European startups attracted more than $3.5B across 313 deals in Q3’15 — the third quarter with $3B or more in funding — and contributed several of the new companies to our CB Insights unicorn list.
Deals and dollar trends
The last 3 quarters have seen more than $3B invested in Europe-based startups. Mega-rounds above $100M in size are one of the drivers of funding growth in the quarter.
There were six $100M+ financings in Q3’15, including high-profile deals such as BlaBlaCar‘s $200M Series D led by Insight Venture Partners, and Global Fashion Group‘s $167M corporate minority investment by Rocket Internet.
12 largest rounds together account for $1.5B in funding
In Q3’15, the 12 largest European financing rounds accounted for 43% of total funding for the quarter. Of those, there were several rounds in unicorn companies, including Auto1 Group‘s $100M round and HelloFresh‘s $85M Series F.
Top VC investors
High-Tech Gruenderfonds was the most active VC investor in Europe. Rounding out the top 3 VCs in Europe are Index Ventures, which invested in Deliveroo and iZettle, as well as Business Growth Fund that’s backing ACS Clothing, among other investments. See the list of the 20 most active VC investors below.
UK investment trends
The United Kingdom received more than $1B in funding across 90 deals in Q3’15. Additionally, each of the last 3 quarters have seen more than $1B deployed across 90 or more deals.
The cities that attracted the most investment were London (51 deals, $481M), Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (4 deals, $10M), and Oxford (3 deals, $69M). Notable deals include Immunocore‘s $320M Series A and Secret Escapes‘ $60M Series C.
Germany investment trends
Q3’15 investment to German startups reached more $500M, across 51 deals. After a funding spike in Q1’15, and a drop in deals and dollars in Q2’15, investment in Germany recovered a bit in Q3’15, as seen below.
The cities that attracted the most investment were Berlin (23 deals, $294M), Munich (4 deals, $52M), and Hamburg (4 deals, $96M).
Want more European financing data? Login to CB Insights or sign up for free below.
Feature image credit: Death To Stock Photo, license: http://deathtothestockphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/DeathtotheStockPhoto-License.pdf
If you aren’t already a client, sign up for a free trial to learn more about our platform.