About Image Recognition sector in Europe
The Image Recognition sector in Europe comprises 1.01K companies, including 373 funded companies having collectively raised $3.04B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 173 are Series A+ funded, and 2 have achieved unicorn status.
Image Recognition sector in Europe has seen 97 acquisitions and 19 IPOs. This represents almost 11.5% of all such companies - which is higher than the 5.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies offering software that can identify places, people, objects and actions in images or digital videos.
Image Recognition sector is also known as Image Identification, Object Recognition, Image Detection or Object Detection.
Companies offering image recognition software, facial recognition software, object recognition software, optical character recognition(OCR), barcode recognition, digital image processing software and application specific image recognition products are included in this sector. Companies offering voice recognition software, image creation tools, video creation tools, image recognition services, barcode scanning devices, image recognition not primary companies, news and blog portals are excluded.
Top Image Recognition Companies in Europe
There are 1,006 Image Recognition startups in Europe which include Scandit, Yoti, iProov, Evrotrust, Featurespace. Out of these, 373 startups are funded, with 173 having secured Series A+ funding, and 2 achieving unicorn status.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 46 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Here is the list of top Image Recognition startups in Europe
1. Scandit
Developer of smart data capture platform for various industry applications. The platform offers barcode scanning, ID scanning, and shelf intelligence capabilities. It provides tools for barcode scanning, ID scanning, and smart label capture. The platform supports multiple frameworks and languages for developers. It offers solutions for retail, supply chain, healthcare, and other industries.
Key facts about Scandit
- Founded Year: 2009
- Location: Zurich (Switzerland)
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $273M
- Investors: G2VP, Google Ventures and 15 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Feb 09, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 77/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 1,219 Competitors
2. Yoti
Identity verification solutions for multiple industries. Its app turns the official identity document into a digital ID and allows the user to limit the amount of data to share. It provide an identity checking system for businesses that allows them to confirm peoples identities, online and face to face while for the public, it is a smartphone app that allows them to prove their identity. It is linked to government issued ID documents, to cross verify coupled with liveness testing and tamper proof technology. It provides identity, agr verification, esignature, My face AI service.
Key facts about Yoti
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: London (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $210M
- Investors: HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and 11 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Dec 22, 2023, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 71/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 5 of 1,427 Competitors
3. iProov
Platform offering digital identity verification services. These solutions cater to various industries, including financial services, government, healthcare, and travel. The company's biometric solutions address authentication, remote onboarding, and workforce multi-factor authentication use cases. It delivers threat intelligence and automated security updates.
Key facts about iProov
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: London (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $85.1M
- Investors: Sippchoice, The J Isaacs Charitable Trust and 50 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Nov 30, 2023, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 71/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 2,950 Competitors
4. Evrotrust
AI based identity verification platform for businesses. The platform offers a mobile application for the electronic identification of persons and the electronic signing of documents. The platform uses machine learning technology for automated face recognition and processing of identity documents. It enables users to digitally sign documents or contracts, store in the cloud, and send to counterparties. It allows users to sign personal documents and by enterprises for remote contract signing and client onboarding.
Key facts about Evrotrust
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Sofia (Bulgaria)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $13.8M
- Investors: 3TS Capital Partners, BDB and 5 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Nov 04, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 71/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 9 of 3,286 Competitors
5. Featurespace
Developer of risk management and fraud prevention software solutions. The company provides a platform designed to model and predict individual behavior in real time. This platform is used for fraud prevention and anti-money laundering purposes. It allows computers to understand when an individual customer’s behavior is out of character. The platform evaluates risk automatically.
Key facts about Featurespace
- Founded Year: 2005
- Location: Cambridge (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $111M
- Investors: Imperial Innovations, Merian Global Investors and 24 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Nov 22, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 68/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 21 of 1,985 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Image Recognition sector in Europe
110 Image Recognition startups in Europe were founded in 2020 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | 2 |
2023 | 12 |
2022 | 18 |
2021 | 62 |
2020 | 110 |
2019 | 94 |
2018 | 97 |
2017 | 70 |
Stage-wise distribution of Image Recognition sector companies in Europe
Out of the total 1,006 Image Recognition companies in Europe, 373 have secured funding. Among them, 173 have reached Series A or higher, and 135 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 1,006
Funded - 373
Series A+ - 173
Series B+ - 135
Series C+ - 122
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 1,006 |
Funded | 373 |
Series A+ | 173 |
Series B+ | 135 |
Series C+ | 122 |
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Funding Trends in the Image Recognition sector in Europe
Total funding year-on-year in the Image Recognition sector in Europe
The Image Recognition sector in Europe saw a total funding of more than $2.67B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2021 at more than $654M.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $104M |
2024 | $86.4M |
2023 | $196M |
2022 | $326M |
2021 | $654M |
2020 | $448M |
2019 | $346M |
2018 | $200M |
2017 | $208M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Image Recognition in Europe
In the year 2025, till November 2025, Image Recognition companies in Europe have raised $81.5M in equity funding across 18 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till November 2024), Image Recognition companies in Europe had raised $71.1M across 16 rounds.
