Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast

It’s that time of year again: Atomico’s State of European Tech report has landed.In case you don't have the time to wade through its mammoth 183 charts, this week host Amy Lewin is joined by senior reporter Miriam Partington to bring you the report’s most surprising findings, with a focus on talent.And it paints a rosy picture: respondents say it’s getting easier to recruit and retain top-tier talent in Europe, and the continent’s pool of senior tech tech employees has grown faster than the US over the last decade.But do founders actually feel that shift on the ground? And how much appetite is there to finally fix Europe’s long-lamented market fragmentation? And why, a decade on, is the gender funding gap showing no signs of closing?Read Atomico’s report, here: https://www.stateofeuropeantech.com/Read our top highlights, here: https://sifted.eu/articles/state-european-tech-report-2025Read about the Mistral and SAP partnerships, here: https://sifted.eu/articles/france-germany-partnership-mistral-sapRead about why VCs are ditching the boardroom for operator life, here: https://sifted.eu/articles/vcs-becoming-operatorsIf you would like to sponsor the podcast, please email commercial@sifted.eu

In a lively discussion, Alex Depledge, a serial entrepreneur and advisor to UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves, tackles the urgent issues facing the UK's tech sector. She highlights the troubling trend of startup talent leaving the UK and discusses potential strategies to boost late-stage capital, including leveraging pension funds. Alex emphasizes the need for government to engage directly with founders and offers insights on how to rectify the capital gaps that hinder scale-ups. Her sharp observations on regulations and the importance of fostering innovation light the way for a thriving startup ecosystem.

Jonny Sinclair, head of research at Sifted, and Kai Nicol-Schwarz, senior reporter, dive into Europe's AI landscape. They reveal that funding for AI startups is booming, with €8.9 billion this year alone. Discussing France's AI hub status, they question whether it has plateaued against the rising prominence of London. The duo also highlights the dismal success rate of GenAI pilots and the critical role of specialized roles like forward-deployed engineers in ensuring effective deployment. They conclude with a debate on the potential AI bubble and its impact on market dynamics.

Erin Platts, the former UK CEO at Silicon Valley Bank and now CEO of Octopus Ventures, shares her insights on a tumultuous period in banking. She details the weekend of the SVB collapse and the frantic efforts to safeguard startups' funds. Erin discusses the challenges faced by Octopus Titan and her strategies for revitalizing its performance. She emphasizes the need for diverse capital sources and reflects on the startup community's support during crises. Erin also advocates for a pro-innovation government stance to enhance the UK's capital markets.

Luciana Lixandru, a partner at Sequoia Capital and architect of its European expansion, shares her insights on building $100bn companies in Europe. She discusses the exciting potential of startups like Trade Republic and Revolut in fintech and AI. Luciana emphasizes the need for strong founder-market fit and agility in execution while navigating high valuations. She highlights London's emergence as a central hub for AI and fintech, and warns about Europe's market fragmentation being a significant challenge that startups must overcome.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt discusses the undervalued potential of AI, suggesting current bubbles can foster innovation. He emphasizes lessons from Ukraine's military automation and proposes how Europe can strengthen its tech sector to compete globally. Schmidt also critiques existing valuations of AI firms, debates the risks of self-improving agents, and addresses the urgency of Western responses to automated warfare. He encourages European founders to aim for ambitious growth rather than quick exits, highlighting opportunities in regulated AI applications.

This week the Sifted Podcast comes to you live from Italian Tech Week, where Amy sat down with Milda Jasaitė, the head of second-hand marketplace Vinted's new investment arm: Vinted Ventures.It's fairly unusual in Europe for a startup like Vinted, that's only been profitable for a couple of years, to launch a venture arm but, as Milda explains, it's a trend that's far more common in the US.They discuss why a relatively young startup needs an investment arm and the kinds of companies that Milda is looking to back.They also get into how being representing her nation as an ice hockey player makes her a better professional, what can be done to get more women into senior leadership positions and onto company boards — and how Lithuania's startup scene is shaping up.PLUS: Take our listener survey here: https://form.typeform.com/to/WbVxsSv7 (T&Cs apply)This podcast was brought to you by HSBC Innovation Banking, the bank built for innovation.

On this week’s Newsroom episode, where we ask our journalists what they’re hearing as they report on Europe’s tech industry, Amy's joined by senior reporter Anne Sraders.Anne reports on one of the continent’s most hyped sectors: defence tech, a market that is booming as governments put large sums of cash behind plans to rearm in the face of increasing Russian aggression. Meanwhile, Amy has been at Resilience, a conference full of startups, soldiers and spies who are all figuring out which new technologies will be assisting Europe’s militaries in the coming years.They discuss why the VC herd is flocking around drone startups — and where they could be looking instead; the companies trying to future proof European supply chains; and just how likely it is that significant public money will flow into innovative startups, rather than the big primes.PS. Please take our short-and-sweet listener survey here.

This week Amy is joined by Zoe Hewitt, VP of talent at legendary Silicon Valley VC firm Sequoia, where she helps its portfolio companies find and hire talent based in Europe.That makes her one of the continent's best informed people as to what is going on with tech talent today, in a world where startups and scaleups are ripping up the hiring rulebook, as AI changes the art of company building.Zoe knows where top talent wants to work, how to spot a future founder, what 'the office of the CEO' really means and which roles are most in-demand (and highly remunerated!)In this episode she unpacks why management layers are thinning, how the role of CEO is changing and gives her tips for founders and tech employees wondering how to future-proof themselves in a fast-changing world of work.PS. Please take our short-and-sweet listener survey here.

Ever fancied hearing Brad Pitt speak flawless Mandarin? That’s the kind of trick Synthesia’s hyper-realistic video avatars can pull off.The London-based unicorn, which uses generative AI to make videos for corporate training and internal comms, has been a big hit among enterprise users — its customer list includes more than 80% of the Fortune 100, and it hit $100m ARR in April this year.It seems to be a pretty solid business model — and investors certainly like it. But where will the company take its technology next, how safe are its avatars from deepfake misuse and when might it brave an IPO?CEO Victor Riparbelli isn’t shy about sharing his views on that front, recently declaring the London Stock Exchange a “complete disaster.”On this week’s episode, host Amy and senior reporter Kai Nicol-Schwarz put Synthesia’s avatars to the test, dig into its move into agentic AI and ask what, if anything, could go wrong for the AI unicorn.Sign up to our deeptech and AI newsletter here: https://sifted.eu/members/login?newsletter=deeptechTake our listener survey here: https://form.typeform.com/to/WbVxsSv7 (T&Cs apply)