Quantum Systems CEO Florian Seibel: ‘Having a dictator has advantages’
Germany-based defence tech Quantum Systems is one of Europe's leading makers of military drones, having completed thousands of missions in Ukraine and signed contracts with governments around the world. The company raised a €160m Series C in May 2025, hitting unicorn status, and is seeing its revenue double year on year.On this week's episode of the Sifted Podcast, host Amy sits down with Quantum Systems’ CEO Florian Seibel to hear about what peace in Ukraine will mean for the growing defence tech industry, what the future holds for unmanned vehicles and why he thinks Europe could take a leaf out of China's book when it comes to long-term planning.Seibel, not one to mince his words, calls out the people and investors jumping on the defence tech hype, and explains how working in a war zone and competing against enemy Russian drones has been the ultimate motivator for innovation.
You might be forgiven for thinking Europe had just two big drone makers — Germany’s Helsing and Quantum Systems — given how many headlines both attract.But there’s a third defence tech unicorn on the continent: Lisbon-based surveillance drones maker Tekever.Its drones are used all over the world — by the European Maritime Safety Agency to survey the coastline around Europe and by the UK Home Office to keep an eye on the English Channel, by the Spanish police and Brazilian Navy and — unsurprisingly — in Ukraine.Tekever was founded way back in 2001 and bootstrapped for its first 21 years, but in May this year raised €70m in a round led by Baillie Gifford and the Nato Innovation Fund. It also announced plans to invest £400m to build drones in the UK alongside the country’s Royal Air Force — and create thousands of jobs.On this episode of the Sifted Podcast, host Amy Lewin and senior reporter Freya Pratty discuss why Tekever’s investors are so bullish on the company, how it compares to competitors and what else is on its roadmap.
--------
14:15
--------
14:15
‘We don’t need to raise capital to grow’: Factorial CEO Jordi Romero
Barcelona-based Factorial has come a long way since its early days as a software startup offering free HR services. The business management platform is now used by more than 13k companies for everything from expense tracking to project management.It’s also scaling fast, with more than 1,300 employees and €110m in fresh funding from General Catalyst under its belt, which it raised in March. That means CEO and founder Jordi Romero has a job on his hands finding ways to keep momentum up. He’s also just onboarded 300 people in six months.What does he look for in those new hires? A “willingness to work”. What doesn’t impress him? “Logos and CVs”.In this week’s episode of the Sifted podcast, host Amy asks Jordi where AI is helping (and where it’s not), how the “unusual” General Catalyst deal came about and whether an IPO is on the horizon.This episode was brought to you by HSBC Innovation Banking, connecting you with what's next.
--------
38:02
--------
38:02
The secret behind Revolut's product blitz
Revolut is Europe’s most valuable private tech company — and is set to become even more so soon, with a fundraise in the works which would see it valued at a reported $65m. The digital bank manages to churn out new features at breakneck speed — from pet insurance to travel bookings, and now mortgages and mobile plans — despite having over 50m customers around the world. The secret? Its “new bets team”: small, startup-like squads tasked with testing and scaling new products fast.On this episode of Startup Europe — the Sifted Podcast, fintech reporter Tom Matsuda joins host Amy Lewin to dig into how this team works — and whether the strategy is paying off. They also discuss the status of Revolut’s UK banking licence, the latest on its long-awaited IPO and what it’s like working with cofounders Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko.
--------
18:49
--------
18:49
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen: "Europe doesn't need to become Silicon Valley"
Supercell is one of Europe's leading video game companies — with enduring hit titles like Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars under its belt. But, as CEO and cofounder Ilkka Paananen explains on this episode of Startup Europe — the Sifted Podcast, developing new and popular games is a tough business.He sits down with Amy Lewin to explain how Supercell tries to foster creativity by empowering its game development teams by giving them maximum autonomy, and by taking the fear out of failure through celebrating the lessons learnt with less successful game releases.Paananen also lays out why he's bullish on European tech, how AI will change gaming and how VCs can help his industry grow even more.
Get to know the brightest and boldest names in European tech with Sifted’s weekly podcast, hosted by Amy Lewin. She interviews the founders, operators and investors building Europe’s most exciting startups and, in conversation with Sifted’s expert journalists, pulls back the curtain on the most intriguing companies they’ve been reporting on.
UK