Meet the new European unicorns of 2026

January was such a long year that it has already brought us five European uniforms: from Belgium to Ukraine, a number of technology startups have achieved a valuation above the symbolic level of $ 1 billion.

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

First: This calculation includes startups that may be included elsewhere but have their roots or a large part of their group in Europe. Until EU Inc exists as a pan-European corporate entityThis division will remain prevalent – and we have chosen to ignore it. Take it Belovedwhich is included in Delaware but cannot be separated from the original Stockholm location.

Second: valuation does not equate to commercial success, and it is too early to say whether all these companies will follow in Lovable’s footsteps, and the company soon. over $300 million a year repeatedly. But in the current climate, the fact that VCs were willing to invest in them for unicorn valuations is a strong indicator of where the appetite is.

With that warning, let’s get into it.

Aikido

Implementation of cybersecurity in Belgium Aikido Security he reached the rank of unicorn with his $60 million Series B. 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 expand its platform, which was built to integrate security across all types of software and is already used by more than 100,000 teams worldwide. According to the same source, the Series B “follows a year of rapid growth for the company, including five-fold revenue growth and three-fold customer growth.”

In a blog postthe founders celebrated this event and its importance. According to his team, “in the richest companies of Palo Alto and Tel Aviv, Aikido shows that Europe can create a company that protects the world’s best software and succeeds in the world.”

Release AI

Cloud optimization company Release AI he’s in Florida, but he has Lithuanian roots and an important office in Vilnius – which explains why many see him now. to be Lithuania’s fifth unicorn.

Cast AI’s valuation now exceeds $1 billion as a result of a Strategic Investment from Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the US-based venture arm of Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Group. In April 2025, Cast AI went up $108 million Series C which he says has already put the company “closer to unicorn territory”.

Along with its latest investment, the company also launched OMNI Compute for AIwhich aims to help users run more AI on limited GPUs and remove layer constraints.

Harmattan AI

French defense tech company Harmattan AI it was launched in 2024, but it is already important $1.4 billiondepending on the current currency cycle. The $200 million Series B was led by Dassault Aviation, the maker of the Rafale fighter jet, and is also involved in a major deal.

Before finding this important partner, Harmattan AI had already signed contracts with the French and British defense ministries as well as Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton, amid a growing interest in self-defense aircraft.

Osapiens

German ESG software company Osapiens he was promoted $100 million Series C led by Decarbonization Partners, a a partnership between BlackRock and Temasekwhich made the company worth more than $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 platform and tools to provide consistent reporting and data tracking, as well as to mitigate messaging threats.

Preply

A fourteen-year market for language learning Preply now it’s a unicorn worth $1.2 billion – impressive in itself it represents Ukrainian courage. The edtech company was founded in the United States, but the founders are Ukrainian and the supporters of their country, where Preply has a team of 150 employees.

According to its CEO, Kirill Bigai, who believes that AI-amplified learning, from the $150 million Series D round will help the startup to hire more AI talent in its four offices – which are now located in Barcelona, ​​​​​​London, New York, and Kyiv.