Celebrating the top 100 European AI startups

Across all industries, founders are challenging incumbents by building AI products at a speed and scale previously unimaginable. At N47, we are inspired by the work of AI-native founders in Europe and are honoured to sponsor the first annual Sifted AI 100. 
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Generative and Agentic AI constitute a platform shift in the creation and delivery of technology. Advanced artificial intelligence can now be implemented at the core of products, calling into question prior assumptions that once constrained what could be built. 
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Prior technology infrastructure waves built widespread access to critical precursors, including high-speed internet and vast compute power (through the cloud), laying the groundwork for AI to be adopted at a rate we have never seen for any prior emerging technology.
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The impact is being felt in industries that, on their surface, could not have less in common—from the law with Legora, to factories with Neura Robotics, from everyday productivity with Fyxer, to material discovery with Cusp AI. The digitisation of what we once thought were distinctly human capabilities will leave few industries looking the same.
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This velocity also means that the picks and shovels are being reimagined as new use cases emerge and scale. Companies building in this space are taking on a complex landscape. This includes incumbent hyperscalers and other infrastructure providers desperate not to miss out on the shift of compute workloads to AI. The model providers themselves are also offering more of the stack to companies building on top of their technology. From start-ups like N47-backed Encord helping enterprises operationalise their data for AI, to those like another portfolio company, Harmonic Security, ensuring we use the technology securely, those that successfully navigate this challenging field will become some of the most exciting and enduring businesses of the AI era.
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Great entrepreneurs are emerging in key talent centres worldwide, and Europe has already produced world-leading AI businesses due to exceptional engineering talent, world-class research institutions, deep industrial heritage, and a fast-spreading entrepreneurial mindset. Some of the world’s most exciting AI companies with global ambitions are based in Europe, including Synthesia, ElevenLabs, Lovable, and n8n (though their scale excludes them from AI 100). We believe this is just the start and that the quality, diversity, and ambition of the companies on this list give credence to the future strength of European AI. 

The companies featured in this inaugural AI 100 are united by more than their technology. They are led by dynamic, adaptable, and resilient founders, many of whom are building lean teams that achieve outsized impact, often in sectors where software previously struggled to reach. They are navigating a fast-evolving, still-young technology landscape with agility and creativity, laying the groundwork for the next decade of innovation.
 

The entrepreneurs on this list are not just participating in the AI transformation. They are leading it.