{"id":99385,"date":"2025-08-28T20:21:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T20:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/99385\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T20:21:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T20:21:16","slug":"more-than-10-european-startups-became-unicorns-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/99385\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 10 European startups became unicorns this year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Funding season is about to restart in Europe after the summer lull, and if all goes well, it will be counting new unicorns in dozens \u2014 plural. While mega-rounds are less common than they were in 2021, this hasn\u2019t prevented 12 European startups from raising rounds at valuations of more than $1 billion during the first half of 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the usual caveat goes, past performance is not indicative of future results, but this bodes well for the rest of the year. Either way, this is also a good indication of the sectors that are hot among investors, from biotech and defense tech to AI, AI, and AI.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the new European unicorns of 2025:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>July 2025<\/p>\n<p>Lovable<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fast-growing Swedish AI vibe coding startup Lovable became a unicorn in record time. In July, only eight months after its launch, it raised <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/07\/17\/lovable-becomes-a-unicorn-with-200m-series-a-just-8-months-after-launch\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a $200 million Series A<\/a> led by Accel at a $1.8 billion valuation. One note: Lovable Labs Inc. is <a href=\"https:\/\/lovable.dev\/terms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">registered in Delaware<\/a>, but most of the startup\u2019s team members and <a href=\"https:\/\/lovable.dev\/careers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">open roles<\/a> are based in Stockholm.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fuse Energy<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fuse Energy, a British renewable energy company founded in 2022 by two former Revolut executives, raised a funding round that is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/business-money\/companies\/article\/from-start-up-to-unicorn-in-three-years-fuse-energy-powers-ahead-6r7rkswdx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">thought to have valued the company at more than $1 billion<\/a>, The Times reported in July.<\/p>\n<p>June 2025<\/p>\n<p>Mubi<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Film-streaming service Mubi raised a $100 million round led by Sequoia Capital in June, valuing the company at $1 billion and <a href=\"https:\/\/techfundingnews.com\/londons-mubi-hits-1b-unicorn-status-with-100m-sequoia-boost-now-ready-to-rival-netflix-amazon-and-disney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">making it a unicorn<\/a>. Founded in 2007 as a curated platform, this indie Netflix rival now also <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2019\/12\/12\/mubis-production-effort-nets-it-a-sundance-selection-as-the-company-goes-cashflow-positive\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">produces<\/a> and distributes movies.<\/p>\n<p>Zama<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">French startup Zama raised a $57 million Series B that brought its valuation to <a href=\"https:\/\/tech.eu\/2025\/06\/25\/zama-becomes-1st-i-fhe-unicorn-with-57m-raise-led-by-pantera-and-blockchange\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">north of $1 billion<\/a>. The company develops <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/03\/07\/zamas-homomorphic-encryption-tech-lands-it-73m-on-a-valuation-of-nearly-400m\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">homomorphic encryption<\/a>, a technique that uses cryptographic algorithms to keep data secure.<\/p>\n<p>Techcrunch event<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t|<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 27-29, 2025\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Isar Aerospace<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">German space startup Isar Aerospace became a unicorn in June after reaching an agreement with Eldridge Industries for a convertible bond of \u20ac150 million (approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/german-space-startup-isar-aerospace-secures-150-million-euro-fund-2025-06-25\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">$173 million<\/a>). The <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/03\/28\/isar-aerospace-raises-165-million-to-bring-more-sovereign-launch-to-europe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">launch company<\/a> spun off from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tum.de\/en\/news-and-events\/all-news\/press-releases\/details\/isar-aerospace-becomes-a-unicorn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">now claims 22 unicorns<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>May 2025<\/p>\n<p>Tekever\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tekever, a <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/11\/20\/portugals-tekever-raises-74m-for-dual-use-drone-platform-deployed-to-ukraine\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dual-use drone startup<\/a> out of Portugal, raised a funding round in May that it said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tekever.com\/news\/tekever-confirmed-as-europes-newest-unicorn-as-it-invests-400m-in-the-uk-to-drive-ai-driven-defence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">confirmed its more than \u00a31 billion valuation<\/a>, which hadn\u2019t been previously announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s backed by Ventura Capital, Baillie Gifford, the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), Iberis Capital, and Crescent Cove, and is set to fund the company\u2019s plans to invest \u00a3400 million into a U.K. development plan spanning five years.