VC Angle Weekly Briefing #15: Framer Becomes Europe’s Newest Unicorn
VC Angle Weekly Update #15
Hey — welcome to the fifteenth edition of VC Angle Weekly Updates! As always, we're keeping tabs on what actually matters across 🇪🇺 European tech. If something broke the news this week and it's worth your time, it's probably below. Scroll on for the deals, roles, reads, and events you'll want on your radar.
In This Edition:
Framer became a unicorn with $100M Series D, hits $2B valuation
33 digital health startups demand unified EU rules
Dealroom’s Europe’s $100M+ “Thoroughbreds”
Stanford study reveals how much capital unicorns really need
SaaS landing page blueprint: 7 elements that actually convert
📰 What Happened This Week
Framer raises $100M Series D to become Europe's newest unicorn at $2B valuation
Amsterdam-based website design platform Framer secured $100 million in Series D funding at a $2 billion valuation, led by existing investors Meritech and Atomico. The no-code web design tool serves 500,000 monthly active users including Scale AI, Perplexity, and Miro. Framer previously raised $27 million in 2023, riding investor enthusiasm for AI-powered design tools following Figma's record-breaking IPO.
Check the list of Europe’s 2025 made unicorns here.
Swedish fintech Northmill Bank plans EU expansion after reporting $5.1M quarterly profits
Stockholm-based Northmill Bank announced plans to expand across the European Union following strong Q2 results showing $5.1 million in pre-tax profits. The digital bank, which currently operates in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, serves 140,000 retail and 4,000 business customers with over 140,000 card holders.
33 European digital health companies demand unified EU regulations to prevent global obsolescence
A coalition of 33 European digital health organizations, including Doctolib, Cara Care, and Kaia Health, urged EU decision-makers to establish unified evaluation frameworks for digital medical devices starting in 2026. The group warns regulatory fragmentation prevents scaling and threatens Europe's technological sovereignty. The coalition seeks alignment on technical requirements and reimbursement pathways, particularly in France and Germany, arguing innovations risk becoming obsolete without EU-wide adoption within 2-3 years.
🔍 Reads & Reports
Dealroom: European "Thoroughbreds" with $100M+ revenues now power 27% of EMEA's $5.6T tech ecosystem
Dealroom's inaugural Thoroughbreds 100 report identified over 700 European tech companies with $100+ million revenues, representing 27% of EMEA's $5.6 trillion tech ecosystem. The cohort generated $168 billion in combined revenue and created 367,000 jobs, with the UK leading (22 companies) followed by Germany (17).
Fintech dominates with 30 companies including Revolut and Wise, while only Phoenix Court, Index Ventures, and Point Nine rank among global top 20 VCs. Despite the "New Palo Alto" corridor's productivity, Europe faces a $57 billion scaleup funding gap versus Silicon Valley.
Average unicorn raises $340M before hitting $1B valuation, but 186 companies needed less than $100M
Stanford University Graduate School of Business analysis of unicorn funding patterns reveals significant variance in capital requirements before reaching $1 billion valuations. While the average unicorn raised $340 million (median: $250 million), the largest cohort of 367 companies required $200-300 million including Peloton Interactive.
Only 186 companies achieved unicorn status with under $100 million raised, demonstrating capital efficiency remains possible. At the high end, 54 companies including Kabbage raised over $1 billion before their unicorn round, suggesting some sectors require substantial pre-validation funding.
SaaS landing page blueprint: 7 essential elements that convert visitors to paying customers
Mark Vassilevskiy create a framework that breaks down high-converting SaaS landing pages into core components: hero section with problem/solution messaging and clear CTA, benefits section with visual icons, target audience avatars showing specific use cases, social proof through testimonials and partner logos, transparent pricing with highlighted differences, tools/integrations display for trust-building, and FAQ addressing real objections.
💶 Where Funds Went (Or Will Go)
Startups
🇩🇪 Ortivity raises €200M to expand outpatient orthopaedic care
🇳🇱 Framer raises €92M Series D, now valued at $2B+
🇧🇪 LIZY raises €75M to scale circular electric leasing
🇮🇪 ProVerum raises €73M Series B for treatment development
🇬🇧 Paragraf raises €51M Series C for graphene-based electronics
🇬🇧 Attio raises €48M Series B to scale CRM platform
🇬🇧 Vox AI raises €8M Seed to bring voice AI to drive-thru operations
🇬🇧 EnsiliTech raises €5.2M to advance medicine formulation
🇩🇰 Interhuman AI raises €2M to build social intelligence layer for AI
🇸🇪 BoardClic raises €1.65M to bring AI to boardrooms
🇸🇪 Farang raises €1.5M for next-gen AI models
🇨🇭 Zenline AI raises €1.5M Pre-Seed to help retailers compete with Amazon/Temu
🇬🇧 Holiwise raises €1.45M Pre-Seed to reinvent premium travel
Investors
🇳🇱 Shift Invest holds first close of SHIFT IV at €92M for impact venture capital investments
🇵🇹 Ventures.eu launches €30M debut fund in Lisbon
🇨🇭 Lakestar secures $265m continuation vehicle. Lakestar is also pursuing a separate $300m fund focused on European defence technology
💼 Open Roles
Kopa Ventures → Venture Capital Intern in Berlin, Germany. Apply here.
Planet A Ventures → Visiting Analyst (Investment Team) in Berlin, Germany. Apply here.
Scale Equity → Associate in Paris, France. Apply here.
SHIFT Invest → Visiting Analyst in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Apply here.
Pitch Deck Creators → Operating Analyst (Remote, Europe). Apply here.
NCITY → Analyst in Paris, France. Apply here.
👋 That’s a wrap for this week.
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Love seeing this since we’re not going to push through much health innovation through startups in the U.S. (the regulations are too severe). While we leave the established companies to help, we might look to other countries to improve.