In October, Sigma Software Labs and our ecosystem focused on supporting startup founders – from Daria Yaniieva’s feature in Startup Luxembourg to mentoring student teams at Tech Talk.
At the same time, a lot was happening in the world of tech – new programs for defense startups, bold ideas in AI, and record investments across the industry.
Here’s what shaped this month for Labs and the global innovation landscape around us.
Closing the gender gap in innovation
Startup Luxembourg featured Daria Yaniieva, our Investment Director, who shared how success in venture capital depends on access to funding, networks, and decision-making. The story also highlights UA founders from INPUT SOFT, Legal Nodes, GeekPay, and Deus Robotics, showing how our ecosystem is growing globally. Read the story.
Labs at Tech Talk to mentor young innovators
Yaroslava Gritsaienko, our Operations Manager, joined Tech Talk: Startup Edition Demo Day by Google Developer Groups KNU as a jury member, where six student teams pitched their first ideas, receiving feedback and support from mentors and investors. Dive deeper into the link.
Y Combinator opens doors to Ukrainian defense startups
For the first time, the world’s leading accelerator allows Ukrainian defense tech founders to join the program remotely. The winter batch (Jan–Mar 2025) includes a $500K investment and three months of acceleration in San Francisco. Read more.
Sam Altman on Sora, energy, and building an AI empire
In the latest a16z Podcast, Sam Altman talks about OpenAI’s path from research nonprofit to the world’s most valuable startup. He shares why the team released Sora, how AI strains global energy systems, and what this means for the next wave of products and founders. Watch here on YouTube.
Mercor hits $10B valuation – founders become the youngest billionaires
After a $350M Series C, Forbes named Mercor’s 22-year-old founders the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. The startup, once an AI recruiting platform, now focuses on AI data labelling, joining the ranks of global unicorns. Read on Forbes.
Europe raises record $1.5 B for defense tech
According to Vestbee, European defense startups reached record funding in 2025 – $1.5 B, while NATO startups raised $9.1 B in total. Defense is now Europe’s fastest-growing VC sector (+130% YoY). It is led by mega-rounds like Helsing’s $600 M Series D, even though the U.S. still dominates the overall funding. Full article.
That’s a wrap for October – see you next month!
Stay curious, keep building, and follow our updates next month.
