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Building a thriving tech ecosystem: European tech companies that became unicorns in 2024 - Related to companies, 2024, kodesage, became, that

Building a thriving tech ecosystem: European tech companies that became unicorns in 2024

Building a thriving tech ecosystem: European tech companies that became unicorns in 2024

Unicorn companies are crucial drivers of innovation, economic growth, and technological progress in Europe. Often, they introduce groundbreaking technologies, creating new industries or transforming existing ones. Their presence signals a mature and investable tech landscape. By generating significant revenues, these companies contribute to national GDPs, tax bases, and regional economies.

Unicorns emerge from a strong startup ecosystem and, in turn, support it by fostering innovation and enabling global market access. They also drive knowledge spillover, talent circulation, and shared infrastructure, creating a continuous cycle of growth and entrepreneurship.

In 2024, the European tech ecosystem collected €[website] billion over more than [website] deals. Excluding debt funding rounds, 91 companies ([website] percent of all companies) closed deals worth over €100 million (each). They collected around €[website] billion (around 29 percent of the total raised amount).

Europe welcomed 14 new unicorn companies, collectively raising approximately €[website] billion, representing [website] percent of the total capital raised. The UK led with five new unicorns, followed by France with three, the Netherlands with two, and Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Greece, each adding one new unicorn to the ecosystem.

Unicorn companies are essential engines of innovation, investment, and economic growth. However, their success is deeply tied to the broader startup ecosystem. While they benefit from smaller startups as information of talent and technology, they also contribute to creating an environment where new businesses can thrive.

Wayve is an AI-driven autonomous driving corporation focused on developing self-driving technology using machine learning and computer vision.

By leveraging cutting-edge deep learning algorithms, Wayve aims to create a scalable, safe, and flexible approach to autonomous driving. The enterprise emphasizes the use of data-driven systems and cloud-based models to navigate complex urban environments, working to transform transportation with the goal of making roads safer and more efficient.

The organization raised $[website] billion in a Series C funding round, led by SoftBank Group, with participation from Nvidia and Microsoft, at an undisclosed (but $1bn+) valuation.

[website] is a global digital services provider specializing in web hosting, cloud solutions, and online marketing.

The enterprise offers a wide range of services designed to help businesses grow their online presence, including website management, e-commerce tools, and domain registration. With a focus on reliability and customer support, [website] aims to empower entrepreneurs and organizations to succeed in the digital world, backed by a network of trusted technologies and expertise.

In July, the firm secured €550 million investment at €[website] billion valuation.

[website] is an AI-driven platform focused on automating and optimizing business workflows through machine learning.

The corporation offers intelligent solutions that streamline operations, improve decision-making, and enhance productivity across various industries. By leveraging advanced AI models, [website] helps businesses make data-driven decisions, reduce manual work, and scale more efficiently, providing a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced market.

In July, the enterprise achieved unicorn status after raising $400 million at a $2 billion valuation.

Mews is a cloud-based property management system (PMS) designed to simplify and optimize hotel operations.

Offering a suite of tools for booking, payment, guest management, and reporting, Mews helps hospitality businesses enhance efficiency, improve guest experiences, and drive revenue. With a focus on automation and seamless integrations, Mews empowers hotels to modernize their operations and deliver personalized, frictionless service to guests.

In March, the corporation had a growth round of $110 million at a $[website] billion valuation. A few months later, the corporation secured an additional €90 million.

eGym is a leading provider of digital fitness solutions, offering smart equipment and software to enhance workout experiences in gyms and fitness centres.

With a focus on personalized training, performance tracking, and data-driven insights, EGYM helps fitness facilities optimize their operations and deliver tailored workout plans for their members. By combining innovative technology with a user-friendly interface, EGYM aims to make fitness more accessible, efficient, and engaging for both customers and gym operators.

In September, the enterprise achieved unicorn status following a $200 million growth capital raise, bringing its valuation to over $1 billion.

