Meet the original European unicorns of 2026

January changed into one of these long month that it has already brought us 5 current European unicorns: from Belgium to Ukraine, quite a lot of tech startups raised funding at valuations above the $1 billion threshold.

But sooner than we clutch a wiser spy at who joined the membership, two caveats.

First: This depend entails startups that can be incorporated in assorted locations but possess their roots or a clear fragment of their crew in Europe. Except a pan-European corporate structure exists (typically known as “EU Inc”), this rupture up will remain same outdated — and we’ve made up our minds to miss it. Take Truthful, which is incorporated in Delaware but can now not be dissociated from Stockholm’s startup scene.

2nd: valuation doesn’t equal industrial success, and it is fair too early to disclose whether or now not all of those corporations will enact the extra or less traction that Truthful has, with the firm now not too long ago crossing $300 million in annual habitual income. But in the recent local climate, the undeniable fact that VCs were keen to spend money on them at unicorn valuations is a solid signal of the place the appetite is. 

With these caveats out of the style, let’s dive in.

Aikido 

Belgium-based cybersecurity startup Aikido Security reached unicorn location with its $60 million Sequence B funding spherical. Valuing the firm at $1 billion, the spherical changed into led by DST Global, with participation from PSG Equity, Singular, Thought Capital, and others.

In step with an announcement, the funding would possibly maybe per chance support Aikido give a boost to its platform, which changed into built to unify safety across the entire application lifecycle and is already former by greater than 100,000 groups globally. The firm additionally reported “5-times income growth and virtually three-times buyer growth” over the closing year.

In a blog post, the startup neatly-known this milestone and its significance. In step with its crew, “in an business dominated by Palo Alto and Tel Aviv heavyweights, Aikido shows that Europe can create a world-class application safety firm and bag globally.”

Solid AI 

Cloud optimization firm Solid AI is headquartered in Florida, but has Lithuanian roots and a important location of job in Vilnius — which explains why many now take into legend it to possess change into Lithuania’s fifth unicorn.

Solid AI’s valuation now exceeds $1 billion following a strategic investment from Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the U.S.-based corporate endeavor arm of Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Community. In April 2025, Solid AI raised a $108 million Sequence C that had reportedly already brought the firm near unicorn territory.

Alongside its most up to date funding spherical, the firm additionally launched OMNI Compute for AI, which targets to support users deploy extra AI workloads on fewer GPUs and clutch away regional skill constraints.

Harmattan AI 

French protection tech firm Harmattan AI changed into most effective based in 2024, but is already value $1.4 billion, in step with its most up to date funding spherical. The $200 million Sequence B changed into led by Dassault Aviation, maker of the Rafale fighter jets, and additionally ties right into a broader partnership.

Sooner than securing this key partner, Harmattan AI had already signed agreements with the French and British ministries of protection and with Ukrainian drone maker Skyeton, amid growing appetite for self sustaining protection aircraft.

Osapiens 

German ESG application agency Osapiens raised a $100 million Sequence C led by Decarbonization Partners, a joint endeavor between BlackRock and Temasek, which valued the firm at over $1.1 billion.

Essentially based in Mannheim in 2018, Osapiens now has greater than 2,400 customers worldwide, together with clear multinational corporations that depend on its platforms and instruments for sustainability reporting and recordsdata compliance, but additionally to mitigate present chain dangers.

Preply

The 14-year-broken-down language studying market Preply is now a unicorn valued at $1.2 billion — a milestone that additionally embodies Ukrainian resilience. The edtech firm changed into based in the US, but its founders are Ukrainian and supporters of their dwelling country, the place Preply has a crew of 150 workers.

In step with its CEO, Kirill Bigai, who believes in AI-enhanced studying, proceeds from the $150 million Sequence D spherical would possibly maybe per chance support the startup hire extra AI skills across its four locations of work — now located in Barcelona, London, Contemporary York, and Kyiv.

Rely on Bio