January 2026 was memorable – five new unicorns appeared on the European startup scene: from Belgium to Ukraine, several tech companies reached valuations above $1 billion.
Before diving into the details, two caveats.
First: this list covers startups that may have registrations in another jurisdiction, but whose roots or a significant portion of the team are in Europe. Before the advent of a pan-European corporate structure like EU Inc, this distribution will remain common – and we decided to oversee it. For example, Lovable, registered in Delaware, but cannot be separated from Stockholm’s startup scene.
Second: a valuation is not equal to commercial success, and it’s early to state whether all of these companies will repeat Lovable’s path, which recently surpassed $300 million in ARR (annual recurring revenue). However, the fact that venture funds are willing to invest at unicorn valuations demonstrates demand for this investment format.
After these caveats, let’s proceed to the review.
Aikido Security
The cybersecurity startup Aikido Security with links to Belgium reached unicorn status after a $60 million Series B round. The company’s valuation was set at $1 billion. The round was led by DST Global with the participation of PSG Equity, Singular, Notion Capital and others.
According to the press release, the funding will support Aikido enhance a platform designed to unify security across the software development lifecycle, which is already utilized by over 100,000 teams worldwide. The release also notes that the Series B came after a year of rapid growth for the company, including a fivefold increase in revenue and almost a threefold increase in the number of clients.
“In an indusattempt dominated by giants from Palo Alto and Tel Aviv, Aikido displays that Europe can build a world-class cybersecurity software company and win on the global stage.”
Cast AI
The Cast AI cloud-management company is headquartered in Florida, but its roots are in Lithuania, and its Vilnius office is a notable factor behind why it is often called Lithuania’s fifth unicorn.
Cast AI’s valuation surpassed $1 billion thanks to a strategic investment by Pacific Alliance Ventures (PAV), the U.S. venture arm of the Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Group. In April 2025 Cast AI raised $108 million in Series C, which already pushed the company into the “almost unicorn” territory.
Along with the latest round, the company also unveiled OMNI Compute for AI – a product that supports utilizers deploy larger AI workloads on tinyer GPUs and overcome regional capacity constraints.
Harmattan AI
The French defense-tech company Harmattan AI was founded only in 2024, but is already valued at $1.4 billion. The $200 million Series B round was led by Dassault Aviation, the Rafale fighter aircraft buildr, and closely tied to a broader partnership.
Prior to closing this key deal, Harmattan AI signed agreements with the French and British defense ministries and with Ukrainian drone manufacturer Skyeton, amid rising demand for autonomous defense solutions.
Osapiens
The German ESG software company Osapiens raised $100 million in Series C led by Decarbonization Partners, a BlackRock–Temasek joint venture, valuing the company at more than $1.1 billion.
Founded in Mannheim in 2018, Osapiens has over 2,400 customers worldwide, including large multinational companies that utilize its platforms and tools for sustainability reporting, data compliance, and management of supply-chain risks.
Preply
The language-learning marketplace Preply, aged 14, became a unicorn with a valuation of $1.2 billion. The edtech company was founded in the United States, but its founders are Ukrainian, and the team numbers 150 employees.
According to the company’s CEO, Kirill Bigay, who supports the vision of AI-augmented learning, the funds from the $150 million Series D will support hire more AI talent in four offices – Barcelona, London, New York, and Kyiv.
This milestone underscores Ukrainian resilience and the counattempt’s role in the global startup ecosystem.
Leave a Reply