What’s Trending? 

Each year, the Financial Times releases a list of Europe’s 1k fastest-growing companies. To be included in the list, companies must meet the following criteria:

• Revenue of €100k+ (~$118k+) generated in 2016
• Revenue of €1.5m+ (~$1.8m+) generated in 2019 
• The company is independent
• The revenue growth between 2016 and 2019 was primarily organic 

Why It’s Important? 

Some of the fastest-growing companies are listed below from the FT list… think about how you can capitalize on emerging trends. 

1. Recruitment Tech and Job Platforms

Jobandtalent is the 10th fastest-growing company in Europe, according to the list. It’s an on-demand temp staffing marketplace based in Spain. They grew revenue at a CAGR of 285% from ~$5.7m in 2016 to ~$320m in 2019.

They reportedly hit ~$590m in 2020 and raised $120m from SoftBank in 2021 to expand to the US.  The company, which uses algorithms to match temp workers with jobs, is one of a few recruitment and job-seeking platforms on the list. 

Others include:

• Gojob, which also specializes in temp work, and raised ~$13m last year,
• Golden Bees, a programmatic recruitment platform, and
• Workable recruitment software

As many countries face all-time high unemployment rates in the wake of COVID, there will be more opportunities for innovative recruiting and temping solutions to enter the market (e.g., niche job boards). For example, platforms that enable virtual hiring stand to win big. According to Gartner’s research, 86% of organizations incorporated new virtual technology to interview candidates during COVID. The trend should stick around with the shift toward remote work.

2. Old-School Photo Applications

When was the last time you received a postcard? Depending on your age, your answer might even be “never.”  There is a company on the list is looking to change that. 

MyPostcard is a mobile app that allows users to create and send personalized postcards and greeting cards using their own photos to anywhere in the world. The German company grew revenue at a CAGR of ~54% from ~$1.6m in 2016 to ~$5.8m in 2019. 

This trend could skyrocket as the world opens up and travel resumes.  The point? Start following these types of companies.

Postcards are not the only retro photos adapting to the e-commerce era. 

PastBook’s software integrates with social media apps to create personalized photo books, posters, and calendars. The Dutch company grew revenue at a CAGR of ~108% from ~$1.4m in 2016 to ~$13.5m in 2019. 

The opportunity is not limited to B2C, either. Companies like Postcard Mania, which makes ~$50m in annual revenue, is a direct-mail marketing company focusing on postcards. You could build the same for D2C ecommerce startups. 

3. Honorable Mentions

Other fast-growing companies include:

• Chilly’s Bottles: Reusable water bottles and food pots that keep contents cold for 24 hours. Grew revenue at a CAGR of ~283% from ~$860k in 2016 to ~$41m in 2019. 
• Cleveron: Produces automated parcel terminals/pickup lockers. Grew revenue at a CAGR of ~173% from ~$3.8m in 2016 to ~$78m in 2019. 
• Foot District: Online sneaker store with 2 physical stores described as “must-see destinations for sneaker-heads.” Grew revenue at a CAGR of ~202% from ~$443k in 2016 to ~$12m in 2019. 
• Playdigious: An indie game publisher that funds and publishes new games. Grew revenue at a CAGR of ~124% from ~$229k in 2016 to ~$2.6m in 2019. 
• Finally, click here to check out our analysis of last year’s list.

The Opportunity: 

Remember… many trends shift west from Europe so start connecting the dots and building relationships with some of these European fastest-growing companies and there competitors!

Prospect smAARt, pitch with purpose, and most importantly, with passion.