Startup funding in United Kingdom 2026
January to September 2026. Data as of 23 October 2026.
Release
Total
Startups in the United Kingdom raised $11.1B in 766 venture rounds from January to September 2026, 3rd of 119 countries, according to FundingWatcher.
Without rounds of $100M or more
24 rounds of $100M or more hold 50.4% of that money. Without them, the United Kingdom raised $5.5B, 3rd of 119 countries.
Largest round
The largest round was Ineffable Intelligence in London: $1.1B, seed, in April 2026.
Cities
London startups raised $7.2B, 65.1% of the national total, ahead of Cambridge with $1.3B.
Early stage
Pre-seed, seed, angel and Series A rounds under $100M: 692 rounds, $3.7B.
Source
Source: FundingWatcher, startup funding by country and city 2026, https://fundingwatcher.com/research/startup-funding-by-country-2026/
Cities
| City | Rounds | Total | Under $100M | Rounds of $100M+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 478 | $7.2B | $3.6B | 16 |
| Cambridge | 28 | $1.3B | $376M | 3 |
| Reading | 2 | $368M | $18M | 1 |
| Harwell | 1 | $346M | $0 | 1 |
| Altrincham | 8 | $320M | $220M | 1 |
| Leeds | 7 | $174M | $38M | 1 |
| Oxford | 14 | $172M | $70M | 1 |
| Bristol | 13 | $103M | $103M | 0 |
| Chester | 1 | $93M | $93M | 0 |
| Belfast | 7 | $88M | $88M | 0 |
| Edinburgh | 17 | $76M | $76M | 0 |
| Cardiff | 7 | $73M | $73M | 0 |
Largest rounds
| Company | City | Round | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ineffable Intelligence | London | seed | 2026-04-27 | $1.1B |
| CuspAI | Cambridge | Series B | 2026-06-17 | $450M |
| Oxford Quantum Circuits | Reading | Series C | 2026-06-03 | $350M |
| Open Cosmos | Harwell | Series C | 2026-09-14 | $346M |
| OLIX | London | Series B | 2026-08-03 | $312M |
| PhysicsX | London | Series C | 2026-06-08 | $300M |
| Cambridge Aerospace | Cambridge | Series C | 2026-08-10 | $300M |
| Fractile | London | Series B | 2026-05-13 | $220M |
| CellCentric | Cambridge | Series D | 2026-05-06 | $220M |
| Entrepreneurs First | London | Series D | 2026-03-11 | $200M |
Method
766 rounds in United Kingdom in the FundingWatcher startup file: companies whose most recent round is a named stage, pre-seed and angel through Series J, dated January to September 2026. One round per company, the latest. Debt, grants, corporate rounds, private equity and secondary sales are not counted. 638 of the 766 rounds carry an amount. Method and data files: startup funding by country and city, 2026.
Press contact: hello@fundingwatcher.com