The UK has become Europe’s hottest tech hub in 2019. Especially, London is a hotbed of tech startups that are famous on a global level. There are many unicorns in the UK including Just Eat, Deliveroo, Darktrace, Improbable, etc. This shows that the UK tech ecosystem is not worried about Brexit and its effects.
The investments in the UK tech ecosystem has skyrocketed. Mainly, investments above $100 million are increasing in number while rounds below $100 million are also growing at a steady pace. The investments from the US and Asian investors in the UK companies have reached a new benchmark in the first half of 2019.
Here we list the UK tech companies that raised maximum venture capital investment from investors in the US and Asia as sourced from Dealroom.
Greensill
Founders: Lex Greensill, Jason Austin
Funding: €955 million
Valuation: $3.5 billion
Founded Year: 2011
Why its hot: Greensill is a London-based supply chain financing company. It is a leading provider of working capital finance for global companies. Greensill unlocks capital for companies to work. This fintech company with offices in Bremen, Sydney, Frankfurt, Miami, Chicago and New York raised nearly €720 million from SoftBank in February this year.
Deliveroo
Founders: William Shu, Greg Orlowski
Funding: €1.3 billion
Valuation: $2.3 billion – $3.5 billion
Founded Year: 2012
Why its hot: Deliveroo is a leading food delivery giant in the UK. It offers world-class service to deliver what users want irrespective of when and where they want it to be delivered. Deliveroo aims to offer more work for the riders and help restaurants earn more revenue by reaching new customers. Back in May, Deliveroo secured €515 million from Amazon to bring about innovation in the tech industry with new products to create a more personalised user experience.
Babylon Health
Founders: Ali Parsa
Valuation: $2 billion
Total Funding: €577 million
Founded Year: 2013
Why its hot: London-based Babylon Health aims to democratise healthcare with its app. The Babylon app offers free health checks, lets users consult a doctor 24/7, delivers prescriptions, and makes healthcare more accessible and affordable. Earlier in August, this healthcare startup secured €495 million Series C funding.
OakNorth Bank
Founders: Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman
Funding: €783 million
Valuation: $2.4 billion
Founded year: 2013
Why its hot: OakNorth Bank, a UK-based fintech company helps businesses in the grow. It lets entrepreneurs turn their aspiration into reality with its bespoke debt finance solutions. OakNorth Bank is one of the most active lenders in the UK. By helping companies and creating numerous job opportunities, the company has helped boost the UK economy. In February, OakNorth Bank raised €396 million from SoftBank’s Vision Fund and Clermont Group.
OVO Energy
Founders: Stephen Fitzpatrick
Funding: €240 million
Valuation: $1 billion
Founded Year: 2009
Why its hot: OVO Energy was founded to make energy, greener, cheaper, and simpler. The company believes that energy can solve some of the most-pressing problems in the world. OVO Energy blends natural energy with smart technology and brings renewable electricity. It tackles issues such as climate change and air pollution and offers affordable and clean energy for everyone.
Checkout.com
Founders: Guillaume Pousaz
Funding: €209 million
Valuation: $2 billion
Founded Year: 2012
Why its hot: Checkout.com is an online payment solutions provider built on 100% proprietary technology. The company handles all parts of the payment process and offers complete transparency throughout the processes. In May, Checkout.com secured nearly €206 million funding in Series A round. Notably, it is one of the largest fintech Series A funding round in Europe.
WorldRemit
Founders: Lex Greensill, Jason Austin
Funding: €330 million
Valuation: $900 million
Founded Year: 2010
Why its hot: WorldRemit is a London-based quick money transfer startup. It is a global leader in smartphone and online payments as it provides a low-cost and convenient alternative to expensive offline agents. The company raised nearly €155 million in Series D funding round to drive global growth and diversify its product offering for both senders and recipients.
Monzo
Founders: Jason Bates, Tom Blomfield, Paul Rippon, Jonas Huckestein, Gary Dolman
Funding: €390 million
Valuation: £2.0 billion
Founded Year: 2015
Why its hot: London-based Monzo is a digital-only bank platform. Initially founded as Mondo, it was rebranded Monzo later. The company focuses on building the best current account and works with a wide range of service providers. It is widely believed to be an intelligence hub for the financial life of its users. In June, Monzo pocketed nearly €125 million funding in Series F round.
wejo
Founders: Richard Barlow
Funding: €104 million
Valuation: €275 million
Founded Year: 2014
Why its hot: UK-based connected car startup wejo offers an automotive data exchange platform to deliver intelligent insights for car manufacturers, insurers, and service providers. The startup has offices in Chester, Manchester, and San Jose. In February 2019, wejo raised €91 million in Series B funding led by General Motors.
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