U.K. tech overtakes China, cementing its position as the world’s second-largest ecosystem by funding

Startups within the U.Okay. raised $6.7 billion in funding throughout the first half of 2024, serving to dethrone China and propelling the U.Okay. to second place globally for funds raised, in keeping with a brand new report.

Essential within the U.Okay.’s success had been a dozen funding rounds price over $100m, together with these of digital financial institution Monzo ($620 million), lender Abound ($862 million) and automatic driving startup Waybe ($1.05 billion).

Whereas the general U.Okay. determine was down 2% year-on-year, in keeping with information from world market intelligence platform Tracxn, it remained extra sturdy than China, whose funding sat at $6.1 billion in H1 2024, serving to the U.Okay. transfer into the No.2 spot globally.

The win is a milestone for the U.Okay. tech sector, which has remained below strain resulting from a string of challenges, together with Brexit, COVID-19 and the next world financial slowdown.

Solely the U.S. noticed startups elevate extra capital in H1, with a mixed $54.8 billion raised throughout some 2,654 funding rounds within the first half of the yr.

Extra regarding for the U.Okay. going ahead is the relative lack of latest corporations valued at over $1 billion, a stark lack of IPOs and a decline in each worldwide and institutional traders backing U.Okay. startups.

Only one new unicorn was recorded in H1 2024 by Tracxn, hospitality administration software program supplier Mews—which is arguably not even a U.Okay. unicorn having been based in Amsterdam.

On the IPO entrance, the London Inventory Change has been battling a drought of latest listings, with many high-growth corporations selecting different European markets or the U.S. fairly than the U.Okay.

Tracxn recorded solely three U.Okay. IPOs, that of Marex, AWAKN and Excellent Second.

There have been solely 546 energetic institutional traders working within the U.Okay. throughout the first half of 2024, in comparison with 729 throughout the first half of 2023. The variety of worldwide traders noticed the same decline, falling from 437 in H1 2023 to 326 in 2024.

With the arrival of latest U.Okay. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, many will likely be hoping that the primary Labour authorities in 14 years will proceed to help the U.Okay.’s place as a vital participant within the world tech panorama.