Éanna Kelly

Éanna Kelly is a contributing editor at Sifted, and writes Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup. Follow him on X and LinkedIn

Key takeaways from Sifted’s UK & Ireland leaderboard: faster execution, smaller ‘moats’, smaller teams
Analysis
March 20, 2026
Key takeaways from Sifted’s UK & Ireland leaderboard: faster execution, smaller ‘moats’, smaller teams
This year saw less focus on profitability and a strong pushback on the claim that AI will eat startups’ lunches
Éanna Kelly
Bluffing! Deception! Murder! All in a fortnight’s work for these VCs
March 18, 2026
Bluffing! Deception! Murder! All in a fortnight’s work for these VCs
Here’s what happened when 18 techies went head-to-head in an immersive game of The Traitors
Éanna Kelly
Wellbeing marketplace Healf tops Sifted’s third UK and Ireland leaderboard
Leaderboard
March 18, 2026
Wellbeing marketplace Healf tops Sifted’s third UK and Ireland leaderboard
Launching today, the Sifted 100: UK and Ireland ranks the region’s fastest-growing startups
Éanna Kelly
Revealed: The 20 startups chosen for the AI accelerator backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Mistral and OpenAI
News
March 16, 2026
Revealed: The 20 startups chosen for the AI accelerator backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Mistral and OpenAI
The first batch of AI companies chosen for Station F's new F/ai programme
Éanna Kelly
It’s time for AI to worry about humans
Analysis
March 11, 2026
It’s time for AI to worry about humans
Startups desperate to stand out from AI slop are turning to spruced-up branded content pros — the ‘storytellers’
Éanna Kelly
Europe’s big fusion opportunity
News
March 5, 2026
Europe’s big fusion opportunity
An extract from "European dynamism", a new report by Redalpine, produced in association with Sifted
In partnership with: Redalpine
‘Rocket fuel for growth and burnout': Inside startups' wild dash to keep up with AI
Analysis
March 4, 2026
‘Rocket fuel for growth and burnout': Inside startups' wild dash to keep up with AI
Some founders feel like they’re in a ‘permanent product launch cycle’ as they adapt to new tools
Éanna Kelly
I turned down VC cash to build my AI startup. You should too.
Opinion
March 4, 2026
I turned down VC cash to build my AI startup. You should too.
We’re stuck in a ‘blitzscale or die’ mindset that has been proven wrong so many times
Éanna Kelly
AI upskilling platform Ivee raises $1m seed round backed by Steven Bartlett
News
March 2, 2026
AI upskilling platform Ivee raises $1m seed round backed by Steven Bartlett
The startup caught the public eye after appearing on BBC reality show Dragons’ Den
Éanna Kelly
Nuclear startup Proxima Fusion eyes €1.2bn from German government
News
February 26, 2026
Nuclear startup Proxima Fusion eyes €1.2bn from German government
CEO confident of winning government tender set to launch later this year
Freya Pratty and Éanna Kelly
Forget pitch decks — you need pitch cakes!
Features
February 25, 2026
Forget pitch decks — you need pitch cakes!
Startups are working hard to satisfy the viral gods. One founder is winning investors over with personalised cakes. Another hit 10m views online — and got almost zero credit for it
Éanna Kelly
‘Are we the baddies?’: How tech bros became screen villains
Analysis
February 18, 2026
‘Are we the baddies?’: How tech bros became screen villains
The tech-people-suck genre is in full swing — I asked industry leaders how they feel about it
Éanna Kelly
Longevity secrets of the tech elite: mackerel, meditation and 'fibremaxxing' before 9am
Analysis
February 11, 2026
Longevity secrets of the tech elite: mackerel, meditation and 'fibremaxxing' before 9am
CEOs are preparing for work like athletes — and they want you to know about it
Éanna Kelly
Pigment CEO Eléonore Crespo: 'I'd rather learn about AI than watch a movie'
The big interview
February 11, 2026
Pigment CEO Eléonore Crespo: 'I'd rather learn about AI than watch a movie'
The unicorn founder takes me on a jog around Paris and talks paintings, athlete's discipline and parties in the catacombs
Éanna Kelly
Pizza tests, Dungeons & Dragons, karaoke songs: The unlikely questions leaders use to screen for culture fit
Analysis
February 4, 2026
Pizza tests, Dungeons & Dragons, karaoke songs: The unlikely questions leaders use to screen for culture fit
When I asked a dozen founders and executives for their favourite interview question, the answers ranged from sensible to surprising
Éanna Kelly
Nvidia triples its dealmaking in Europe
Analysis
January 30, 2026
Nvidia triples its dealmaking in Europe
The US chip leader backed 18 startups in 2025
Hessa Alabbas and Éanna Kelly
Meet the startups bringing AI and robots to the lab
Analysis
January 20, 2026
Meet the startups bringing AI and robots to the lab
Autonomous science is transforming not just how research begins, but how it ends
Éanna Kelly
The 25 startups hiring the most right now in Europe
List
January 9, 2026
The 25 startups hiring the most right now in Europe
Revolut, SumUp and Enpal are leading recruitment efforts in the region
Éanna Kelly and Jonathan Sinclair
‘Failure is too expensive’: Should it be easier to fire tech talent in Europe?
Interview
December 24, 2025
‘Failure is too expensive’: Should it be easier to fire tech talent in Europe?
The high cost of sacking people is the root cause of the innovation gap with the US
Éanna Kelly
14 people in European tech who mattered in 2025
List
December 24, 2025
14 people in European tech who mattered in 2025
2025: the year of the bro-caster
Freya Pratty and Éanna Kelly
The 2026 burn list: Notetaker bots, selling unfinished products, AI worship
Opinion
December 24, 2025
The 2026 burn list: Notetaker bots, selling unfinished products, AI worship
An end-of-year grumble from Sifted’s contributing editor Éanna Kelly
Éanna Kelly
Mistral, Oura, Helsing: The top 20 deals of 2025
Sifted data
December 23, 2025
Mistral, Oura, Helsing: The top 20 deals of 2025
The €1.7bn deal that kept Europe on the AI map — and other mega raises of the year
Éanna Kelly
The startups chasing rogue AI agents: ‘They could cost your company billions of dollars’
Analysis
December 9, 2025
The startups chasing rogue AI agents: ‘They could cost your company billions of dollars’
An emerging crop of founders is helping verify agents are sticking to their instructions
Éanna Kelly
Europe risks getting its metal ass kicked on humanoid robots
Opinion
December 2, 2025
Europe risks getting its metal ass kicked on humanoid robots
Beijing staged the robot Olympics, while robot fight nights have sprung up in San Francisco. Where’s Europe’s creative muscle?
Éanna Kelly

