How AI is transforming startups — for better or worse

How AI is transforming startups — for better or worse

Author: Sifted August 28, 2025 Duration: 25:59
If you work at a tech startup, AI is a boon and a bane, empowering tiny teams to build at scale while wiping out entry-level jobs and flooding LinkedIn with “AI slop.” In this week's episode of the Sifted podcast, Amy is joined by senior reporter Miriam Partington, to discuss how founders and operators at Europe's fastest-growing companies are using AI. She shares what she's hearing about how the technology is hurting trust in brands, how engineering teams are being totally re-shaped and abou...

Each week on Startup Europe-The Sifted Podcast, host Amy Lewin sits down with the people actually shaping the continent's technology landscape. This isn't about abstract theories or distant analysis; it's built from direct conversations with the founders rolling up their sleeves, the operators scaling teams, and the investors backing the next big ideas. Alongside Sifted's own journalists, Amy delves into the specifics of building a business, examining the strategies, setbacks, and successes that define the journey. The discussions go beyond the headlines to explore the real mechanics and human stories behind the companies causing a stir. Tuning into this podcast offers a genuine, behind-the-scenes look at innovation as it happens, grounded in the reporting and network that Sifted brings. It’s for anyone curious about the practical realities of European tech, from seasoned investors to aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to hear how it’s really done. You’ll find a focus on tangible lessons and candid insights, making each episode a detailed snapshot of a dynamic and fast-moving ecosystem.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 100

Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Carissa Véliz on the dangers of predictive AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:44
In this episode of the Sifted podcast, host John Thornhill sits down with Carissa Véliz, AI ethicist, philosopher and associate professor at Oxford University to explore how algorithms and data are reshaping our lives an…
EQT has won the EU's €5bn superfund. Now what? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:19
The competition that captivated European VC has concluded. Earlier this week, the EU chose Swedish investment firm EQT to manage its new €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund after a closely-watched race among the region’s top firms…
Anthropic vs European AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:47
On this episode of the Sifted podcast, associate editor Freya Pratty sits down with news editor Martin Coulter, to unpack how Silicon Valley giant Anthropic is making big waves in European tech. The LLM builder and OpenA…
Could Europe become a world leader in robotics? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:05
What do hazardous inspections, fighting and cooking crêpes have in common? All three are tasks that robots are now capable (ish) of performing. In 2025, equity investment into European robotics startups more than doubled…
Tiny VC partner Philipp Moehring on when to take money off the table [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:07
European seed rounds are ballooning. Last month Yann LeCun’s AMI Labs picked up $1bn at a $3bn valuation while David Silver’s Ineffable Intelligence was reported to be raising $1bn at a $4bn valuation. “Thankfully, the b…