Flo Health is a leading women’s health platform that provides a comprehensive app for tracking menstrual cycles, fertility, and overall reproductive health. The app leverages advanced AI technology to offer personalized insights and predictions, empowering women to take control of their health. With millions of clients worldwide, Flo Health combines medical expertise with user-friendly design to support women in managing their health and well-being across all stages of life.

After raising over $200 million in a Series C funding round, Flo's valuation surpassed $1 billion, making it the first purely digital women’s health app to reach unicorn status.

Bending Spoons is a leading mobile app development business known for creating innovative, high-quality apps that enhance user experiences.

With a focus on data-driven design and cutting-edge technology, Bending Spoons develops products across a variety of categories, including productivity, entertainment, and wellness. The organization is committed to delivering apps that engage millions of customers worldwide, leveraging a unique blend of creativity and technical expertise.

The firm achieved unicorn status after securing €[website] million at €[website] billion post-money valuation.

Pigment is a dynamic financial planning and analysis platform designed to help businesses make data-driven decisions.

With its intuitive, collaborative interface, Pigment empowers teams to model, forecast, and visualize complex business data in real-time. By combining flexibility, ease of use, and powerful analytics, Pigment enables organizations to streamline their financial processes, optimize performance, and drive strategic growth.

Pigment closed a $145 million Series D funding round in April, at a valuation of $1+ billion.

Newcleo is a nuclear technology firm specializing in the development of next-generation small modular lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs).

These reactors utilize recycled nuclear fuel, addressing key industry challenges such as safety, cost, and waste management.

In 2024, the business closed a maxi round of €135 million. The same year, Newcleo relocated its headquarters from London to Paris to strengthen its European partnerships and access a broader range of European funding opportunities.

DataSnipper is an intelligent auditing and data analysis platform designed to automate and streamline the audit process.

By integrating with existing accounting tools, DataSnipper enhances efficiency and accuracy through advanced aspects like document extraction, data matching, and real-time reporting. The platform helps audit professionals save time, reduce errors, and focus on higher-value tasks, ultimately improving the quality and speed of audits.

In February, the business raised a $100 million Series B, led by Index Ventures, at a valuation of $1 billion achieving unicorn status.

Eleven Labs is an AI-powered platform specializing in voice synthesis and natural language processing.

The organization develops cutting-edge technologies that enable the creation of lifelike, customizable speech for a variety of applications, including voiceovers, customer support, and content creation. By combining advanced machine learning models with a focus on quality and personalization, Eleven Labs aims to revolutionize how businesses and creators interact with audiences through voice.

In January, the firm raised an $80 million Series B round, reaching over $1 billion valuation.

Huma is a digital health corporation focused on transforming healthcare through data-driven, remote patient monitoring solutions.

By combining wearable technology, AI, and real-time data analytics, Huma enables healthcare providers to monitor patients outside of traditional clinical settings, improving outcomes and reducing costs. Their platform empowers both patients and providers with actionable insights, enhancing personalized care and enabling proactive management of chronic conditions.

In July, the corporation raised $80 million in series D funding, bringing its funding to over $300 million and reaching a valuation of $1+ billion.

Blueground is a global platform offering fully furnished, flexible rental apartments for business travellers and remote workers.

The corporation provides stylish, turnkey accommodations in major cities around the world, with flexible lease terms ranging from a few weeks to several months. Blueground's service caters to professionals seeking hassle-free, high-quality living spaces that offer the comfort of home and the convenience of modern amenities, all while ensuring a seamless booking and move-in experience.

The Greek-founded organization secured $45 million in Series D funding in March, reaching a bit over $1 billion valuation.

PennyLane is a financial management platform that simplifies accounting and business operations for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

By integrating accounting, invoicing, and payroll management, PennyLane provides a user-friendly solution that automates financial tasks and offers real-time insights into business performance. The platform empowers business owners and their accountants to make informed decisions, streamline processes, and save time, ultimately improving financial efficiency and control.

In February, the Paris-based fintech startup raised €40 million in a Series C funding round, surpassing a $1 billion valuation and achieving unicorn status.

