Consumer/Media/How To/ How to pitch to Sifted Grabbing our attention: what stories we're looking for — and who to pitch them to. By Sifted 15 July 2022 \Consumer TL;DR: What’s the deal with Twitter alternative Mastodon and is Elon Musk even bothered? By Kai Nicol-Schwarz 9 December 2022 Consumer/Media/How To/ How to pitch to Sifted Grabbing our attention: what stories we're looking for — and who to pitch them to. By Sifted 15 July 2022 Sifted does proper reporting on startup Europe. But what does that mean? Our mission is to do old fashioned journalism, which means building contacts, digging up the real story and explaining the tech and startup world to our readers. But we also receive hundreds of story pitches every day, some of which are amazing but others are, well, not quite for us. So if you want us to write about your company, report, founder or initiative, here is what the Sifted editorial team likes to write about and how to pitch to them. Types of stories we cover Data stories and lists Our readers love a good list or an intriguing data story. But what data does Sifted want from you? We curate lists we think will be useful — like this one on 150+ female angel investors in Europe Or this piece on how much founders should pay themselves We also write about salary data — like this piece on how much German VCs get paid We also include links to reports and surveys in our 3x a week newsletter. Share these with our editor Amy Lewin ([email protected]) or our deputy editor Eleanor ([email protected]). Investigations We are proud that in our short time we have already established an investigative reporting presence holding power to account. Such as: Inside the N26 staff exodus Events startup Pollen missing payroll and owing customers thousands. Burn rate, layoffs and funding struggles at Gorillas If you have a story to tell about nefarious goings-on at your startup (e.g bullying or harassment, unfair hiring or firing practices, or toxic culture) or about your experience as a founder (e.g with untrustworthy investors or incompetent accelerators) — or anything else — please contact any of our reporters or Sifted’s deputy editor Eleanor Warnock ([email protected]) who leads our investigations. We are all experienced journalists and, of course, never reveal our sources. Alternatively, you can send tips to: [email protected] News We always thought that there was too much commoditised funding news in startup reporting. We were never convinced that “X company has raised X money to do X” was really what people wanted to read. Having said that, we do write a fair bit of news and we do write some fundraising news. So what news stories does Sifted want from you? An unusual business model or a trend that has entered Europe from abroad. Sojo’s raise fell into this category; the press release was the raise, but the story was a small startup with an interesting business model. New funds when there’s an interesting angle beyond the money raised — such as this piece on French VC Elaia’s deeptech fund in partnership with a top research body in France. Please note that we are a small team. If you want us to write about your announcement, the longer warning you give us the better. We definitely like getting a heads up about upcoming funding under embargo and organising interviews ahead of time. Send news — and ideally exclusive news — to [email protected] All the editors get this email, so someone will pick it up. Opinion Pieces We love getting pitched ideas for opinion pieces that take a slightly controversial or unusual view on an element of the European startup world. Please read this article to find out how to do this and what we are looking for. Pitch ideas (but not pre-written pieces, please) to [email protected]. Topics we are most interested in Fintech Financial services startups are some of the most exciting in Europe. Companies such as N26, Revolut and TransferWise have already gone a long way to reshaping the way we bank. Our recent fintech coverage includes: Is Europe the friendliest place for crypto? A data deep dive into European fintech during H1 2022 Klarna’s valuation slash Debt collection: there’s a startup for that We have a full-time fintech reporter, Amy O’Brien ([email protected]), who is keen to hear your ideas. Venture Capital Like it or not, the VC industry is hugely important to European startups and tech, cutting across all sectors. We write about: New funds, like this one and this one Funding trends The top investors in Europe We try to stop our site being flooded by the musings of VCs (they do like to muse) but we do like to hear — and challenge — their opinions. Editor Amy Lewin ([email protected]) is the main point of contact (but it’s also worth getting in touch with our local reporters too, see below) as well as our deputy editor Eleanor ([email protected]). Healthtech The healthtech space is booming in Europe — in June seed investment into the sector dislodged fintech’s seed funding crown. And as the digital healthcare ecosystem that was consolidated during Covid grows, investors will be looking to divert their cash into the sector’s rising stars. Our recent healthtech coverage includes: Blood test startup Aware raises $15m seed round The “viagra of digital therapy” startup Femtech’s fight against conventional French healthcare Healthtech is covered by our Nordics correspondent Mimi Billing ([email protected]) and reporter Kai Nicol-Schwarz ([email protected]). Startup Life We’re intrigued by what goes on behind the scenes at fast-growing businesses, and cover everything to do with life at a startup. We cover: Diversity issues The nuts-and-bolts of growing a business — such as building a team, building an inclusive culture and day-to-day people management Practical advice — like how to respond to social and political issues as a founder. Cultural trends in Europe — like pivot culture and bootstrapping. Reporter Miriam Partington ([email protected]) leads on Startup Life-related coverage and future of work. Often we cover this topic through opinion pieces from founders and investors. Deeptech & AI The deeptech sector — novel technologies that offer significant advances over those currently in use — is attracting huge interest. Leading companies in the sector have real potential to become world leaders, and there is big money going into them. We’re interested in: Big complex topics — like quantum computing and artificial intelligence The tech shaping the future of industry — like alt-dairy, vertical farming and robotics Startups to watch Climate tech The importance of climate tech in the fight against global warming seems more important every day. And in Europe there are a wave of startups catching investor attention. Our coverage has recently focused on: New climate tech funds How companies can ensure they buy the right carbon credits EU climate policy Reporter Freya Pratty ([email protected]) leads our climate tech coverage, and writes our weekly climate tech newsletter. European ecosystems We also write about local ecosystems. We have a team of reporters across the continent who cover stories from their regions as well as writing stories about all the topics above. The Nordics: Mimi Billing ([email protected]) in Stockholm Spain and Portugal: Tim Smith ([email protected]) in Barcelona Germany: Miriam Partington ([email protected]) in Berlin Central and eastern Europe: Zosia Wanat ([email protected]) in Brussels / Warsaw France: Chris O’Brien ([email protected]) in France This piece was last updated on July 15 2022. Related Articles How to tell your story: PR advice for startups By Amy Lewin Click here to read more Have an idea for an opinion piece for Sifted? By Amy Lewin Click here to read more How to do PR as an early stage startup By Max Tatton-Brown Click here to read more Most Read 1 \Healthtech Is Daniel Ek’s new body scanner worth the hype? 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