Press Kit: The European AI Index 2026
Everything a journalist, analyst or researcher needs to cite, quote or embed The European AI Index 2026. Free to use under CC BY 4.0. Custom data cuts available on request.
Valuations are as of 14 May 2026. Totals, charts and comparisons were recalculated on 8 September 2026 to correct arithmetic and presentation; no company valuation changed, and funding rounds and legal headquarters were not re-verified. Each row carries its valuation date, sources and caveats.
Boilerplate
Copy verbatim or trim to fit. Free to use with attribution to Built in EU.
The European AI Index 2026 ranks the 15 largest private artificial-intelligence companies legally headquartered in Europe (EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland), with valuations as of 14 May 2026. The dataset is published by Built in EU, an independent directory of European technology alternatives.
The Index applies a strict legal-headquarters rule. Companies that operate from Europe but are incorporated in Delaware or elsewhere outside Europe are excluded from the headline figures and listed separately in an "operationally European, legally American" sidebar. Affected companies in 2026 include Hugging Face, Lovable, Black Forest Labs, ElevenLabs and Poolside, with a combined valuation of $29.6B not represented in the headline number.
The 15 companies are valued at a combined $73.2B. OpenAI alone was valued at $852.0B on 30 April 2026. The Index covers 6 European countries; the United Kingdom leads with 5 companies, followed by Germany (4) and France (3). Defence AI accounts for 4 of the 15 entries.
All data is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence with downloadable CSV and JSON files. Each row links its original sources and states its valuation date. Totals were recalculated on 8 September 2026 to correct arithmetic; no company valuation changed.
Quotable stats
Calculated from the dataset rows, valuations as of 14 May 2026. Each figure has a dated source on the main Index page.
Suggested headlines
Different angles for different beats. Free to adapt or rewrite; all figures are as of 14 May 2026.
- Funding gapEurope's 15 largest private AI companies are worth 8.6 percent of OpenAI alone
- UK leadershipThe UK leads Europe's AI top 15: 5 companies, combined $24.3B
- Top companyHelsing tops Europe's AI index at $14.1B; Germany's 4 entries total $22.6B
- FranceMistral AI, AMI Labs, Harmattan AI: France's 3 entries total $19.7B
- Defence cluster4 of Europe's 15 largest private AI companies are in defence tech, combined $21.9B
- Methodology / sovereigntyStrict legal-HQ rule excludes $29.6B of "operationally European, legally American" AI
Citation
Preferred form. The Index is licensed under CC BY 4.0: free to share and adapt with attribution.
Built in EU (2026). The European AI Index 2026, data as of 14 May 2026. Retrieved from https://builtineu.eu/research/european-ai-index-2026
If you need an author byline for a print piece, contact info@builtineu.eu.
Embed and link
Two options for referencing the Index from your piece.
<a href="https://builtineu.eu/research/european-ai-index-2026">The European AI Index 2026 by Built in EU</a>
A copy-paste embed code for the ranking is available on request. Email info@builtineu.eu with the publication and intended placement and we will send back a minimal iframe snippet.
Methodology in one paragraph
Inclusion is restricted to private companies (no public listings), with AI as the primary product, and a strict legal headquarters in EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland. Companies legally incorporated outside Europe are excluded from the headline ranking even if their operational base is European. Each row links its original sources, drawn from company funding announcements, financial press (Reuters, Financial Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, TechCrunch, Sifted) and, for the UK frontier labs, Companies House records. Valuations that are stale or rest on a reported round that had not closed are flagged in the row notes. All figures are USD-denominated; EUR rounds are converted at the ECB reference rate on 2026-05-12. Full methodology and source citations are on the Index page.
Top 5 companies, at a glance
For quick reference. Full ranking and downloads on the Index page.
| # | Company | HQ | Valuation | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsing | Munich, DE | $14.1B | Defence AI |
| 2 | Mistral AI | Paris, FR | $13.7B | Foundation models |
| 3 | Wayve | London, GB | $8.6B | Autonomous driving |
| 4 | Ineffable Intelligence | London, GB | $5.1B | Foundation models / superintelligence |
| 5 | AMI Labs | Paris, FR | $4.5B | World models |
Need something specific?
Custom cuts of the dataset are available on request, for example:
- Country-only breakdowns (GB / DE / FR / FI / NL / ES)
- Category breakdowns (foundation models, defence AI, applied AI)
- Founder pedigree (DeepMind alumni, Meta alumni, etc.)
- Funding trajectory by stage (seed, growth, late stage)
- The "operationally European, legally American" sidebar of 5 excluded companies
