2025.05.14
- FR
- EN
VIVATECH REVEALS THE FIRST EDITION OF THE TOP 100 RISING EUROPEAN STARTUPS FOR 2025
Paris, 14 May 2025 – Viva Technology publishes the first edition of the "Top 100 Rising European Startups for 2025", a ranking highlighting the 100 most promising young companies in the European tech ecosystem. Coming from a variety of sectors, they were selected for their potential to transform their industries and for their rapid growth dynamics.
- Germany (36), France (22) and the United Kingdom (17) are the three countries with the largest pool of companies
- The three most represented sectors are AI (agents, models, middlewares & toolings), Developer Tooling and FinTech.
Artificial intelligence tops the list
This year, 13 countries are represented among the Top 100 Rising European Startups: Germany (36), France (22) and the United Kingdom (17) are the driving forces of a ranking dominated by companies around AI. This sector dominates the European scene this year with 15 startups, divided between agents (Aily Labs, Cognigy, Parloa), models (Mistral, ElevenLabs, Synthesia) and middlewares & toolings companies (Lovable Labs, Smartness). These startups represent a new wave of European AI that is more sovereign, applied and accessible to companies.
According to François Bitouzet, Managing Director of Viva Technology: "The Top 100 Rising European Startups reflects the degree of maturity reached by the European tech ecosystem. Artificial intelligence, now at the heart of all industries - cybersecurity, defence, logistics and supply chain - demonstrates Europe's ability to innovate on technological and strategic issues, with a long-term vision. This dynamic confirms that Europe is no longer just an area for growth, but a real laboratory for technological and societal transformation.”
Major trends to follow in 2025
Six major trends structure European innovation. FinTech continues its transformation with the rise of the Banking-as-a-Service model, embodied by Flatpay (Denmark) and Capi Money (UK), alongside financial management solutions such as Payflow (Spain) and Pennylane (France). When it comes to logistics and supply chain, artificial intelligence is essential to anticipate risks (Prewave – Austria) and automate purchasing and supplier management (Mercanis, Packmatic – Germany). Cybersecurity and DefenseTech are asserting themselves as strategic axes of digital sovereignty, with players such as Filigran (France) and Helsing (Germany). ClimateTech is exploring new avenues despite the slowdown in ESG investments: electrification of buildings (1KOMMA5° – Germany), decentralized energy networks (UrbanChain – UK) and decarbonization solutions (Treefera – UK). HealthTech and BioTech are gaining traction thanks to AI, driven by startups like Causaly (UK) and Aqemia (France), which are advancing medical research. Finally, the Creative Industries are reinventing themselves with AI-powered tools, such as Photoroom (France) and Kittl (Germany), which are democratizing the creation of digital content.
This ranking is established with the contribution of five of the world's largest investment funds: Accel, Eurazeo, HV Capital, Northzone and Partech. The main criteria for this list: startups must have a European-based headquarters; an industry-transforming innovation; an annual recurring revenue (AR) of at least €5 million in 2024; and annual growth of at least 40% over the last three years. The 100 selected startups will take part to VivaTech in a part in a tailor-made acceleration program and will be offered networking opportunities.
Find more details on the TOP 100 2025 HERE
Join us for four days of excitement by requesting your VivaTech accreditation HERE
- Germany (36), France (22) and the United Kingdom (17) are the three countries with the largest pool of companies
- The three most represented sectors are AI (agents, models, middlewares & toolings), Developer Tooling and FinTech.
Artificial intelligence tops the list
This year, 13 countries are represented among the Top 100 Rising European Startups: Germany (36), France (22) and the United Kingdom (17) are the driving forces of a ranking dominated by companies around AI. This sector dominates the European scene this year with 15 startups, divided between agents (Aily Labs, Cognigy, Parloa), models (Mistral, ElevenLabs, Synthesia) and middlewares & toolings companies (Lovable Labs, Smartness). These startups represent a new wave of European AI that is more sovereign, applied and accessible to companies.
According to François Bitouzet, Managing Director of Viva Technology: "The Top 100 Rising European Startups reflects the degree of maturity reached by the European tech ecosystem. Artificial intelligence, now at the heart of all industries - cybersecurity, defence, logistics and supply chain - demonstrates Europe's ability to innovate on technological and strategic issues, with a long-term vision. This dynamic confirms that Europe is no longer just an area for growth, but a real laboratory for technological and societal transformation.”
Major trends to follow in 2025
Six major trends structure European innovation. FinTech continues its transformation with the rise of the Banking-as-a-Service model, embodied by Flatpay (Denmark) and Capi Money (UK), alongside financial management solutions such as Payflow (Spain) and Pennylane (France). When it comes to logistics and supply chain, artificial intelligence is essential to anticipate risks (Prewave – Austria) and automate purchasing and supplier management (Mercanis, Packmatic – Germany). Cybersecurity and DefenseTech are asserting themselves as strategic axes of digital sovereignty, with players such as Filigran (France) and Helsing (Germany). ClimateTech is exploring new avenues despite the slowdown in ESG investments: electrification of buildings (1KOMMA5° – Germany), decentralized energy networks (UrbanChain – UK) and decarbonization solutions (Treefera – UK). HealthTech and BioTech are gaining traction thanks to AI, driven by startups like Causaly (UK) and Aqemia (France), which are advancing medical research. Finally, the Creative Industries are reinventing themselves with AI-powered tools, such as Photoroom (France) and Kittl (Germany), which are democratizing the creation of digital content.
This ranking is established with the contribution of five of the world's largest investment funds: Accel, Eurazeo, HV Capital, Northzone and Partech. The main criteria for this list: startups must have a European-based headquarters; an industry-transforming innovation; an annual recurring revenue (AR) of at least €5 million in 2024; and annual growth of at least 40% over the last three years. The 100 selected startups will take part to VivaTech in a part in a tailor-made acceleration program and will be offered networking opportunities.
Find more details on the TOP 100 2025 HERE
Join us for four days of excitement by requesting your VivaTech accreditation HERE