Last month saw 299 VC investments across Europe, with $4.2 billion invested in total – a 7% decrease in funding volume compared to December.
Number and volume of announced funding rounds over the past 12 months*
- Number of funding rounds
- Invested volume in $bn
Leading Industries and Investors
According to the number of conducted investments, AI leads with 97 rounds, followed by Health Care with 82 and FinTech with 50, each ahead by a significant margin of the next industry, Energy (37).
HTGF and Bpifrance were the most active investors in January with 7 announced investments each. Followed by Octopus Ventures with 5 investments and LocalGlobe and British Business Bank with 4 investments each rounding out the top five most active investors.
Top 10 Industries of Financed Startups
- AI
- Health Care
- FinTech
- Energy
- Manufacturing
- BioTech
- Web
- Retail
- Food and Beverage
- Transportation
Top 5 Investors with the highest number of deals
- HTGF
- Bpifrance
- Octopus Ventures
- LocalGlobe
- British Business Bank
Notable funding rounds across Europe
In January, the largest funding round was a $414 million Venture Round by Klöckner Pentaplast, a Montabaur-based manufacturer of plastic films and packaging for food, pharmaceutical, health, and durable products. Founded in 1965 in Germany, Klöckner Pentaplast raised the investment mainly to to stabilize ongoing business operations.
While Seed Rounds made up the largest share of rounds (39%), the highest investment volume was in Series D Rounds, which accounted for $1.04 billion across 6 deals.
The largest Seed Round was secured by Enodia Therapeutics, a Paris-based company which provides transforming treatments for cancer, inflammation, and viral infection diseases. Founded in 2025 in France, Enodia Therapeutics raised $24 million (€20 million) in January.
Number and total volume of financing rounds per stage
- Number of funding rounds per stage
- Volume of financing rounds per stage in $mn
Detailed overview by stage
European VC Industry Hotspots
In January, London remained the leading hotspot for European VC by number of investments (49), followed by Paris (16), Berlin (10), Madrid (7) and Dublin (7).
The most investments by country were in the UK (88), followed by Germany (43) and France (29).
When ranked by investment volume rather than the number of investments, Amsterdam ($330mn) with 5 investments and Zurich ($239mn) with 2 investments join London, Berlin and Paris in the top 5 cities.
VC Exit Overview
In January, 38 exits took place. Contrary to December, there was no IPO this month.
With 14 exits, FinTech companies were the largest exit industrie, followed by Health Care (11) and AI (7) companies.
Most companies exited in the United Kingdom with 9 exits, followed by 7 companies in France.
- Number of Acquisition Exits
- Number of IPO Exits
PE Acquisitions Overview
In January, 43 PE acquisitions (13% of all VC and PE investment rounds) were conducted, an increase of 1pp compared to last month.
With 16 acquisitions, the UK saw the highest number of companies acquired in January.
FinTech (12), Manufacturing (10) and Retail and Health Care (6 each) were the top acquisition industries mentioned.
The standout deal was the Carlyle Groups $19 billion acquisition of Lukoil International, a company providing the international business of the Russian energy cooperation specialized in the exploration and production of oil.
- % of all investment rounds
- Number of PE acquisitions
*All data from CrunchBase, as of February 2, 2026.
Partner with us
Unlock the full potential of your financial strategy with Trustventure’s expert guidance. Whether you’re navigating challenges in the financial sector, seeking advice on corporate financing, or enhancing your planning and controlling processes, we’re here to empower your journey and help you create transparency and confidence for you and your investors.
Ready to elevate your financial game? Reach out to us today using our contact form or drop us a direct message at office@trustventure.de. Work with us to achieve your financial success! 🚀
Other articles
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – January 2026
January 2026 presented a 8% year-over-year increase in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to Food and Beverage, private equity investors are also targeting InsurTech and Consulting. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including ClearScore’s acquisition of Acre.
February 17, 2026
VC Landscape 2025 Recap: European Venture Capital & Private Equity Landscape
2025 presented an 9% increase in invested Venture Capital volume and the Crypto Startup Binance raised the largest round of the year. Learn all about it in our in-depth analysis.
January 21, 2026
VC Landscape Germany Venture Capital Landscape – Q4 2025
Between an decrease of 66% in invested VC volume and a €343mn funding round in the Health Care space, Germany is closing its venture capital landscape Q4 2025. Learn all about it in our latest analysis.
January 12, 2026
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – December 2025
December 2025 presented a 0% year-over-year development in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to Software, private equity investors are also targeting FinTech and Marketing. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Create Music Group’s acquisition of Cr2 Records.
January 9, 2026
VC Landscape European Venture Capital Landscape – December 2025
With 302 investments and $4.5 billion raised across Europe, December saw a 13% increase in volume and 7% reduction in deal count month over month. The largest round of the month was a $1.0 billion Venture Round by the London-based company Kraken, which is a global customer and culture platform for energy, water, and broadband.
January 7, 2026
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – November 2025
November 2025 presented a 29% year-over-year decrease in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to Software, private equity investors are also targeting FinTech and Marketing. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Octopus Energy’s acquisition of Kuppa.
December 9, 2025
VC Landscape European Venture Capital Landscape – November 2025
November 2025 saw a decline in VC activity, with 324 investments and $4.0 billion raised across Europe, representing a 25% decrease in volume and 18% reduction in deal count month over month. The largest round of the month was a $495 million Venture Round by Amsterdam-based tech company Picnic, which develops a mass-market home delivery system for fast moving consumer goods.
December 5, 2025
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – October 2025
October 2025 presented a 55% year-over-year decrease in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to software, private equity investors are also targeting FinTech and Manufacturing. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Lightcast’s acquisition of Simply Get Results.
November 19, 2025
VC Landscape European Venture Capital Landscape – October 2025
October 2025 saw a decline in VC activity, with 397 investments and $5.3 billion raised across Europe, representing a 28% decrease in volume and 3% reduction in deal count month over month. The largest round of the month was a $433 million Series C Round by London-based AI platform Nscale, which provides a full-stack AI cloud platform designed for enterprise-scale workloads.
November 14, 2025