<\/p>\n<p>Quantum Systems<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">German dual-use startup Quantum Systems <a href=\"https:\/\/pitchbook.com\/news\/articles\/quantum-systems-tekever-join-europes-defense-tech-unicorn-club\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">became a unicorn<\/a> in May 2025, according to PitchBook, upon <a href=\"https:\/\/quantum-systems.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/05\/quantum-systems-raises-euro160m\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">raising a \u20ac160 million Series C<\/a> (approximately $172 million) to accelerate its global expansion, scale production, and advance its autonomous drone systems, software, and AI.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The round was led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Hensoldt, Airbus Defense and Space, Bullhound Capital, LP&amp;E AG, and existing investors, including HV Capital, Project A, Peter Thiel, DTCP, Omnes Capital, Airbus Ventures, Porsche SE, and Notion.<\/p>\n<p>Parloa<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parloa, a German startup offering a conversational AI platform for customer service, secured <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconcanals.com\/parloa-becomes-europes-newest-ai-unicorn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">$120 million in Series C funding<\/a> at a valuation of $1 billion in May 2025, less than a year after its <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/04\/24\/parloa-a-conversational-ai-platform-for-customer-service-raises-66m\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">$66 million Series B<\/a> and two years after its <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/03\/30\/parloa-raises-21m-to-add-a-little-automation-to-contact-centers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">$21 million Series A<\/a>. The Series C was led by Durable Capital Partners, Altimeter Capital, and General Catalyst.<\/p>\n<p>March 2025<\/p>\n<p>Isomorphic Labs<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Isomorphic Labs, a London-based AI drug-discovery platform that spun out of Google\u2019s DeepMind in 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/03\/31\/alphabets-ai-drug-discovery-platform-isomorphic-labs-raises-600m-from-thrive\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">raised external capital for the first time<\/a> in March 2025 with a $600 million round led by Thrive Capital, with participation from GV and Alphabet. The valuation wasn\u2019t disclosed, but the round size firmly places the British spinoff within unicorn territory.<\/p>\n<p>February 2025<\/p>\n<p>Tines<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dublin-based Tines, a startup focused on AI-powered workflows, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tines.com\/blog\/series-c-fundraise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">became a unicorn in February 2025<\/a> after raising a $125 million Series C from new and existing investors at a valuation of $1.125 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Irish startup started out in security workflow automation, but has seen <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/04\/24\/tines-taps-50m-to-expand-its-workflow-automation-beyond-security-teams\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">adoption across other parts of the tech stack<\/a>, with applications in infrastructure, engineering, and product. Upon raising its Series C, the company said it was now performing over a billion automated actions on behalf of its customers every week.<\/p>\n<p>January 2025<\/p>\n<p>Verdiva Bio<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Less than one year after its launch, London-based biotech Verdiva Bio raised a massive<a href=\"https:\/\/sifted.eu\/articles\/verdiva-bio-biggest-series-a-raise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> $410 million Series A<\/a> in January 2025 as its first announced round of funding. This instantly made a unicorn out of the company, whose pipeline includes an oral-based GLP-1 drug similar to Ozempic and Wegovy.<\/p>\n<p>Neko Health<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neko Health, the preventative health startup co-founded by Spotify\u2019s Daniel Ek, <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/01\/22\/neko-the-body-scanning-startup-co-founded-by-spotifys-daniel-ek-snaps-up-260m-at-a-1-8b-valuation\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">raised a $260 million Series B at a $1.8 billion valuation<\/a> in January 2025. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from General Catalyst, O.G. Venture Partners, Rosello, Lakestar, and Atomico.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Swedish company offers full-body scans, with the goal of helping people stay healthy through early detection. According to its CEO and co-founder Hjalmar Nilsonne, the funding will accelerate Neko\u2019s global expansion of locations beyond Stockholm and London to include the U.S., as well as investments in R&amp;D.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Funding season is about to restart in Europe after the summer lull, and if all goes well, it&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,733,4308,20413,86,56,5232,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-99385","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-evergreens","12":"tag-technology","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-unicorns","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}