UK outperforms US in creating unicorns from early stage VC investment
16 days ago
- #unicorns
- #venture capital
- #UK startups
- The UK has created nearly three times as many unicorns as the US per dollar in early stage VC investment over the past decade.
- The UK converted $18.5bn in early stage investment into 57 unicorns, a ratio of 3.08 startups per $1bn in seed investment.
- The US created 1.22 unicorns per $1bn, with $625bn in VC investment over the same period.
- The UK is the second most attractive major economy in Europe and North America for early VC investment.
- Seed investment in the UK grew from $50m in 2014 to $538m in 2024, while early stage investment surged from $576m to $3bn.
- Finance and insurance sectors account for nearly 50% of UK unicorns since 2014, including Monzo and Marshmallow.
- Artificial intelligence is expanding in the UK, with six AI unicorns created since 2014.
- Experts highlight opportunities in AI, cybersecurity, and biotech for future UK unicorns.