LinkedIn Top Startups 2024: The 21 companies on the rise in European cities
Today we’re introducing the inaugural list of Top Startups in Europe, a look at the 21 emerging companies that you should be paying attention to across a select number of European cities. These companies aren’t just growing fast, they're gaining attention locally and building innovative solutions that are shaping the future of their industries – from health and fashion to tech and finance.
The list is built on exclusive LinkedIn data across four key pillars: employee growth; jobseeker interest; member engagement within the company and its employees; and how well these startups have pulled talent from LinkedIn Top Companies . While these are the same pillars used for our Europe Top Startups list , the methodology slightly differs, reflecting activity at the local city level vs the country (you can read more at the bottom of this article).?
To be eligible, companies must be headquartered in the relevant country, be fully independent, privately held, have 30 or more full-time employees in the city and be seven years old or younger.?
Here are this year’s 21 Top Startups in Europe – check out the list and join the conversation using #LinkedInTopStartups .
All headcounts are provided by the companies, unless marked with an asterisk. Those headcounts are from LinkedIn data.?
Athens
1. Campeón Gaming
Full-time headcount in Athens: 101* | Headquarters: Athens | Year founded: 2017 | Most common skills: Emotional Intelligence, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving | Most common job titles: Customer Support Executive, Content Manager, Affiliate Manager | Largest job functions: Customer Success and Support, Business Development, Finance | What they do: Campeón Gaming is an iGaming company based in Greece, with offices in Athens, Thessaloniki and Cyprus. The company focuses on providing a top-notch gaming experience through innovative services and an immersive in-house platform that can be fully customised.
2. Harbor Lab
Full-time headcount in Athens: 70 | Headquarters: Athens | Year founded: 2020 | Most common skills: JavaScript, Python (Programming Language), HTML | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Customer Service Analyst | Largest job functions: Engineering, Information Technology, Customer Success and Support | What they do: Harbor Lab is a maritime software company that helps ship owners, management companies and charterers manage port expenses and disbursements, by providing quick estimates, validating actual costs and facilitating payments. The company raised nearly €15m this year in a Series A funding round.
3. Prosperty
Full-time headcount in Athens: 67* | Headquarters: Athens | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: Real Estate, JavaScript, PHP | Most common job titles: Real Estate Consultant, Property Manager | Largest job functions: Real Estate, Engineering, Sales | What they do: Prosperty is a property technology startup that aims to digitise the real estate market, transforming the way people buy, sell, rent and manage properties. They offer tech-enabled services to simplify property-related operations and use data analytics to help users make informed decisions.
Berlin
1. 1KOMMA5°
Full-time headcount in Berlin: 72 | Headquarters: Berlin | Year founded: 2021 | Most common skills: Design Thinking, Renewable Energy, User Experience | Most common job titles: Sales Manager, Software Engineer, Product Design Consultant | Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Engineering | What they do: Energy transition for everyone and from a single source – that’s this startup’s mission. It sells photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, electricity storage units and wall boxes. It also installs the modules and connects the components with its own software and hardware.
2. Plan A
Full-time headcount in Berlin: 62 | Headquarters: Berlin | Year founded: 2017 | Most common skills: Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Awareness | Most common job titles: Data Engineer, Product Manager, Front-end Developer | Largest job functions: Engineering, Operations, Information Technology | What they do: Plan A provides software that identifies the greenhouse gas emissions of various business areas and tracks their changes over time. The application also enables users to develop a detailed plan with specific measures for decarbonization.
3. Choco
Full-time headcount in Berlin: 120 | Headquarters: Berlin | Year founded: 2018 | Most common skills: Mobile Applications Development, JavaScript | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Data Engineer, Product Design Consultant | Largest job functions: Engineering, Sales, Operations | What they do: Choco offers an app that streamlines food coordination while promoting climate-friendly practices. The app enables chefs and restaurant owners to efficiently plan, submit and track their food orders, addressing the complexities of food production.
Copenhagen
1. Planet Nusa
Full-time headcount in Copenhagen: 47* | Headquarters: Copenhagen | Year founded: 2018 | Most common skills: Fashion, Social Media, Retail | Most common job titles: Customer Service Representative | Largest job functions: Customer Success and Support, Media and Communication, Arts and Design | What they do: Planet Nusa is a community-driven sportswear brand that focuses on creating inclusive and welcoming environments for exercise. The direct-to-consumer brand, which launched its first collection in 2019, sells everything from leggings to swimwear. The brand has since opened two physical stores, one in Aarhus and another in Copenhagen, which includes a café.
2. Monta
Full-time headcount in Copenhagen: 190 | Headquarters: Copenhagen | Year founded: 2020 | Most common skills: Mobile Application Development, Sales Leads, Entrepreneurship | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Customer Experience Manager, Product Manager | Largest job functions: Engineering, Customer Success and Support, Marketing | What they do: Monta provides a comprehensive operating platform designed to simplify and manage EV charging infrastructure, offering services such as real-time charging data, payment processing and billing. Monta, which aims to ensure a seamless charging experience for drivers, companies and cities, now counts some 600,000 charge points across its network.
