European startups raise €15.8B in September, nearly five times August's total

In September, European tech startups raised an impressive €15.8 billion across 300 funding deals, marking a significant rebound from the slower August period. This surge in funding value amounted to nearly a 394% increase compared to the €3.2 billion raised in August, with deal volume rising by around 82% month-on-month. Of these 300 deals, 25 companies secured investments of more than €100 million each, including three rounds exceeding €1 billion each for Mistral and Nscale.

Notably, the month's largest deal was led by French AI company Mistral, which raised €3 billion in a Series D round, valuing the company at over €21 billion.

The technology sector dominated funding in September, capturing 35% of the total investment, or €5.5 billion. The UK emerged as the leading fundraising market, securing €7.3 billion across 65 transactions. Exit activity remained active throughout September, with 39 transactions recorded, the highest of the year. Germany led the exit market, accounting for eight exits, or approximately 21% of the total, followed by France with six. The UK and Sweden also recorded three transactions each each.