Éanna Kelly

Key takeaways from Sifted’s UK & Ireland leaderboard: faster execution, smaller ‘moats’, smaller teams

Bluffing! Deception! Murder! All in a fortnight’s work for these VCs

Wellbeing marketplace Healf tops Sifted’s third UK and Ireland leaderboard

Revealed: The 20 startups chosen for the AI accelerator backed by Sequoia, General Catalyst, Mistral and OpenAI

It’s time for AI to worry about humans

Europe’s big fusion opportunity

‘Rocket fuel for growth and burnout': Inside startups' wild dash to keep up with AI

I turned down VC cash to build my AI startup. You should too.

AI upskilling platform Ivee raises $1m seed round backed by Steven Bartlett

Nuclear startup Proxima Fusion eyes €1.2bn from German government

Forget pitch decks — you need pitch cakes!

‘Are we the baddies?’: How tech bros became screen villains

Longevity secrets of the tech elite: mackerel, meditation and 'fibremaxxing' before 9am

Pigment CEO Eléonore Crespo: 'I'd rather learn about AI than watch a movie'

Pizza tests, Dungeons & Dragons, karaoke songs: The unlikely questions leaders use to screen for culture fit

Nvidia triples its dealmaking in Europe

Meet the startups bringing AI and robots to the lab

The 25 startups hiring the most right now in Europe

‘Failure is too expensive’: Should it be easier to fire tech talent in Europe?

14 people in European tech who mattered in 2025

The 2026 burn list: Notetaker bots, selling unfinished products, AI worship

Mistral, Oura, Helsing: The top 20 deals of 2025

The startups chasing rogue AI agents: ‘They could cost your company billions of dollars’

Europe risks getting its metal ass kicked on humanoid robots