Startups

Startups are like rollercoasters—one minute you’re up with a big funding round, the next you’re dodging market dips. In Europe, defence tech’s smashing records with $1.5 billion raised so far in 2025, way up from last year. Take Stark—they just hired a new CEO from Project A after a fresh fundraise. And the UK’s spinning out innovations like crazy, pulling €7.6 billion in VC for Q3 alone.

Across the pond, crypto firms are killing it, raking in over $2.5 billion in Q3, pushing the year’s total past $19 billion with big players like Bain and Apollo jumping in. Unreasonable Impact dropped their 2025 roster on October 16, with 19 ventures that’ve already snagged $800 million collectively. Closer to home, Irish deep-tech fund WDC hit €100 million invested, eyeing accessibility startups like DevA11y, which bagged €2 million to grow in the US.

We cover the big ones too—Europe’s top rounds this year span fintech to biotech, with $45.8 billion raised by September across 2.77K deals. If you’re starting out, our guides hit on surviving shifts like climate tech raises (shoutout to Good Heat’s $2 million). Exciting times—NATO startups alone hit $9.1 billion. What’s next? More cross-Atlantic ties, I bet.

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