According to data from Tech Nation and Dealroom, the UK saw $40 billion in exits from venture capital-backed companies in 2018, higher than any other European country. The UK also topped the tables for venture capital investments seeing $7.9 billion raised, nearly matching the record level of $8.1 billion in 2017. The investments in 2018 have been spread evenly across each growth stage and across a variety of sectors but the Tech sector continues to dominate.
Howard Kennedy has seen another strong year of venture capital funds coming to market. It is reassuring to see that the UK continues to lead in venture capital investments, the concerns about a no-deal Brexit have had little impact on venture capital's appetite for top quality UK enterprises. As Tom Blomfield, the co-founder and chief executive of UK fintech company Monzo, said - the UK has an abundance of "talent, ambition and tech-knowledge" that can help build "truly global businesses".
Start-ups in the UK accounted for more than a third of sales, initial public offerings and mergers across Europe, with $40bn worth of exits being made this year alone, according to a report from Tech Nation and Dealroom. The success follows the flotation of UK-based, venture-backed “unicorns” such as online luxury retailer Farfetch and fintech company Funding Circle, and the sales of significant companies such as property site Zoopla to US venture capital firm Silver Lake for $3bn. The UK also proved to be more appealing to investors searching for the next big tech company, attracting £6.3bn ($7.9bn) in venture capital investment in 2018. Germany and France came second and third, drawing in $4.6bn and $4.4bn of investment respectively.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/12/20/uk-tech-sector-leads-europe-record-levels-exits-surging-investment/
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