Miriam Partington

Berlin

DACH Correspondent at Sifted

Senior reporter covering DACH at the Financial Times' @siftedeu • Bookworm & mother of plants🌿 • got an anonymous tip? [email protected]

Featured in: Favicon

sifted.eu

bbc.co.uk

ft.com

yahoo.com

newstatesman.com Favicon

thelocal.de Favicon

tech.eu

thegermanbusinessreport.com Favicon

cannabisculture.com

Articles

Wayve plays advantage as tariffs threaten self-driving vehicles market

1 week ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington |Martin Coulter

Weeks after unveiling a new testing hub in Germany, autonomous vehicle startup Wayve has pressed ahead with its international expansion, largely insulated from punishing US tariffs that threaten to turn the wider industry on its head.
German tech leaders cautiously optimistic about new coalition agreement’s startup measures: ‘A good starting point, but we need action’

2 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington

German tech leaders are cautiously optimistic about new measures proposed in the government’s new coalition agreement to boost the country’s startup sector, which could see billions more funding for late-stage companies and a slashing of red tape. On Wednesday, the German Christian Democrats (CDU) sealed a coalition deal with the Social Democrats (SPD), unveiling a 146-page coalition agreement with proposals for all areas of society, including tech.
Early-stage VC Revent closes €100m to back European climate, health and ‘empowerment’ startups

2 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington

Berlin-based VC firm Revent, backer of AI-powered hospital platform Avelios Medical and carbon credits startup Sylvera, has closed its second fund of €100m. The funds will be used to invest in startups at pre-seed and seed working in climate, health and ‘empowerment’ — a broad term covering finance, education, govtech, workforce upskilling, data governance and privacy rights.
Europe's VCs weigh Trump tariffs impact: 'They're bad for everyone'

2 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington |Kai Nicol-Schwarz |Anne Sraders

European VC firms are weighing up the impact of Donald Trump’s punishing array of tariffs on the continent’s startup ecosystem. Last week, the US president forged ahead with his long-trailed “Liberation Day”, slapping unprecedented import taxes on goods shipped into the US from around the world. The package saw some investors lose billions of dollars on the stock market — and others their appetite for risk.
Where can AI help (or not) in recruitment?

2 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington

With all the hype around AI, I (an AI novice) was keen to understand more about how companies are using the technology in one of the most “human” activities of any company: hiring. While AI can assist with tasks from candidate sourcing to note taking during interviews, it can’t do everything: after all, no one wants to have a job interview with a chatbot.
Elon Musk’s xAI no longer working with German startup Black Forest Labs

3 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington |Freya Pratty

Buzzy German AI startup Black Forest Labs is no longer working with Elon Musk’s xAI, Sifted has learned. The secretive startup, based near the Black Forest in Freiburg, burst onto the AI scene in August last year with a suite of text-to-image models that experts said surpassed US competitors like OpenAI and Midjourney. Black Forest Labs gained further attention after it inked a partnership with xAI, developing an AI-image generation tool for its chatbot Grok.
Quantum startup IQM in talks to raise more than €128m

3 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington |Kai Nicol-Schwarz

Finnish quantum startup IQM is aiming to secure more than the €128m it raised at its last round, as startups in the sector race to scale following a series of technical breakthroughs. Founded in 2018, IQM is the second best-funded quantum hardware company in Europe, excluding Big Tech, according to Sifted data, having raised a total $210m from investors including Tencent, World Fund and MIG Capital.
German startups rally behind new government’s bid to water down AI Act

3 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington

German AI startups are rallying behind the new government’s reported push to water down the EU’s landmark AI Act. The Act lays out rules for organisations using AI in the EU, emphasising ethics, safety and transparency. But it’s drawn widespread criticism from tech companies at home and abroad, who say too-stringent regulations will hinder technological progress.
10 German soonicorns to watch

4 weeks ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington

Only one company, Munich-based EGYM which offers health and fitness institutions access to software and machines, made it to the $1bn mark. That’s down from the three unicorns minted in 2023: solar startup 1KOMMA5, AI translation startup DeepL and AI defence startup Helsing. Might 2025 yield more billion-dollar valuations — and who might be next? Using Dealroom data, Sifted identified 10 German startups that are likely to become unicorns. All valuations are based on Dealroom estimates.
Do founders need VC-backed wellness programmes?

1 month ago | sifted.eu | Miriam Partington

In my six years reporting on European tech, I’ve often been intrigued by the variety of founder-investor relationships. Some founders claim to be close to their investors, able to tell them anything. Others keep a clear-cut professional distance, only calling their VCs for advice when a fire needs putting out.