2025 Top 100 Rising European Startups

This year, in partnership with Accel, Eurazeo, HV Capital, Northzone, and Partech, VivaTech is launching a selection of Europe's top 100 rising startups. Similar to the Top 100 Next Unicorn's initiative, this list highlights the 100 most promising European startups across different business sectors.

These startups will be invited to VivaTech, where they will have the opportunity to join an exclusive accelerator program. This will give them access to media exposure, meetings with investors, and a private event with our VC partners.

With 22 different sectors represented amongst them, these startups have the potential to be industry-transforming and to demonstrate rapid growth. This year's selection represents 13 different countries, with the top three being Germany, France, and the UK. The most popular sector was AI (Agents, Middlewares & Toolings, Models).

AI Tops the List

With over 15 startups, artificial intelligence was by far the most popular sector of activity in this year's list. Startups such as Synthesia, Cognigy, Loveable Labs, and other stars of Europe's AI ecosystem, are involved across the industry in the form of foundational models, intelligent agents, middlewares & toolings, and more.

These startups reflect a broader movement across Europe to develop artificial intelligence that is not only more independent and locally driven, but also more practical in its applications and readily available to companies of all sizes. This shift signals a growing focus on making AI both strategically sovereign and genuinely useful to businesses in real-world contexts.

What’s Shaping Europe’s Innovation Landscape?

The top 100 rising European startups transcend industries, making waves in everything from mobility to AgriTech. Here are some of the top trends in 2025:

FinTech: The FinTech space in Europe is seeing strong momentum around Banking-as-a-Service solutions, alongside a growing wave of innovation in digital payments and automated financial management tools. This reflects a continued push toward more agile, integrated financial services for both businesses and consumers.

Climate Tech: Even as global ESG enthusiasm cools, Europe is carving out new frontiers in climate innovation. Startups are increasingly targeting practical solutions like electrifying buildings, rethinking how energy is distributed locally, and improving how environmental impact is tracked and measured.

HealthTech & BioTech: In the life sciences and health sectors, Europe is seeing a surge of interest in AI-powered platforms that support discovery and research. These tools are helping to reduce complexity and speed up breakthroughs in areas like drug development, diagnostics, and biomedical analysis.

Meet Them All

Check out the full list of startups below – and dive into the official press release for more information on trends in sectors like creative industries, cybersecurity & defensetech, and supply chain & logistics. Come meet a selection of these rising startups at VivaTech this June!

Related articles

Canada, Country of the Year: A Spotlight on Tech, Talent, & AI

April 17 2025

VivaTech has selected Canada as country of the year for VivaTech 2025. So, what's in store for this year?

Read Moretrending_flat

International

A Sneak Peek: Standout AfricaTech Startups at VivaTech 2025

April 14 2025

Meet a few of the startups making waves in the Top 45 of the AfricaTech Awards.

Read Moretrending_flat

International

Exploring Japanese Tech: VivaTech Country of the Year

February 21 2024

VivaTech has selected Japan as Country of the Year for 2024. We explore why Japan is a pioneer in the tech industry and highlight a few of its brightest startups.

Read Moretrending_flat

International