January was such a long month that it already brought us five fresh European unicorns: from Belgium to Ukraine, several tech startups raised funding at valuations above the $1 billion mark.
But before we take a closer look at who joined the club, two caveats.
First: This number includes startups that may have incorporated elsewhere but have their roots or a large part of their team in Europe. Until there is a pan-European corporate structure (often called “EU Inc”), this split will remain common — and we’ve decided to ignore it. Take Lovable, which is incorporated in Delaware but is inseparable from Stockholm’s startup scene.
Second: valuation doesn’t equate to commercial success, and it’s too early to tell if all of these companies will achieve the traction that Lovable has, with the company recently exceeding $300 million in annual recurring revenue. But in the current climate, the fact that VCs were willing to invest in them at unicorn valuations is a strong signal of where the appetite is.
With those caveats out of the way, let’s dive in.
Aikido
Cyber security startup based in Belgium Aikido Safety reached unicorn status with the $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 improve its platform, which was created to unify security across the entire software lifecycle and is already used by more than 100,000 teams worldwide. The company also reported “fivefold revenue growth and nearly threefold customer growth” over the past year.
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In one blog postthe startup celebrated this milestone and its significance. 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 globally.”
Cast AI
Cloud optimization company Cast AI is based in Florida but has Lithuanian roots and a large office in Vilnius — which explains why many now believe it has The fifth unicorn of Lithuania.
Cast AI’s valuation now exceeds $1 billion after one strategic investment by Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the US-based corporate business arm of Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Group. In April 2025, Cast AI raised a $108 million Series C that had reportedly already brought the company close to unicorn territory.
Alongside the latest round of funding, the company also presented OMNI Compute for AIwhich aims to help users deploy more AI workloads on fewer GPUs and remove regional capacity limitations.
Harmattan AI
French defense technology company Harmattan AI it was only founded in 2024, but it’s already worth it 1.4 billion dollarsaccording to its latest round of funding. The $200 million Series B was led by Dassault Aviation, maker of the Rafale fighter jets, and is also linked to a broader partnership.
Before securing this key partner, Harmattan AI had already signed deals with the French and British defense ministries and Ukrainian drone maker Skyeton, amid growing appetite for autonomous defense aircraft.
Osapiens
German ESG software company Osapiens lifted up 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 that rely on its platforms and tools for sustainability reporting and data compliance, as well as supply chain risk mitigation.
Prepare
The 14-year-old language learning market Prepare is now a $1.2 billion unicorn — a milestone that also embodies Ukrainian resilience. The edtech company was founded in the United States, but its founders are Ukrainians and supporters of their homeland, where Preply has a team of 150 employees.
According to its CEO Kirill Bigai, who believes in AI-enhanced learning, the proceeds from the $150 million Series D round will help the startup hire more AI talent across its four offices — now located in Barcelona, London, New York and Kyiv.
