Liz Kendall ramps up push to funnel pension cash into UK startups Tech The government is stepping up efforts to channel more institutional money into British tech firms as ministers look to stop promising startups heading overseas for funding. Tech secretary Liz Kendall announced that Labour would pursue reforms to unlock pension fund investment into UK growth firms, adding Britain needs to become an “indispensable partner” in the [...]
Quantum and AI drive UK startup funding to $7.8bn in 2026 Tech UK startup funding jumped to $7.8bn (£6.2bn) in the first quarter of 2026, as a surge in quantum computing investment and mega-rounds powered the strongest start to a year since 2022. New data from HSBC Innovation Banking and Dealroom shows venture capital investment rose 60 per cent year on year, pointing to renewed confidence in [...]
VC boss Anu Adebajo: I was told to temper my ambition. I’m glad I didn’t listen Square Mile and me We dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, Anu Adebajo, CEO of Newton Venture Program, takes us through her VC career.
Defence and AI drive Europe’s venture capital rebound February 10, 2026 European venture capital (VC) investment rose to €66bn (£57bn) in 2025, up five per cent year on year, as funding flowed into AI and defence tech, according to PitchBook data. The increase marks a post-pandemic high for the region, but reflects a narrowing of investor focus rather than a broad-based recovery. Large late-stage rounds in [...]
Fintech founder Adam French: I wish the City would be braver January 29, 2026 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, we speak to Adam French, partner at early-stage VC firm Antler.
London AI startup Lupa raises $20m to modernise vet clinics October 2, 2025 Lupa, a London-based startup building modern software for veterinary clinics, has raised $20m (£16.5m) in a Series A round led by European VC Singular, just five months after securing $4m in seed funding. The software firm, founded in 2023, says it is tackling one of the most overlooked corners of healthcare: the $350bn global veterinary [...]
Rachel Reeves told to ‘get out of the way’ ahead of Autumn Budget August 13, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told to “let businesses get on with it and get out of the way” ahead of delivering her second Autumn Budget in the coming months. A group of 1,500 private business leaders surveyed by KPMG said the Chancellor should focus on promoting higher wages and lower costs for companies. They [...]
UK VC investment storms ahead of Europe as AI dominates July 3, 2025 UK venture capital funding stormed ahead of its European peers in the first half of 2025 as the country’s innovation economy remained resilient in the face of wider geopolitical tensions. Total investment topped $8bn (£5.9bn), edging up three per cent from the final six months of 2024. This gave the UK a 30 per share [...]
After angels, before VCs: UK consumer startups are stranded in £1m-£5m no man’s land May 14, 2025 Britain's brilliant consumer startups are finding themselves stranded in a funding no man’s land, writes Joe Benn.
UK scale-ups face crisis as growth capital hits seven-year low May 6, 2025 Growth capital has hit a seven-year low on both volume and value with the UK start-up to scale-up pipeline “broken”, a fresh report has warned. Figures seen by Morning Wire revealed Series A funding – investments of £2m to £10m for startups looking to grow – had slumped to £2.4bn in the 12 months to [...]