Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast
Get to know the brightest and boldest names in European tech with Sifted’s weekly podcast, hosted by John Thornhill and Freya Pratty. John interviews the founders, operators and investors building Europe’s most exciting startups and Freya, in conversation with Sifted’s expert journalists, pulls back the curtain on the most intriguing companies they’ve been reporting on.
Episodes
188 episodes
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)
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 credenti...
Gorillas is getting sold at a slashed valuation — who's losing the most money?
This week we discuss:02:01 Who would lose most in a Gorillas sale?04:41 N26 rep...
Zuckerberg's metaverse plans get slammed by Herman Narula of Improbable (Live at the Sifted Summit)
This week we discuss:03:19 Metaverse platform Improbable has raised $100m10:15
A breakthrough for self-driving cars, but will regulators spoil the party?
This week we discuss:02:34 Italy gets its second unicorn in Satispay04:56 Sequoia...
Klarna job losses climb to 800 in 2022 as the company cuts more roles
This week we discuss:03:04 More layoffs at Klarna03:54 Insect cultivation startup Innovafarm r...
Mass layoffs at Cazoo as the company shuts down its EU operations
This week we discuss:01:00 Secondhand car marketplace Cazoo to lay off 1,500 people in 202203:15
Why did Snap shut down the French social app Zenly?
This week we discuss:1:49 Sorare lands huge NBA deal6:00 Code First Girls raises £4.5m to make codin...
The mystery of the vanishing investor
This week we discuss:02:00 Klarna losses triple in first half of 202204:14
Is Babylon going to be booted off the New York Stock Exhange?
This week we discuss:2:26: Poland’s Inovo raising €100m third fund for CEE startups5:49 ...
Why Robinhood tanked a crypto app’s valuation to re-enter the UK
This week we discuss:(03:09) Crypto app Ziglu’s valuation slashed in Robinhood buyout(06:06)
Klarna in crisis? Why normal folks are still investing
This week we discuss:(01:34) After months of missed payroll and unpaid refunds, events company Pollen enters administration(03:41)
\Gorillas: €60m burn rate, big cash bailouts and a looming downround
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\The next Tesla: could this startup birth the next era of Musk rivals?
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\Should your boss pay your energy bills?
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\Raids and possible “cartels”: Inside the latest Glovo drama
This week we discuss:(2:59) Take our listener survey for a month of free membership!(03:05) Klarna’s valuation was
\Gorillas’ latest scandal — will their riders ever get paid?
This week we discuss:(02:38) Two new climate tech funds,
\The EU's big new plan for tech innovation
This week we discuss:2:24 Crypto winter and Bitpanda layoffs4:17 Hiring te...
\From near death to an $80m Series E: How Omio survived
On this week's show:02:20 — Idoven raises $19.8m to scale it's AI heart disease detection tech05:00 —
\Can N26 be trusted? A rare interview with the founder
On this week's show:03:22 — SoftBank backs Proximie in $80m round for AR surgery06:00 — Epoch Biodesign has raised $11m to grow its plastic-eating enzymes tech09:38 — What's going on in European tech hiring?11:32 —...
\Will Gorillas survive this week’s C-suite exodus?
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 ...
S2 E14 \Customer scandal surrounds elite event company Pollen
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...
S2 E13 \Mass layoffs are here — who's been hit?
Some of Europe's best known tech companies have cut thousands of staff this week, as the economic slowdown arrives on the continent.On the pod we discuss who's been hit hardest so far, how startups can best survive the storm, and what's...
S2 E12 \The billionaire betting big on psychedelics
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 ...
S2 E11 \Tech stocks are crashing — what does it mean for startups?
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, rec...
S2 E10 \Wise, Bolt and Skype: How Estonia churns out unicorns
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....