What does a top seed and series A rounds look like in 2026? The quick answer is that 2026 is quietly reshaping what an early-stage fundraise in Europe looks like. It’s no longer just early capital, it’s conviction capital. Investors are writing bigger checks, moving faster, and backing founders who are solving harder, more technical problems from day one.

Take, for example: in general, seed and Series A rounds used to be around €1M–€3M and €8M–€15M respectively, but now they are increasingly pushing into €5M–€15M+ at seed and €20M–€50M+ at Series A for the most competitive companies. Many of these rounds are concentrated in AI, tech, and defense sectors. However, without going into too much detail on that, today we will focus on the top rounds seeds and Series A raised from January to March 2026.

Largest Seed Rounds Raised Between January and March 2026

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Beyond the largest seed rounds highlighted above, several mid-sized startups also secured notable early-stage funding across healthtech, fintech, climate, and AI-driven recruitment.

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DiappyMed, a French digital health startup based in Clapiers and founded in 2021, has raised €5M in seed funding, bringing its total funding to €5M. The company is focused on improving patient care through digital solutions, reflecting continued investor interest in scalable healthtech platforms.

Homaio, a Paris-based startup focused on opening the carbon allowance market to retail investors, raised €3.6M in seed funding led by RAISE Ventures. The platform enables individuals to invest in securities backed by EU carbon permits and has already attracted users from over 30 countries since launch. The funding will support its expansion into broader energy transition markets.

Elea & Lili, a Finland-based startup spun out of VTT, raised €2.5M in seed funding led by Lifeline Ventures. The company is developing a cellulose-based alternative to fossil-derived absorbent materials used in products such as diapers and agricultural applications, aiming to replace plastics with biodegradable solutions.

Ringtime, a Ghent-based startup building AI-driven recruitment tools for blue-collar industries, raised €1.8M in funding led by Volta Ventures. Its platform automates candidate sourcing, screening, and matching across 22 languages, targeting sectors such as logistics, retail, food processing, and construction.

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‍Largest Series A Rounds (Jan–Mar 2026)

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While the chart highlights the largest Series A rounds, several other startups also secured meaningful growth capital across key European tech sectors.

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Rivia, a Zurich-based startup founded in 2020, has raised €13M in a Series A round, bringing its total funding to €16M. Backed by investors including Speedinvest, Nina Capital, Earlybird Venture Capital, Defiant, and Amino Collective, the company is building an AI-powered data platform for clinical trials. The raise reflects growing investor focus on AI infrastructure in healthcare and data-heavy life sciences applications.

EGIDE, a Paris-based defense tech startup founded in 2025, has raised €8M in a seed round, bringing its total funding to €8M. The company is developing advanced defense technology solutions, highlighting continued investor interest in Europe’s rapidly growing defense innovation ecosystem.

Choice, a Prague-based restaurant tech startup, raised €7.1M in Series A funding to support its expansion from Central and Eastern Europe into Western Europe. The company provides an all-in-one platform covering ordering, payments, reservations, and delivery integrations, positioning itself as a full-stack operating system for restaurants.

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Upvest, a Berlin-based fintech infrastructure company, raised $125M in a mixed equity and debt round, nearly doubling its valuation to €640M. The company provides API-based investment infrastructure powering platforms like Revolut, N26, and Santander’s Openbank. The raise reflects continued investor conviction in the growth of retail investing across Europe, with Upvest processing over 100 million investment orders in 2025 alone.

Montis VC reached a €50M first close for its new fund targeting European startups in energy transition, industrial tech, and AI. The fund will invest in pre-seed and seed-stage companies, backed by the European Investment Fund and regional institutional and private investors.

Conlusion

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Q1 2026 signals a clear shift in early-stage European venture activity. Seed rounds are increasingly moving into late-Series A territory, while Series A deals are becoming larger and more conviction-driven. Capital continues to concentrate in AI, deep tech, climate, and defense, alongside strong interest in infrastructure plays like fintech and data platforms. Overall, the market is shifting toward fewer but higher-quality bets, with investors prioritizing technical depth, scalability, and long-term defensibility over short-term growth.

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