicol-Schwarz about VC horror stories and secondhand fashion marketplaces. | |||
| S2 E7 \The NFT bros losing thousands on ape scams | 14 Apr 2022 | 00:21:41 | |
“I’d say probably 70% of NFT people are out to scam”… but how do the heists work? This week, we’re talking to writer Eanna Kelly on the wacky world of NFT scams. We’re also speaking to Germany correspondent Miriam Partington about diversifying the investment landscape, and the hot new German tech startups everyone wants to work for. | |||
| ‘We don’t need to raise capital to grow’: Factorial CEO Jordi Romero | 06 Aug 2025 | 00:38:02 | |
Barcelona-based Factorial has come a long way since its early days as a software startup offering free HR services. The business management platform is now used by more than 13k companies for everything from expense tracking to project management. It’s also scaling fast, with more than 1,300 employees and €110m in fresh funding from General Catalyst under its belt, which it raised in March. That means CEO and founder Jordi Romero has a job on his hands finding ways to keep momentum up. He’s also just onboarded 300 people in six months. What does he look for in those new hires? A “willingness to work”. What doesn’t impress him? “Logos and CVs”. In this week’s episode of the Sifted podcast, host Amy asks Jordi where AI is helping (and where it’s not), how the “unusual” General Catalyst deal came about and whether an IPO is on the horizon. This episode was brought to you by HSBC Innovation Banking, connecting you with what's next. | |||
| S2 EP6 \The metaverse sector actually making money | 07 Apr 2022 | 00:23:49 | |
This week, we’re back and talking to reporter Freya Pratty about all things Co2, from carbon capture to accounting. We ask: is it really possible to clean up our air with machines? We’re also talking to Maija Palmer about a dark horse metaverse application that’s got VCs flinging open their wallets. Finally, we’re discussing the most important meal of the day: lab-grown breakfasts of the future. | |||
| S2 EP5 \Claims of toxicity at Glovo: How ‘good vibes’ turned into a ‘nightmare’ | 31 Mar 2022 | 00:30:09 | |
This week, in Eleanor's absence, we were joined by a special guest host… journalist-turned-Zapp VP of Strategy, Steve O’Hear! We discuss The Family, France’s most famous incubator whose cofounder has been accused of embezzlement. We also chat to journalist Tim Smith about his reporting on the toxic workplace allegations made against delivery startup Glovo. Finally, we’re discussing journalists’ relationships with tech companies — and one very explosive tweet that started the conversation. | |||
| S2 EP4 \Is speedy delivery startup Getir really worth $11.8bn? | 24 Mar 2022 | 00:21:09 | |
This week, we’re talking about Getir, the speedy delivery company which has raised a massive $768m Series E round at a $11.8bn valuation. We ask, is the company really worth all that cash? We’re also speaking to reporter Mimi Billing about social shopping — or shopping-turned-social game — and the Finnish startup trying to bring the Chinese craze to Europe. Finally, we’re discussing our latest coverage on the war in Ukraine, including how Russian founders are reacting. | |||
| S2 EP3 \Trouble in bug town: How Brexit squished a startup industry | 17 Mar 2022 | 00:17:58 | |
An episode with no audio issues? It’s true! This week, we’re discussing startups hiring ethical advisory boards — will it help them avoid Big Tech’s big mistakes? We’ll also be speaking to reporter Freya Pratty about how Brexit is squashing the UK’s edible bug industry, and discussing Sifted's most controversial story of the week. | |||
| S2 EP2 \International Women's Week and human stories from Ukraine | 11 Mar 2022 | 00:20:25 | |
We're back with episode 2 of the new season of The Sifted Podcast. Cursed by the audio gods, this was a second, DIY attempt at recording the podcast after a studio malfunction, so we apologise for the slightly suboptimal quality this episode (next time will be better, we promise). We didn't want to stop that from sharing some of what's been going on at Sifted this week, including discussion of how our women-led newsroom thinks about diversity, the European startups trying to end Europe's reliance on Russian fossil fuels, and human stories from the tech community in Ukraine. | |||
| S2 EP1 \In Ukraine, business isn’t as usual | 03 Mar 2022 | 00:21:59 | |
We’re back with season two — but we now look a bit different. Each week, Sifted editor Amy Lewin and deputy editor Eleanor Warnock will bring you the latest news coming from Europe’s tech and startup sector. In this first episode, we’ll be discussing the events unfolding in Ukraine and how they’re affecting local businesses and the people that work for them. We’ll hear from Ivan Babichuk, VP engineering of tech company EduNav, based in the western Ukrainian town of Lviv, and our journalists who've been looking into how Europe's tech community are responding to the crisis. | |||
| S1 EP4 \Audio erotica and the orgasm gap | 09 Dec 2021 | 00:28:23 | |
For years, squeamish — and typically male — VCs have avoided the topic of women’s sexual health. But a new wave of women-led audio erotica startups are here leading a quiet revolution in the world of pleasure and sexual wellbeing. In episode 4, we’ll hear from Sifted’s Germany correspondent Miriam Partington, Julie Lepique, cofounder and CEO of sensual audio platform Femtasy, and Andrea Oliver Garcia, founder of audio intimate wellbeing startup Emjoy. We’ll also hear from an audio advertising startup founder who will try to convince 5-year-old Eliza to invest in his business in the latest edition of Baby Shark Tank. | |||
| S1 EP3 \Neobanks and millennial millionaires | 02 Dec 2021 | 00:22:16 | |