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OneThird raises €3.5M Series A to reduce waste with freshness scanner

OneThird raises €3.5M Series A to reduce waste with freshness scanner

OneThird, a foodtech built to tackle food waste, has raised a €[website] Series A funding round and tappointed Henrike Langbroek as Chief Executive Officer.

The funding round was led by Dutch-based Invest International with participation from previous investors Pymwymic Home and Oost NL, bringing the total capital raised to €[website] The Series A investment will enable OneThird to develop its AI and sensor technology and expand across Europe and North America.

OneThird’s AI-powered near-infrared technology enables farmers, distributors, and grocery retailers to reduce waste by accurately predicting shelf life and optimising decision-making. OneThird expanded its offerings in 2024 with a retail store fruit scanner that allows consumers to make smarter purchasing decisions at the grocery store, particularly helpful with products such as avocados.

Currently, OneThird’s technology supports a growing list of produce, including avocados, blueberries, strawberries and tomatoes.

Up to one-third of the food brought to market annually is wasted at an estimated cost of USD $1 trillion, and almost half of it is fresh produce.

“I am thrilled to join OneThird at this exciting juncture and work with the team to make a measurable difference in reducing global food waste and creating a more efficient and sustainable food system for the future,” stated Henrike Langbroek, CEO.

“This funding will allow us to amplify our impact and reach new markets, empowering growers, distributors, and retailers to make informed decisions that drive sustainability and profitability.”.

Tim van Galen, Senior Investment Manager at Invest International, added: “OneThird’s approach to reducing food waste aligns with our mission to support the transitions needed towards a more sustainable food system. We are excited to partner with them on their journey to revolutionize the fresh produce industry.”.

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Legacy software startup modernisation startup Kodesage has raised €[website] million Pre-Seed funding.

Legacy systems, deeply embedded in enterprise workfl......

Kodesage raises €2.3M Pre-Seed for AI-powered legacy software modernisation

Kodesage raises €2.3M Pre-Seed for AI-powered legacy software modernisation

Legacy software startup modernisation startup Kodesage has raised €[website] million Pre-Seed funding.

Legacy systems, deeply embedded in enterprise workflows, present significant risks, including outdated technology, poor documentation, dependence on key employees, and performance issues.

Enhancing them is essential for organisations to remain competitive, as outdated systems can hinder performance, increase security vulnerabilities, and drive-up maintenance costs.

However, maintaining these systems often requires continuous updates, patches, and ad hoc fixes from multiple findings, complicating employee training and escalating risks and costs.

The Hungarian startup’s AI-powered platform streamlines modernisation and accelerates employee onboarding while ensuring compliance and data security for enterprises.

Kodesage acts like a compass for engineers, simplifying code navigation helping to upgrade even the most complex legacy systems without any prior knowledge of the project. Built enterprise-first, the platform supports on-premise and even air-gapped deployments, ensuring compliance and data security.

"Legacy systems are outdated and painful to manage, yet they’re still mission-critical for enterprises. Replacing them outright is often impossible due to high costs and risks. That’s where Kodesage comes in: our technology empowers businesses to enhance and evolve these systems without the massive upheaval of full replacements.”.

Significantly, KodeSage’s platform stands out due to its lower hardware requirements compared to others like OpenAI, enhancing cost efficiency for companies. It is model agnostic, not only utilising LLMs but also allowing clients to choose preferred models.

The VC and private equity arm of OTP Group, PortfoLion Capital Partners, led the funding round. Angel investors, including three former UiPath senior executives and other enterprise software veterans, also participated.

“We’ve seen thousands of teams over the past two decades helping enterprises with their modernisation efforts, before the current generative AI wave.

However, the AI toolkit that has emerged over the past two years has now opened up a new, even more painful part of the legacy stack for modernisation in a venture-scalable way.” introduced Márk Pálfalvi, Principal at PortfoLion.

