The reference point of Europe’s tech landscape, the UK tops virtually every chart and metric of the region’s startup universe.
Its 48 unicorns and 40,000 startups get the most funding, close the most deals, and realise the most exits than any other country across the continent. It’s an increasingly mature tech space capable of pulling its weight against other global ecosystems.
While growth rates have slowed down in line with global market turmoil, the UK’s ecosystem value jumped 42.8% in 2021, and is steadily approaching $1tn — as much as Germany, France and Sweden combined, and third worldwide, according to Dealroom.
Sifted ranked the most promising startups across the UK in a weighted selection of new entries, older faces and fast-growing hits.
Durham, United Kingdom
2014
Late VC
€90m
€636.2m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Growth Equity VC
€354m
€414m
Bristol, United Kingdom
2015
Growth Equity VC
€208.2m
€310.2m
London, United Kingdom
2018
Series C
€175m
€254m
Babraham, United Kingdom
2016
Series C
€139.1m
€247.1m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series C
-
€240m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series C
€136.4m
€231.8m
London, United Kingdom
2012
Series C
€172.7m
€229.6m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series C
€170m
€228.8m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series C
€160m
€217m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Series B
€141.8m
€214.7m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series C
€43.1m
€199.1m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Growth Equity VC
€181.8m
€196m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
€100m
€195m
London, United Kingdom
2010
Grant
€6m
€191.6m
Nottingham, United Kingdom
2011
Growth Equity VC
€170.4m
€170.4m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
€47.7m
€167.3m
London, United Kingdom
2011
Late VC
€30m
€167.3m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
-
€160.5m
Kirkcaldy, United Kingdom
2015
Series B
€125m
€159m
London, United Kingdom
2013
Late VC
-
€158.1m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series C
€125.5m
€157.3m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
€81.8m
€154.9m
London, United Kingdom
2012
Series C
€104.5m
€154.6m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series D
€36m
€151.5m
Oxford, United Kingdom
2016
Series C
€83m
€141.2m
Oxford, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€90.6m
€140.4m
Bristol, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€130m
€136m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series C
€6.4m
€134.5m
Stevenage, United Kingdom
2016
Early VC
€131.8m
€131.8m
Cambridge, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€93.6m
€131.4m
London, United Kingdom
2013
Support Program
-
€130.6m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series C
€80m
€130m
London, United Kingdom
2020
Series B
€63.6m
€129.1m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€90.9m
€126.9m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series B
€90.9m
€126.8m
Bristol, United Kingdom
2017
Series C
€75m
€123m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series C
€110.9m
€119.9m
London, United Kingdom
2012
Series C
€90.9m
€117.7m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
€79.5m
€116.7m
Forres Scotland, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
€48.5m
€115.8m
London, United Kingdom
2015
-
€30.2m
€113m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€63.6m
€110.2m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series B
€100m
€107m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Support Program
-
€106.7m
Manchester, United Kingdom
2014
Series C
€68.2m
€106.3m
Bristol, United Kingdom
2017
Series B
€91m
€102m
London, United Kingdom
2011
Series A
€72.7m
€101.5m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series A
€90.9m
€95.9m
Oxford, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€68.2m
€95.1m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
€68.2m
€95m
London, United Kingdom
2013
Series C
€54.5m
€91.4m
London, United Kingdom
2020
Series A
€90.9m
€90.9m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€90.9m
€90.9m
Beckley, United Kingdom
2019
Series B
€69.6m
€90m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€70m
€87m
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
2013
Series C
€59.1m
€84.5m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Series B
€50m
€83.3m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series C
€36.4m
€82.9m
Oxford, United Kingdom
2014
Series B
€12.6m
€82.4m
Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
2017
Series B
€79.5m
€82.3m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Late VC
€10.2m
€80.6m
Cardiff, United Kingdom
2012
Late VC
€66m
€80.3m
London, United Kingdom
2013
Series B
€59.1m
€77.3m
Somersham, United Kingdom
2015
Series B
€54.5m
€77m
London, United Kingdom
2020
Series A
€75m
€75m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Late VC
-
€74.9m
London, United Kingdom
2020
Series B
€50m
€74m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series A
€54.5m
€72.5m
London, United Kingdom
2018
Series B
€59.1m
€71.3m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series B
€60m
€71m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series B
€51m
€69m
Glasgow, United Kingdom
2015
Series B
€42m
€67m
London, United Kingdom
2018
Series A
€63.6m
€63.6m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series B
€32.4m
€63.3m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€43m
€63m
London, United Kingdom
2018
Series A
€19.7m
€63m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Early VC
€40.9m
€61.6m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Early VC
€7.8m
€59.4m
Dundee, United Kingdom
2013
Series B
€50.6m
€59m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€35m
€54m
London, United Kingdom
2018
Series A
€46m
€53m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€39.1m
€49.1m
Cambridge, United Kingdom
2013
Series B
€38.6m
€48.1m
Westminster, United Kingdom
2019
Series B
€45.5m
€45.5m
London, United Kingdom
2017
Series B
€33.6m
€45m
London, United Kingdom
2015
Series B
€36.4m
€44.8m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€33m
€43.6m
London, United Kingdom
2014
Series A
€30.5m
€42.2m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Series A
€120m
€40.2m
London, United Kingdom
2020
Series A
€29.6m
€36.7m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series A
€36.4m
€36.4m
Cambridge, United Kingdom
2017
Series A
€16.4m
€34.4m
London, United Kingdom
2021
Seed
€32.4m
€32.4m
London, United Kingdom
2020
Seed
€24m
€30m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series A
€27.3m
€29.6m
Manchester, United Kingdom
2020
Series A
€18.2m
€29.3m
Glasgow, United Kingdom
2016
Series B
€9.4m
€29m
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
2019
Series A
€20.9m
€23.6m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Series A
€18.2m
€21.9m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Support Program
-
€18.2m
London, United Kingdom
2020
Series A
€18.2m
€18.2m
London, United Kingdom
2016
Series A
€10.9m
€15.5m
Cardiff, United Kingdom
2018
Series A
€8.4m
€8.8m
Belfast, United Kingdom
2021
Seed
€5.8m
€5.8m
London, United Kingdom
2019
Series A
€12m
€1.5m
London, United Kingdom
2009
-
-
-
Cardiff, United Kingdom
2017
-
-
-
Belfast, United Kingdom
2015
-
-
-
Belfast, United Kingdom
2015
Series A
-
-
London, United Kingdom
2021
Series B
-
-