European startups raise €15.8B in September, nearly five times August's total

Three rounds exceeded €1 billion as investment surged nearly 394% month-on-month and deal activity climbed 82%.
European startups raise €15.8B in September, nearly five times August's total

September marked a strong rebound in European tech funding after a slower August. Companies raised €15.8 billion across 300 funding deals, compared with €3.2 billion across 165 deals in August. This represents an increase of almost 394 per cent in funding value, while deal volume rose by around 82 per cent month on month.

Companies

Out of 300 deals in September, 25 companies raised more than €100 million each, including three rounds exceeding €1 billion secured by Mistral and Nscale. The value of 34 deals remains undisclosed. The month’s largest deal came from French AI company Mistral, which raised €3 billion in a Series D round at a post-money valuation of more than €21 billion.

Industries

Cloud was the leading sector by investment volume in European tech startups in September 2026, capturing 35 per cent of the month’s total funding, at €5.5 billion.

Countries

UK emerged as the top fundraising market in September, securing €7.3 billion over 65 transactions.

Exits

Exit activity across the European tech ecosystem remained active in September, with 39 transactions recorded during the month. Germany was the most active market, accounting for eight exits, or around 21 per cent of the total, followed by France with six. The UK and Sweden recorded three transactions each.

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