Meet the new European unicorns of 2026 | TechCrunch

January has been such a long month that it has already given us five new European unicorns: from Belgium to Ukraine, several tech startups have raised funding at valuations above the $1 billion threshold.

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

First, this count includes startups that may be founded elsewhere but have their roots or a large part of their team in Europe. Until a pan-European corporate structure is in place (often called ‘EU Inc’), this split will remain common – and we’ve decided to overlook it. Take Lovable, which is based 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 gain the kind of traction that Lovable has recently had with the company. exceeding $300 million in annual recurring revenue. But in the current climate, the fact that VCs were willing to invest in these investments at unicorn valuations is a strong signal of where the interest is.

Now that these caveats have been addressed, let’s dive in.

Aikido

Belgium-based cybersecurity startup Aikido security reached unicorn status with his $60 million Series B financing round. The round, which valued the company at $1 billion, 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 built to unify security across the entire software lifecycle and is already used by more than 100,000 teams worldwide. The company also reported “five times revenue growth and nearly three times customer growth” last year.

In one blog postthe startup celebrated this milestone and its significance. According to the team, “In an industry dominated by the heavyweights of Palo Alto and Tel Aviv, Aikido shows that Europe can build a world-class software security company and win globally.”

Cast AI

Cloud optimization company Cast AI is headquartered in Florida, but has Lithuanian roots and a large office in Vilnius – which explains why many now consider it a Lithuania’s fifth unicorn.

Cast AI’s valuation now exceeds $1 billion after a strategic investment from Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the US-based business arm of Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Group. In April 2025, Cast AI raised a $108 million Series C, which reportedly already put the company close to unicorn territory.

In addition to the latest round of funding, the company also introduced OMNI Compute 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 worthwhile $1.4 billionaccording to the latest funding round. The $200 million Series B was led by Dassault Aviation, maker of the Rafale fighter jets, and also joins a broader partnership.

Before securing this key partner, Harmattan AI had already signed agreements with the French and British Ministries of Defense and with Ukrainian drone maker Skyeton, amid growing demand for autonomous defense aircraft.

Osapiens

German ESG software company Osapiens increased a $100 million Series C led by Decarbonization Partners, a joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek, which valued the company at over $1.1 billion.

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

Prepare

The 14-year-old language learning marketplace Prepare is now a unicorn valued at $1.2 billion – a milestone that also epitomizes Ukrainian resilience. The edtech company was founded in the United States, but the 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-assisted learning, the proceeds from the $150 million Series D round will help the startup hire more AI talent across its four offices – which are now located in Barcelona, ​​London, New York and Kyiv.