3. Flatpay
Full-time headcount in Copenhagen: 100 | Headquarters: Herlev | Year founded: 2022 | Most common skills: Kotlin (Programming Language), Economics, Direct Sales | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Sales Manager, Customer Support Specialist | Largest job functions: Sales, Engineering, Business Development | What they do: Flatpay offers payment solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, such as shops, restaurants and salons. The Danish startup, which recently raised €45m in Series B funding, provides a payment terminal and a point-of-sale system to help merchants efficiently manage payments, products and sales data, while also eliminating hidden fees and complex pricing structures.
Dublin
1. Tines
Full-time headcount in Dublin: 100 | Headquarters: Dublin** | Year founded: 2018 | Most common skills: User Experience Design, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML | Most common job titles: Business Development Representative, Software Engineer | Largest job functions: Sales, Engineering, Arts and Design | What they do: Tines is a no-code automation platform. Having originally specialised in cybersecurity, they have expanded to automate workflow processes in all industries. **Tines is jointly headquartered in Boston and Dublin.
2. Wayflyer
Full-time headcount in Dublin: 160 | Headquarters: Dublin | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: Design Thinking, Tax, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) | Most common job titles: Head of Marketing, Investment Analyst, Business Development Representative | Largest job functions: Marketing, Finance, Sales | What they do: Wayflyer is a financial technology company that provides capital to emerging businesses based on their revenue. The company primarily focuses on helping e-commerce brands scale and grow.
领英推荐
3. &Open
Full-time headcount in Dublin: 55 | Headquarters: Dublin | Year founded: 2017 | Most common skills: Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Social Media Marketing | Most common job titles: Strategic Sales Specialist, Buyer | Largest job functions: Sales, Finance, Arts and Design | What they do: &Open is a gifting platform designed for corporate clients. It offers a digital marketplace that enables instant gifting, both digital and physical, and allows clients to measure the impact of what they have given.
London
1. Allica Bank
Full-time headcount in London: 190 | Headquarters: London | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: FinTech, Financial Services, Risk Management | Most common job titles: Business Development Officer, Software Engineer, Business Development Manager | Largest job functions: Finance, Engineering, Business Development | What they do: Allica Bank is a British challenger bank that provides a range of financial services, including lending, savings and current accounts, specifically tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK.
2. Volt.io?
Full-time headcount in London: 69 | Headquarters: London | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: FinTech, Lead Generation, Financial Services | Most common job titles: Director of Business Development, Banker, Lawyer | Largest job functions: Business Development, Finance, Sales | What they do: Volt.io is a fintech company that provides a global infrastructure for real-time, account-to-account payments using open banking technology. It connects over 5,000 banks across the UK and EU.
3. Wild?
Full-time headcount in London: 98 | Headquarters: London | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: Social Media, Photography, Digital Marketing | Most common job titles: Social Media Manager, Marketing Executive | Largest job functions: Marketing, Media and Communication, Operations | What they do: Wild is a personal care company founded by childhood friends Freddy Ward and Charlie Bowes-Lyon. It aims to reduce single-use plastic in bathrooms by offering natural, refillable deodorants.
Madrid
1. Vicio
Full-time headcount in Madrid: 167 | Headquarters: Barcelona | Year founded: 2020 | Most common skills: Cooking, Creativity, Teamwork | Most common job titles: Food and Beverage Assistant, Store Manager, Cook | Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Human Resources | What they do: Created during the pandemic as a delivery service, Vicio is now a restaurant chain specialising in the online sale of gourmet burgers. The Barcelona-born brand today operates in 11 cities across Spain, including in Madrid and Barcelona where it has opened three restaurants.
2. Embat
Full-time headcount in Madrid: 56 | Headquarters: Madrid | Year founded: 2021 | Most common skills: TypeScript (Programming Language), User Experience, SASS | Most common job titles: Product Design Consultant, Full Stack Programmer, Account Executive | Largest job functions: Engineering, Design, Sales | What they do: Embat aims to streamline financial management tasks for companies by offering a platform that minimises administrative and bureaucratic duties, especially related to collections, payments and treasury management. The platform is available in Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany.
3. WOW Concept
Full-time headcount in Madrid: 174 | Headquarters: Madrid | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: Fashion Design, Photography, Fashion Styling | Most common job titles: Salesperson, Retail Specialist, Manager | Largest job functions: Sales, Marketing, Operations | What they do: WOW Concept is a multi-brand shopping space that focuses on emerging and luxury brands, prioritising user experience on both its website and in its two Madrid stores.
Paris
1. Mistral IA
Full-time headcount in Paris: 53 | Headquarters: Paris | Year founded: 2023 | Most common skills: Machine Learning, Python (Programming Language), Computer Networking | Most common job titles: Machine Learning Engineer, Software Engineer | Largest job functions: Engineering, Business Development | What they do: This young Parisian startup develops generative artificial intelligence models. Since its creation last year, the company has raised over €1bn in funding. Mistral’s valuation is now close to €6bn, making it one of the new French unicorns of 2024.
