European venture funding reached $17.6 billion  in Q1 2026, Crunchbase data shows. That’s up nearly 30% year over year and marks the second consecutive quarter of growth. As was the case globally and in North America, the main driver was AI, which for the first time claimed more than 50% of Europe’s total funding for the quarter. And as was the case in the Q4 as well, Q1 was well above the prior five quarters by funding amounts, signaling that European venture funding may be gaining momentum. Ta...