Meet the new European unicorns of 2026 | TechCrunch

January has been such a long month that it has already brought us five new European unicorns: from Belgium to Ukraine, several tech startups have raised funds at valuations above the billion-dollar threshold.

But before we take a closer look at who joined the club, two caveats.

First: This count includes startups that may be incorporated elsewhere but have their roots or a large part of their team in Europe. Until a pan-European business structure exists (often called “EU Inc”), this split will remain common – and we have decided to ignore it. Take Kindwhich is incorporated in Delaware but cannot be separated from Stockholm’s startup scene.

Second: Valuation does not equal commercial success, and it’s too early to tell whether all of these companies will achieve the kind of traction that Lovable has recently enjoyed. cross $300 million in annual recurring revenue. But in the current climate, the fact that VCs are willing to invest in it at unicorn valuations is a strong signal of where the appetite lies.

With those caveats out of the way, let’s dive in.

Aikido

Cybersecurity startup based in Belgium Aikido Safety reached unicorn status with its $60 million, Series B financing cycle. Valuing the company at $1 billion, the round was led by DST Global, with participation from PSG Equity, Singular, Notion Capital and others.

According to a press release, the funding will help Aikido improve its platform, which is designed to unify security across the software lifecycle and is already used by more than 100,000 teams worldwide. The company also reported “five-fold revenue growth and nearly three-fold customer growth” over the past year.

In a blog postthe startup celebrated this milestone and its importance. According to his team, “in an industry dominated by heavyweights from Palo Alto and Tel Aviv, Aikido shows that Europe can build a world-class software security company and win on a global scale.”

Cast the AI

Cloud Optimization Company Cast the AI is headquartered in Florida, but has Lithuanian roots and a major office in Vilnius – which explains why many now consider it to have become Lithuania’s fifth unicorn.

Cast AI’s valuation now exceeds $1 billion following a strategic investment from Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the U.S.-based venture capital arm of Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Group. In April 2025, Cast AI raised a $108 million Series C this would have already brought the company closer to unicorn territory.

Alongside its latest funding round, the company also introduced OMNI Computing for AIwhich aims to help users deploy more AI workloads on fewer GPUs and remove regional capacity constraints.

Harmattan AI

French defense technology company Harmattan AI was only founded in 2024, but is already worth $1.4 billionaccording to its latest funding round. The $200 million Series B was led by Dassault Aviation, maker of Rafale fighter jets, and is also part of a broader partnership.

Before securing this key partner, Harmattan AI had already signed agreements with the French and British defense ministries as well as Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton, amid a growing appetite for autonomous defense aircraft.

Osapiens

German software company ESG Osapiens raised a $100 million Series C led by Decarbonization Partners, a joint venture between BlackRock and Temasekwhich valued the company at more than $1.1 billion.

Founded in Mannheim in 2018, Osapiens now has more than 2,400 customers worldwide, including large multinational companies that rely on its platforms and tools for sustainability reporting and data compliance, but also to mitigate supply chain risks.

Pre-response

The language learning market has existed for 14 years Pre-response is now a unicorn valued at $1.2 billion – a milestone that embodies Ukrainian resilience. The edtech company was founded in the United States, but its founders are Ukrainian and supporters of their home country, where Preply has a team of 150 employees.

According to its CEO, Kirill Bigai, who believes in AI-enhanced learning, the $150 million Series D proceeds will help the startup hire more AI talent across its four offices, now located in Barcelona, ​​London, New York and Kyiv.

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