Europe’s millennials are starting to get rich — with many cashing in on the continent’s fast-growing tech sector — and entrepreneurs are seeing dollar signs. In episode 3, we take you on a journey into the minds of the next generation of high-net-worth individual, and hear what they want from a digital bank. Think Coutts, oak-panelled walls, cigar smoking financiers, Switzerland — but all in one handy app on your phone. We’ll also hear from a less-than-impressed Eliza in Baby Shark Tank, who grills a Swiss digital private bank founder on how he’s really going to make all her dreams come true. | |||
| S1 EP2 \Psychedelics and startup spiritualism | 25 Nov 2021 | 00:29:12 | |
Psychedelics aren’t only about getting high, and a new wave of startups is here that’s all about using natural and synthetic drugs to tackle the globe’s growing mental health crisis. In episode two, we’ll speak to Sifted Iberian correspondent Tim Smith about how psychedelics got from Ancient Greece to the VC boardroom. We'll also hear from a founder who took his employees off on a team-building psychedelic retreat that almost went very, very wrong. Finally, 5-year-old Eliza will grill a magic mushroom startup CEO in our second episode of Baby Shark Tank. | |||
| S1 EP1 \Drones and nappy cream | 18 Nov 2021 | 00:26:23 | |
Oranmore is just like any other sleepy Irish town — except for the fact that everything is delivered by futuristic drones. During lockdown, Oranmore became the testing bed for Manna Aero, a drone delivery startup that promises candy, curry and hot coffee to your door in a matter of minutes. In this first episode, we’ll hear from Sifted innovation editor Maija Palmer, Manna Aero founder Bobby Healy and the Oranmore locals who are the guinea pigs for this frontier technology. You’ll also hear from 5-year-old Eliza, who will grill Healy on his business model in our first episode of Baby Shark Tank. | |||
| The secret behind Revolut's product blitz | 29 Jul 2025 | 00:18:49 | |
Revolut is Europe’s most valuable private tech company — and is set to become even more so soon, with a fundraise in the works which would see it valued at a reported $65m. The digital bank manages to churn out new features at breakneck speed — from pet insurance to travel bookings, and now mortgages and mobile plans — despite having over 50m customers around the world. The secret? Its “new bets team”: small, startup-like squads tasked with testing and scaling new products fast. On this episode of Startup Europe — the Sifted Podcast, fintech reporter Tom Matsuda joins host Amy Lewin to dig into how this team works — and whether the strategy is paying off. They also discuss the status of Revolut’s UK banking licence, the latest on its long-awaited IPO and what it’s like working with cofounders Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko. | |||
| Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen: "Europe doesn't need to become Silicon Valley" | 25 Jul 2025 | 00:33:59 | |
Supercell is one of Europe's leading video game companies — with enduring hit titles like Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars under its belt. But, as CEO and cofounder Ilkka Paananen explains on this episode of Startup Europe — the Sifted Podcast, developing new and popular games is a tough business. He sits down with Amy Lewin to explain how Supercell tries to foster creativity by empowering its game development teams by giving them maximum autonomy, and by taking the fear out of failure through celebrating the lessons learnt with less successful game releases. Paananen also lays out why he's bullish on European tech, how AI will change gaming and how VCs can help his industry grow even more. | |||
| Is Mistral worth $6bn? | 17 Jul 2025 | 00:25:37 | |
Once upon a time, Mistral was Europe’s buzziest tech company — raising a huge €105m seed round in 2023 to build GenAI models and compete with the likes of OpenAI. But as the sector's matured, and we’ve seen application-focused AI startups like app maker Lovable and defence tech Helsing rise to the top of the hype pile, how is the Paris-based startup living up to its early promise? The company has won some big clients, announced partnerships with giants like Nvidia and grown substantial annual revenues, but do they justify its $6bn valuation? On this episode of Startup Europe — the Sifted Podcast, senior reporter and French tech correspondent Daphné Leprince-Ringuet tells host Amy Lewin what the company is focused on today and whether she thinks it’s moving fast enough against ever-increasing competition. | |||
| The days of making easy money from coding are over, says former Stripe UK CTO turned founder Emma Burrows | 10 Jul 2025 | 00:35:26 | |
If you work in tech, you’re likely in one of two camps: thinking about using AI agents, or already deploying tens of them. That’s why Emma Burrows cofounded Portia AI, a platform which helps businesses build and use AI agents securely, in-house — and which secured £4.4m in a seed round led by General Catalyst back in April. Emma's no stranger to a breakneck sector: before founding Portia, she was UK chief technology officer at payments giant Stripe, and previously built out the ecommerce stack at Charlotte Tilbury. In this week’s episode of the Sifted podcast, Emma joins editor Amy Lewin to talk about what AI agents can and cannot do, the very real risks they pose to junior engineering jobs — and why she doesn’t feel ‘mum guilt’. Key moments: 0.00: Intro and about Portia AI 3.00: How companies are using AI agents 9.00: Impact of AI agents on junior engineers 15.07: What AI Emma uses to code 16.00: Transition from Stripe to founding a company 19.15: Being a female founder in AI 22.40: On 996 and hustle culture 24.30: Emma's angel investing 25.40: General Catalyst relationship 27.30: The AI Act 33.00: Quick fire questions and outro | |||