Sifted maps 94 European AI fintech startups as experts question open-weight model safety

The first wave of European fintech was about the front end, Sifted writes: neobanks, payment apps and trading platforms competed to give customers a better screen through which to manage their money. The 94 companies in the new map work behind that screen, rebuilding the back office of finance.

In a separate article published the same day, Sifted asked whether open-weight AI models are safe. Open models have become Europe's best card to play in the AI race, according to the piece, but some experts warn the systems come with significant safety risks that model developers and policymakers are failing to address.

A third Sifted article examined what it called the "blurry" world of defence tech revenue. It notes that in the current frenzied funding cycle, startups need to show that they are growing revenue, fast.

Thomas Kluiters, founder of Reson8, told Sifted over a video call that he was "falling apart", having just returned to Amsterdam from the United States after being awake for more than 30 hours. Sifted reports that Kluiters sold his healthcare company to Tandem Health and is now betting on voice AI, with the stated ambition of building a European AI giant.

The interview is headlined "I'm 30. I've got one more shot", and Sifted writes that Kluiters says Europe's founders need to think bigger.