So, 2025 has seen a 14.55% rise in funding in Image Recognition companies in Europe as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Image Recognition companies in Europe:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series B | 9255 | Nov 04, 2025 | ||
Seed | 2239 | Oct 06, 2025 | ||
Seed | 4600 | Sep 22, 2025 | ||
Seed | 9922 | Aug 24, 2025 | and 4 more | |
Seed | 3032 | Jul 15, 2025 | and 4 more |
Top Investors in Image Recognition in Europe
Europa is the top investor in Image Recognition companies in Europe based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Image Recognition companies in Europe:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Sunnyvale (United States) | ||
Brussels (Belgium) | ||
Redwood City (United States) | ||
London (United Kingdom) |
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M&A activity in Image Recognition sector in Europe
In the year 2026, till January 2026, 1 acquisition happened in Image Recognition sector in Europe. Last year, in 2025, a total of 9 acquisitions happened in Image Recognition sector in Europe.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Image Recognition sector in Europe:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Jan 07, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 30, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 20, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Aug 04, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jul 10, 2025 |
Acquisition trends in Image Recognition sector in Europe
Here are the acquisition trends in Image Recognition sector in Europe:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 1 |
2025 | 9 |
2024 | 8 |
2023 | 9 |
2022 | 12 |
2021 | 15 |
2020 | 8 |
2019 | 12 |
2018 | 4 |
2017 | 5 |
IPOs in Image Recognition in Europe
In the year 2023, till December 2023, 1 IPO happened in Image Recognition sector in Europe.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Image Recognition sector in Europe:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Dec 14, 2023 | OTC Markets (OTCMKTS) | |
Mar 05, 2021 | Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA) | |
Feb 18, 2021 | Nordic and Baltic regions (NASDAQ OMX) | |
Feb 25, 2020 | Euronext Exchange (Euronext) | |
Feb 15, 2019 | Euronext Exchange (Euronext) |
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Colleges which produce the most Image Recognition companies in Europe
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Image Recognition in Europe
Most number of Image Recognition startups in Europe have been founded by alumni from University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
University of Cambridge | 10 |
Imperial College London | 8 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 8 |
HEC Paris | 6 |
University of Oxford | 5 |
INSEAD | 4 |
Stanford University | 3 |
Tel Aviv University | 3 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 3 |
IIT Bombay | 2 |
Total funding in Image Recognition companies founded by alumni from top colleges in Europe
In the last 10 years, University of Cambridge graduates' Image Recognition companies in Europe have raised the most funding among top colleges. Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni are second, and ETH Zurich alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
University of Cambridge | $478M |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $346M |
ETH Zurich | $273M |
University of Amsterdam | $88.7M |
University of Oxford | $72.5M |
HEC Paris | $72.5M |
University of California (Los Angeles) | $38.8M |
University of Manchester | $38M |
INSEAD | $22.8M |
University of Pennsylvania | $21.9M |
Top News in Image Recognition in Europe
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IDEX, Hitachi Payment, Airtel Payments Bank Launch India’s First RuPay Biometric Payment CardGlobeNewswire•Oct 10, 2025•Hitachi Payment Services, IDEX, RuPay, Airtel
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Serpro, Jumio, SmartSearch sign deals to boost fintechs’ KYC, AML checksBiometricUpdate.com•Jul 14, 2025•Serpro, Jumio, SmartSearch
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Keyless' Zero-Knowledge Biometrics enable crypto wallet Relai to meet MFA requirementsBiometricUpdate.com•Jul 11, 2025•Keyless
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Idnow And Keyless Partner For Enhanced Digital Identity SecurityFintech Finance•Jul 03, 2025•IDnow, Keyless
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IDnow, Keyless partner on biometric ‘continuous trust’ for industries with strict compliance rulesBiometricUpdate.com•Jul 02, 2025•Keyless, IDnow
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Scandit announces renewal of strategic relationship with Walmart
logisticsit.com•Jun 30, 2025•Scandit, Walmart
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REWE Group taps Trigo, AiFi, Reckon.ai, Pixevia, Stüwer technologies amid retail space changesRetail Technology Innovation Hub•Jun 23, 2025•REWE, TRIGO Group, AiFi, Reckon and 2 others
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Lucinity and PwC Denmark Collaborate to Simplify AI Integration for Compliance TeamsGlobeNewswire•Jun 19, 2025•Lucinity, PwC