With paying consumers already on board and multiple pilots underway, Kodesage will use the funding to enhance its platform and scale its go-to-market efforts.

Lead image: Kodesage Founders: Gyorgy-Szilagyi, Gergely-Dombi and Miklos-Szurdi. Photo: uncredited.

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Market Impact Analysis

Market Growth Trend

2018201920202021202220232024
12.0%14.4%15.2%16.8%17.8%18.3%18.5%
12.0%14.4%15.2%16.8%17.8%18.3%18.5% 2018201920202021202220232024

Quarterly Growth Rate

Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024
16.8% 17.5% 18.2% 18.5%
16.8% Q1 17.5% Q2 18.2% Q3 18.5% Q4

Market Segments and Growth Drivers

Segment Market Share Growth Rate
Digital Transformation31%22.5%
IoT Solutions24%19.8%
Blockchain13%24.9%
AR/VR Applications18%29.5%
Other Innovations14%15.7%
Digital Transformation31.0%IoT Solutions24.0%Blockchain13.0%AR/VR Applications18.0%Other Innovations14.0%

Technology Maturity Curve

Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity:

Innovation Trigger Peak of Inflated Expectations Trough of Disillusionment Slope of Enlightenment Plateau of Productivity AI/ML Blockchain VR/AR Cloud Mobile

Competitive Landscape Analysis

Company Market Share
Amazon Web Services16.3%
Microsoft Azure14.7%
Google Cloud9.8%
IBM Digital8.5%
Salesforce7.9%

Future Outlook and Predictions

The Tech Raises Building landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing threat vectors, and shifting business requirements. Based on current trends and expert analyses, we can anticipate several significant developments across different time horizons:

Year-by-Year Technology Evolution

Based on current trajectory and expert analyses, we can project the following development timeline:

2024Early adopters begin implementing specialized solutions with measurable results
2025Industry standards emerging to facilitate broader adoption and integration
2026Mainstream adoption begins as technical barriers are addressed
2027Integration with adjacent technologies creates new capabilities
2028Business models transform as capabilities mature
2029Technology becomes embedded in core infrastructure and processes
2030New paradigms emerge as the technology reaches full maturity

Technology Maturity Curve

Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity, influencing adoption timelines and investment priorities:

Time / Development Stage Adoption / Maturity Innovation Early Adoption Growth Maturity Decline/Legacy Emerging Tech Current Focus Established Tech Mature Solutions (Interactive diagram available in full report)

Innovation Trigger

  • Generative AI for specialized domains
  • Blockchain for supply chain verification

Peak of Inflated Expectations

  • Digital twins for business processes
  • Quantum-resistant cryptography

Trough of Disillusionment

  • Consumer AR/VR applications
  • General-purpose blockchain

Slope of Enlightenment

  • AI-driven analytics
  • Edge computing

Plateau of Productivity

  • Cloud infrastructure
  • Mobile applications

Technology Evolution Timeline

1-2 Years
  • Technology adoption accelerating across industries
  • digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
3-5 Years
  • Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
  • new digital business models emerging
5+ Years
  • Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
  • emergence of new technology paradigms

Expert Perspectives

Leading experts in the digital innovation sector provide diverse perspectives on how the landscape will evolve over the coming years:

"Technology transformation will continue to accelerate, creating both challenges and opportunities."

— Industry Expert

"Organizations must balance innovation with practical implementation to achieve meaningful results."

— Technology Analyst

"The most successful adopters will focus on business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake."

— Research Director

Areas of Expert Consensus

  • Acceleration of Innovation: The pace of technological evolution will continue to increase
  • Practical Integration: Focus will shift from proof-of-concept to operational deployment
  • Human-Technology Partnership: Most effective implementations will optimize human-machine collaboration
  • Regulatory Influence: Regulatory frameworks will increasingly shape technology development

Short-Term Outlook (1-2 Years)

In the immediate future, organizations will focus on implementing and optimizing currently available technologies to address pressing digital innovation challenges:

  • Technology adoption accelerating across industries
  • digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream

These developments will be characterized by incremental improvements to existing frameworks rather than revolutionary changes, with emphasis on practical deployment and measurable outcomes.

