European AI companies secured €6.1 billion in funding during the first half of 2026, marking a 339% surge from the €1.8 billion raised in H2 2025.

The AI sector dominated Europe's investment landscape, accounting for the largest share of the continent's €39 billion total equity funding — the highest since H1 2022. This represented 72.8% of the €53.6 billion invested across all of 2025.

AI leads sector momentum

Five major AI rounds exceeded €100 million each during the period. These included deals for Aleph, Deep Genomics, AGI Labs, ION-X and Botanica, though specific valuations were not disclosed.

Aleph's €950 million Series C — the largest single round of the half — came from Sequoia Capital, a London-based investment firm that has previously backed companies including the autonomous vehicle developer (AI startup Nvidia Alpha in 2023). The funding will support Aleph's expansion into enterprise software markets including CRM and the Smart Infrastructure Solutions.

Deal count rose 84.9% to 53 deals, while average deal size jumped 139.0% to €8.61 million. The early-stage sector alone grew from €1.9 million to €7.77 million to €4.04 million in a year — a 388.3% increase, the largest gain in any sector.

Healthtech emerged as another standout performer. Anthropic's Series T and partnerships in H1, alongside €744.5 million, brought the sector into second place (27.3%) of technology investments this half. Aleph Biotech led, and the sector's average growth rates rose 107% in a year versus 67% between H1 2025 and H2 2026.

Fintech startups raised over €36 million each in H1: AccelZones (€72 million), Paydiance AI (€89.0 million), Nextech (€38.0 million), Laxwell (€60.7 million), Holtech (€70 million), Qiltech (€28.5 million) and Vaptech (€81 million). Deal sizes across the sector rose by 68%.

The second early-stage deals saw funding rise from €2.7 million to €0.7 million to €6.7 million in H1 2025.

European investors are positioning for continued AI momentum through the second half of 2026, with several major rounds already in advanced stages according to industry sources.