Canatu selected as finalist for DIGITALEUROPE’s 2026 Future Unicorn Award
Canatu Plc Press release 6 February 2026 at 9.30 am EET
Canatu selected as finalist for DIGITALEUROPE’s 2026 Future Unicorn Award
Canatu, a Finnish deep tech company, has been selected as a finalist for DIGITALEUROPE’s 2026 Future Unicorn Award, one of Europe’s leading recognitions for high-potential technology scale-ups.
DIGITALEUROPE, Europe's largest digital industry trade association representing more than 56,000 businesses, has unveiled the seven finalists competing in two categories, Future Unicorn and Dual-Use Technology, for the annual Future Unicorn Awards. The Future Unicorn Award spotlights Europe’s next generation of high-growth tech champions poised to scale globally.
The Future Unicorn Award has three finalists. Alongside Canatu, the other finalists are Quandela of France and Sparrow Quantum of Denmark. Selected from 34 nominees across Europe, the finalist recognition highlights Canatu’s innovation, growth potential, and contribution to Europe’s digital future.
Participants of Future Unicorn Award must be nominated by National Trade Associations from across Europe and be European tech companies in the scale-up phase, having grown by over 20% per year for at least three years. Canatu was nominated by Technology Industries of Finland.
“This recognition is a strong validation of our mission to build the most advanced carbon nanotube (CNT) products and reactors that enable next-generation solutions across the semiconductor, automotive, and medical diagnostics industries. Most importantly, this milestone reflects the dedication, talent, and persistence of the Canatu team, as well as the trust of our customers and partners”, says Juha Kokkonen, CEO of Canatu Plc.
Rapid AI growth is driving demand for advanced chips. As chipmakers race toward 3nm, 2nm, and sub-2nm nodes, the importance of contamination control during extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography has never been higher. As a result, the EUV pellicles, ultra‑thin protective membranes placed over photomasks, play a critical role in supporting next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. CNT pellicles are emerging as a key enabling tech for advanced chip manufacturing. CNT’s can withstand the high thermal and mechanical loads of next‑generation EUV lithography systems.
Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director-General of DIGITALEUROPE, said in their release:
“This year's finalists represent the very best of European innovation, from quantum computing to space infrastructure to life-saving defense technology. Yet we cannot celebrate without acknowledging the reality: Europe accounts for only 20% of global unicorns, while the US holds nearly half. That gap is a direct consequence of how we fund growth. The US invested $339 billion in venture capital in 2025, while Europe invested just a fraction of that. Add to this the regulatory fragmentation that forces our startups to navigate 27 different legal systems, and you see why European innovators struggle to scale at the speed required to compete globally.”
Winners are celebrated at Masters of Digital, DIGITALEUROPE's premier annual conference, taking place February 25-26 in Brussels. The Award will be handed out by Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen.
About the Future Unicorn Award
Organised by DIGITALEUROPE, the Future Unicorn Award has celebrates Europe’s most promising technology companies since 2018. It recognises innovation, scale potential, and impact across the continent. The competition features two categories: Future
Unicorn and Dual-Use Technologies, reflecting Europe’s breadth of entrepreneurial excellence and strategic innovation. Read more: DIGITALEUROPE's Future Unicorn Award - DIGITALEUROPE.
Additional information
Juha Kokkonen, CEO, juha.kokkonen@canatu.com, +358 40 543 0367
Mari Makkonen, VP, IR, Communications & Marketing, mari.makkonen@canatu.com, +358 50 442 2343
Certified adviser
DNB Carnegie Investment Bank AB (publ), tel. +46 (0) 8 588 685 70
About Canatu
Canatu (CANATU, Nasdaq First North, Finland) is a fast-growing deep technology company creating advanced carbon nanotubes (Canatu CNTs), related products, and manufacturing equipment for the semiconductor, automotive, and medical diagnostics industries. Canatu partners with forerunner companies, together transforming products for better tomorrows with nano carbon.
Canatu’s versatile platform technology has broad potential applications. Its current core includes CNT membranes for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) processes in the semiconductor industry, enabling more effective manufacturing of the most advanced chips, as well as film heaters for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) in the automotive industry. Additionally, electrochemical sensors for medical diagnostics are in the development phase. Canatu’s patented CNT reactors and Dry DepositionTM method yield clean and pristine CNTs. The company operates through two business models: selling CNT products directly, as well as selling CNT reactors and licensing the related technology so that customers can produce CNT products under a limited license.
Headquartered in Finland, Canatu also operates in the US, Japan and Taiwan. Founded in 2004 as a spin-off from Aalto University’s Nanomaterials Group, Canatu currently has close to 170 employees representing over 30 nationalities, with nearly 20% holding or pursuing doctorates. Discover more at www.canatu.com and follow us on LinkedIn.