Revolut CEO slams ‘dangerous’ VCs
by Martin Coulter
Good morning John,
After a whirlwind few weeks of events, from Sifted Summit to Onstage’s Demo Day, we reckon it’s time to swap the networking lanyards for running shoes.
That’s right: tonight the Sifted Run Club is back for its third outing, bringing together founders, operators, investors and anyone else from London’s tech ecosystem for an evening of exercise, good conversation and a well-earned drink (or two).
We’ll be meeting at Doggett’s Coat and Badge, next to Blackfriars Bridge, at 6pm, before setting off on a scenic 5k loop along the Thames at 6:30pm.
We’ll have several pace groups to accommodate runners of all abilities, whether you’re chasing a personal best or just fancy a leisurely jog and a chat.
And, naturally, we’ll be heading to the pub afterwards to refuel and catch up. So come along, bring a colleague or two and get to know London’s tech scene outside the usual conference halls.
See you down by the river! Register for your spot here.
Elsewhere today:
One in five companies are capturing nearly three-quarters of AI's economic gains
AI isn't rewarding effort evenly, it's rewarding a small number of companies disproportionately well. Sifted's new report, in partnership with London Business School, unpacks who's winning, who isn't and why. Download the report to find out which camp your company is in.
👀 Revolut CEO Nik Storonsky says he gradually removed VCs from the company’s board, branding them potentially “dangerous” to a scaleup’s growth.
💰 EQT Ventures and QuantumLight backed wealth management platform Nevis, founded by a group of Revolut alumni, in a $70m raise.
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Charles Maddock has been betting on AI agents since before most people knew what they were. His Stockholm-based startup Strawberry makes an AI browser where teams create “companions”: virtual colleagues that find leads, book calls and take notes across your tabs, and get better the more you use them.
Strawberry is backed by General Catalyst and EQT Ventures, and this week launched its first full product, Strawberry 1.0.
On the podcast, Maddock talks to host Freya Pratty about Europe’s need to build its own sovereign agents, how Legora’s Max Junestrand helped Strawberry land General Catalyst, and why he thinks Europe needs a voice on AI safety.
This episode was sponsored by Chargebee — billing, metering, and monetisation infrastructure for fast-scaling AI-native startups and enterprises.
💷 Revolut's UK lending push is a ‘watershed’ moment. Can it take on the big banks?
🚀 New funds in Europe in Q3 2026.
😰 AI takes the easy decisions; leaders must get comfortable with the hard ones. (Paid for and produced by London Business School)
AML wasn't built for this era of finance
Instant payments, smarter criminals and alert overload are stretching compliance teams to the limit. Our new guide, sponsored by Flagright, shows where AI is helping fincrime teams at bunq, Qonto and TransferMate, and where humans must stay in charge.
If you’d like to submit a deal, let us know.
London-based Adsilico, which develops AI-powered virtual patient simulations, raised £10m in Series A funding. PXN Ventures led the round and was joined by Northern Gritstone and Parkwalk.
Helsinki-based Volare, which produces insect-based protein ingredients for animal feed and pet food, raised €7.1m in funding. Springvest led the round and was joined by Maki.vc.
Lausanne, Switzerland-based Sonexos, which develops technology to reduce low-frequency noise from fans, compressors and data centres, raised €5.4m in funding. Valquest Partners led the round and was joined by Bosch Ventures.
Sifted Pro subscribers get exclusive access to all of the deals we track across Europe. Not subscribed yet? You can do that here.
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