Mid-Term Outlook (3-5 Years)

As technologies mature and organizations adapt, more substantial transformations will emerge in how security is approached and implemented:

  • Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
  • new digital business models emerging

This period will see significant changes in security architecture and operational models, with increasing automation and integration between previously siloed security functions. Organizations will shift from reactive to proactive security postures.

Long-Term Outlook (5+ Years)

Looking further ahead, more fundamental shifts will reshape how cybersecurity is conceptualized and implemented across digital ecosystems:

  • Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
  • emergence of new technology paradigms

These long-term developments will likely require significant technical breakthroughs, new regulatory frameworks, and evolution in how organizations approach security as a fundamental business function rather than a technical discipline.

Key Risk Factors and Uncertainties

Several critical factors could significantly impact the trajectory of digital innovation evolution:

Legacy system integration challenges
Change management barriers
ROI uncertainty

Organizations should monitor these factors closely and develop contingency strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts on technology implementation timelines.

Alternative Future Scenarios

The evolution of technology can follow different paths depending on various factors including regulatory developments, investment trends, technological breakthroughs, and market adoption. We analyze three potential scenarios:

Optimistic Scenario

Rapid adoption of advanced technologies with significant business impact

Key Drivers: Supportive regulatory environment, significant research breakthroughs, strong market incentives, and rapid user adoption.

Probability: 25-30%

Base Case Scenario

Measured implementation with incremental improvements

Key Drivers: Balanced regulatory approach, steady technological progress, and selective implementation based on clear ROI.

Probability: 50-60%

Conservative Scenario

Technical and organizational barriers limiting effective adoption

Key Drivers: Restrictive regulations, technical limitations, implementation challenges, and risk-averse organizational cultures.

Probability: 15-20%

Scenario Comparison Matrix

FactorOptimisticBase CaseConservative
Implementation TimelineAcceleratedSteadyDelayed
Market AdoptionWidespreadSelectiveLimited
Technology EvolutionRapidProgressiveIncremental
Regulatory EnvironmentSupportiveBalancedRestrictive
Business ImpactTransformativeSignificantModest

Transformational Impact

Technology becoming increasingly embedded in all aspects of business operations. This evolution will necessitate significant changes in organizational structures, talent development, and strategic planning processes.

The convergence of multiple technological trends—including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and ubiquitous connectivity—will create both unprecedented security challenges and innovative defensive capabilities.

Implementation Challenges

Technical complexity and organizational readiness remain key challenges. Organizations will need to develop comprehensive change management strategies to successfully navigate these transitions.

Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around emerging technologies like AI in security applications, will require flexible security architectures that can adapt to evolving compliance requirements.

Key Innovations to Watch

Artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and automation technologies leading innovation. Organizations should monitor these developments closely to maintain competitive advantages and effective security postures.

Strategic investments in research partnerships, technology pilots, and talent development will position forward-thinking organizations to leverage these innovations early in their development cycle.

Technical Glossary

Key technical terms and definitions to help understand the technologies discussed in this article.

Understanding the following technical concepts is essential for grasping the full implications of the security threats and defensive measures discussed in this article. These definitions provide context for both technical and non-technical readers.

Filter by difficulty:

interface intermediate

algorithm Well-designed interfaces abstract underlying complexity while providing clearly defined methods for interaction between different system components.

fintech intermediate

interface

platform intermediate

platform Platforms provide standardized environments that reduce development complexity and enable ecosystem growth through shared functionality and integration capabilities.

API beginner

encryption APIs serve as the connective tissue in modern software architectures, enabling different applications and services to communicate and share data according to defined protocols and data formats.
API concept visualizationHow APIs enable communication between different software systems
Example: Cloud service providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure offer extensive APIs that allow organizations to programmatically provision and manage infrastructure and services.

algorithm intermediate

API

RPA intermediate

cloud computing