2. Pennylane
Full-time headcount in Paris: 198 | Headquarters: Cherbourg | Year founded: 2020 | Most common skills: Design Thinking, Mobile Application Development, UX Design | Most common job titles: Account Manager, Product Manager, Accountant | Largest job functions: Sales, Engineering, Customer Support | What they do: Pennylane is a management platform that centralises all of a company's financial flows in real time, manages invoicing and produces accounting documents, helping to streamline collaboration between managers and their accountant.
3. Sifflet
Full-time headcount in Paris: 34 | Headquarters: Paris | Year founded: 2021 | Most common skills: Machine Learning, JavaScript, Cloud Computing | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Backend Developer | Largest job functions: Engineering, Sales | What they do: Sifflet develops software for automated monitoring of all financial, commercial or marketing data generated by a company. The platform allows its customers to identify anomalies and adapt their strategic decisions.
You can check out the Top Startups across these European cities, including in France (Lille , Lyon and Paris in French) Germany (Berlin and Munich in German), Spain (Barcelona and Madrid in Spanish) and the UK (London and Manchester ).
Methodology
LinkedIn measures startups based on four pillars: employment growth, engagement, job interest and attraction of top talent. Employment growth is measured as percentage headcount increase in the city over methodology time frame, which must be a minimum of 5%. Engagement looks at non-employee views and follows of the company’s LinkedIn page among members in the city, as well as how many non-employees are viewing employees at that startup. Job interest counts the rate at which people are viewing and applying to jobs at the company in the city, including both paid and unpaid postings. Attraction of top talent measures how many employees in the city the startup has recruited away from any global LinkedIn Top Company, as a percentage of the startup’s total workforce. Data is normalised across all eligible startups. The methodology time frame is July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.?
To be eligible, companies must be fully independent, privately held, have 30 or more full-time employees in the city, be 7 years old or younger and be headquartered in the country on whose list they appear. We exclude all staffing firms, think tanks, venture capital firms, law firms, management and IT consulting firms, nonprofits and philanthropy, accelerators and government-owned entities. Startups who have laid off 15% or more (Berlin, London and Manchester) or 10% or more (Athens, Copenhagen, Dublin, Madrid and Paris) of their workforce based on corporate announcements or public, reliable sources between July 1, 2023 and the list launch, are not eligible. These decisions are made by the LinkedIn News team based on company statements and/or reputable news outlets.
About company insights
*Company insights were sourced from LinkedIn Talent Insights . Data reflects aggregated public member data from active LinkedIn profiles in the relevant metropolitan area and includes full-time employee profiles associated with the company on LinkedIn. We exclude members who identify as part-time or contractors. Headcounts are provided by the companies directly, unless otherwise noted with an asterisk. Those headcounts are based on LinkedIn data. All insights reflect a 12-month time period looking back from July 2024. Skills data was derived from measuring the most frequent skills among a company’s employees. Most common job titles represent the occupations that are most common within each company. Largest job function measures the function area most prevalent within each company.
?Methodology and insights by: LinkedIn Economic Graph team
Science&Engineering Consultant | Project Manager
3 周It appears that the majority of start-ups with proven potential are software development ventures which is not unusual given the industry 5 trend , digitalisation and transformation of business models in the post Covid society. However what I am wondering is how the analysed data samples have been obtained and if the segment is relevant - for sure there must be new ventures in much more services than that - society needs plenty of other services . So: how many start ups have been counted from which regions and have absolutely all registered start ups in the respective regions over the given period of time been considered for the analysis ?
Designing the Green Transition | CEO, KIRT x THOMSEN
1 个月A great list! You are missing some deeptech startups, eg. from the energy sector. I would add Hyme to this list as one. PSV Marianne and Maria - what do you say?
Chief Operations & Commercial Officer (COO / CCO)
1 个月I am amazed by the number of Greek companies in the list and also by the quality of the offering. Also, due to my personal interests towards AI, I find the French AI unicorn MISTRAL AI, to be amazingly interesting. Good luck to all of them!
European Business Coaching | EIC Accelerator Partner | Systemic Team and C-Suite Leadership coach (Master Certified Coach & ACTC ICF)
1 个月Great list and some well known ScaleUp names although based mostly on employee growth; jobseeker interest; member engagement...etc - LinkedIn data - need to cross-check other metrics with dealflow in Europe for example to validate traction. Interesting to see a unicorn like Mistral.ai and amazed with user experience business model such as &open where stakeholder relationships is the focus. One trend we're seeing in leadership is two different ways to run a company: founder mode and manager mode and be curious to see how they run their company in 2025?
Chief Medical Officer, Head of R&D projects
1 个月This post demonstrates low level of expertise of the authors, without knowledge of the domain. And @KimGuldberg in his comment is perfectly right. It looks like the understanding of a startup is spoiled, if even restaurants selling #garbagefood are included.