UK startup funding in 2010
European tech funding raised by UK startups during 2010.
In 2010, 177 startups in the UK closed 189 funding rounds and raised €633M in equity funding (excluding debt and grants). Software was the most active sector, and Octopus Ventures was the most active investor. Data as of 6 Nov 2026.
Equity funding
€633M
excl. debt & grants
Funding rounds
189
Companies
177
Top sector
Software
UK: last three years
change vs the year before| Year | Equity | Change | Rounds | Change | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | €756M | +9.0% | 137 | +14.2% | — |
| 2009 | €480M | -36.5% | 158 | +15.3% | €1.1M |
| 2010 | €633M | +31.8% | 189 | +19.6% | — |
Rank in Europe
#2
20.3% of European funding
Top-10 round share
42.1%
of disclosed capital
Funding by month
€ raised vs rounds, by monthUK — funding by month, 2010 — interactive chart.
Data table
| Funding | Rounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | €35M | 23 |
| Feb | €19M | 13 |
| Mar | €36M | 18 |
| Apr | €128M | 15 |
| May | €44M | 13 |
| Jun | €39M | 17 |
| Jul | €93M | 21 |
| Aug | €14M | 8 |
| Sep | €22M | 13 |
| Oct | €53M | 14 |
| Nov | €64M | 13 |
| Dec | €86M | 21 |
Top sectors
by € raisedUK — top sectors by capital, 2010 — interactive chart.
Data table
| UK — top sectors by capital, 2010 | |
|---|---|
| Software | €110M |
| Foodtech | €85M |
| Healthtech | €65M |
| Telecom | €46M |
| Marketing | €46M |
| Media | €35M |
| Cleantech | €34M |
| Fashion | €34M |
Stage mix
by € raisedUK — stage mix, 2010 — interactive chart.
Data table
| UK — stage mix, 2010 | |
|---|---|
| Growth/Late | €221M |
| Early VC | €96M |
| Series A | €83M |
| Series B | €80M |
| Other | €54M |
| Series C | €52M |
| Series D+ | €30M |
| Seed | €18M |
| Grant | €1.5M |
Exits & M&A
10 Buyout · 4 Acquisition · 2 IPO16 exits · €1.4B disclosed.
| Ocado | IPO | Jul 2010 | €1.1B |
| rentalcars.com | Acquisition | Apr 2010 | €106M |
| Paradigm | Buyout | Jan 2010 | €59M |
| Cupid plc | IPO | Apr 2010 | €54M |
| Arts Alliance Media | Buyout | Jan 2010 | €50M |
| Chillingo | Acquisition | Oct 2010 | €18M |
Largest equity rounds
by disclosed amount, 2010| Company | Stage | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innocent drinks | Growth/Late | Apr 2010 | €85M |
| Reward Gateway | Growth/Late | Dec 2010 | €30M |
| Kymab | Series A | Jul 2010 | €25M |
| Symbian Foundation | Other | Nov 2010 | €22M |
| Oxford Nanopore Technologies | Series C | Apr 2010 | €21M |
| Compact Media Group | Growth/Late | Oct 2010 | €20M |
| AlertMe | Series B | Oct 2010 | €17M |
| Zipcar Inc | Growth/Late | Dec 2010 | €16M |
| The Hut Group | Series D+ | Apr 2010 | €16M |
| BullionVault | Series D+ | Jun 2010 | €15M |
Top investors
most active in 2010, by deal count- Octopus Ventures10 deals
- Index Ventures7 deals
- Accel6 deals
- Oxford Capital Partners5 deals
- Amadeus Capital Partners4 deals
- Balderton Capital4 deals
- MMC Ventures4 deals
- Advent Venture Partners4 deals
- Midven4 deals
- Intel Capital3 deals
Source: Tech.eu Funding Explorer · data as of 6 Nov 2026 · licence CC BY 4.0 · Methodology