The 26 startups to watch in 2026 — plus cities, sectors and investors on the up

It’s been a busy start to the year for Europe’s tech ecosystem. We’ve already had five new unicorns born, €5.2bn raised, a $1bn acquisition and Sifted’s landed several scoops revealing that some of the continent’s most interesting investors — the likes of Plural and QuantumLight — are raising big new funds. To discuss the bumper start to 2026, host Amy Lewin is joined by contributing editor Éanna Kelly, who spends his days sussing out which companies are fast on the rise, which investors are getting in on the buzziest deals and which ecosystems and sectors are hotting up. They also cover the 26 startups Sifted will be watching especially closely (and why) and what investors tell us they have planned for the next 12 months. Read Sifted Predicts here: Explore Sifted Pro here: Sign up to the Sifted Daily here:

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The 26 startups to watch in 2026 — plus cities, sectors and investors on the up is an episode from Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast by Sifted.

This episode is 24:02 long.

This episode was published on Jan 29, 2026.

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