The European startup market’s data doesn’t match its energy — yet
The excitement for the European startup market was hard to ignore at the annual Slush conference in Helsinki last month. But the actual data on the state of the region’s venture market shows a different reality. The upshot: The European market has not recovered from the global venture capital reset that occurred in 2022 and 2023. But there is evidence it is on the cusp of a turnaround, including Klarna’s recent exit and the region’s homegrown AI startups garnering attention from local investors and beyond. Investors poured €43.7 billion ($52.3 billion) into European startups in 2025 across 7,743 deals through the third quarter, according to PitchBook data. That means the yearly total is on pace to match — not exceed — the €62.1 billion invested in 2024 and…
