January was such a long month that it has already brought us five new European unicorns: from Belgium to Ukraine, several tech startups have raised funding with estimates above $1 billion.
But before we take a closer look at who has joined the club, there are two opinions.
First: This figure includes startups that may be incorporated elsewhere but have their roots or most of their team in Europe. Until there is an international corporate structure (commonly referred to as “EU Inc”), this division will remain the norm — and we have decided to ignore it. Take Lovely, assembled in Delaware but inseparable from Stockholm’s original scene.
Second: scale doesn’t equate to commercial success, and it’s too early to tell if all of these companies will achieve the kind of success Lovable has, as the company just surpassed $300 million in annual recurring revenue. But in the current climate, the fact that VCs were willing to invest in unicorn valuations is a strong signal of where the food is.
With these caveats out of the way, let’s dive in.
Aikido
Belgium-based cybersecurity startup Aikido Security has reached unicorn status with its $60 million Series B funding round. 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 develop its platform, which is designed to integrate security throughout the software lifecycle and is already used by more than 100,000 teams worldwide. The company also reported “fivefold revenue growth and threefold customer growth” over the past year.
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In a blog post, the founders celebrated this milestone and its significance. According to its team, “in an industry dominated by Palo Alto and Tel Aviv heavyweights, Aikido shows that Europe can build a world-class software security company and win globally.”
Stream AI
Cloud optimization company Cast AI is headquartered in Florida, but has Lithuanian roots and a head office in Vilnius – which explains why many now consider it Lithuania’s fifth unicorn.
Cast AI’s valuation now exceeds $1 billion following a strategic investment from Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the US-based business unit of Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Group. In April 2025, Cast AI raised a Series C of $108 million which has reportedly already brought the company closer to the unicorn scene.
Alongside its latest round of funding, the company also launched OMNI Compute for AI, which aims to help users deploy multiple AI workloads across multiple GPUs and remove regional bottlenecks.
Harmattan AI
French defense technology company Harmattan AI was founded in 2024, but is already valued at $1.4 billion, according to its latest funding round. The $200 million Series B was led by Dassault Aviation, maker of the Rafale fighter jet, and also links to a broader partnership.
Before finding this important partner, Harmattan AI had already signed agreements with the French and British defense ministers and Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton, amid growing demand for autonomous defense aircraft.
Osapiens
German ESG software company Osapiens has raised a $100 million Series C round led by Decarbonization Partners, a joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek, valuing the company at more than $1.1 billion.
Founded in Mannheim in 2018, Osapiens now has more than 2,400 customers worldwide, including large international companies that rely on its platforms and tools for sustainable reporting and data compliance, but also to reduce supply chain risks.
Preply
14-year-old language learning marketplace Preply is now a $1.2 billion unicorn — a milestone that also embodies Ukraine’s resilience. The edtech company was founded in the United States, but its founders are from Ukraine and supporters of their 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 round of funding will help the startup hire more AI talent in its four offices – now in Barcelona, London, New York and Kyiv.
