UK startup funding in H1 2010
European tech funding raised by UK startups during H1 2010.
In H1 2010, 95 startups in the UK closed 99 funding rounds and raised €300M in equity funding (excluding debt and grants), up 5.7% versus H1 2009. Software was the most active sector, and Octopus Ventures was the most active investor. Data as of 6 Nov 2026.
Equity funding
€300M
+5.7% vs H1 2009 · excl. debt & grants
Funding rounds
99
+37.5% vs H1 2009
Companies
95
Top sector
Software
Rank in Europe
#1
27.9% of European funding
Top-10 round share
63.1%
of disclosed capital
Funding by month
€ raised vs rounds, by monthUK — funding by month, H1 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 |
Top sectors
by € raisedUK — top sectors by capital, H1 2010 — interactive chart.
Data table
| UK — top sectors by capital, H1 2010 | |
|---|---|
| Foodtech | €85M |
| Healthtech | €37M |
| Software | €34M |
| Fintech | €26M |
| Marketing | €25M |
| Cybersecurity | €18M |
| Fashion | €16M |
| Media | €8.4M |
Stage mix
by € raisedUK — stage mix, H1 2010 — interactive chart.
Data table
| UK — stage mix, H1 2010 | |
|---|---|
| Growth/Late | €101M |
| Early VC | €63M |
| Series B | €38M |
| Series C | €31M |
| Series D+ | €30M |
| Series A | €18M |
| Other | €12M |
| Seed | €6.6M |
| Grant | €1.5M |
Exits & M&A
5 Buyout · 1 Acquisition · 1 IPO7 exits · €269M disclosed.
| rentalcars.com | Acquisition | Apr 2010 | €106M |
| Paradigm | Buyout | Jan 2010 | €59M |
| Cupid plc | IPO | Apr 2010 | €54M |
| Arts Alliance Media | Buyout | Jan 2010 | €50M |
| Storage Made Easy | Buyout | Jan 2010 | €227k |
| Audibase | Buyout | Jan 2010 | €2k |
Top deals
largest disclosed rounds in H1 2010| Company | Stage | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innocent drinks | Growth/Late | Apr 2010 | €85M |
| Oxford Nanopore Technologies | Series C | Apr 2010 | €21M |
| The Hut Group | Series D+ | Apr 2010 | €16M |
| BullionVault | Series D+ | Jun 2010 | €15M |
| Mimecast | Series B | Jan 2010 | €15M |
| Funxional Therapeutics | Series B | May 2010 | €9.2M |
| AePONA | Series C | Jun 2010 | €8.1M |
| Huddle | Series B | May 2010 | €7.7M |
| Clifford Thames | Early VC | Feb 2010 | €7.2M |
| ControlCircle | Early VC | Mar 2010 | €6.7M |
| Autoquake | Growth/Late | Mar 2010 | €6.7M |
| Carebase | Early VC | May 2010 | €6.7M |
| Eutechnyx | Early VC | May 2010 | €6.6M |
| Helveta | Early VC | May 2010 | €5.5M |
| Intela | Early VC | Jan 2010 | €5.0M |
Top investors
most active in H1 2010, by deal count- Octopus Ventures6 deals
- Index Ventures4 deals
- PROfounders Capital3 deals
- Eden Ventures3 deals
- Stefan Glaenzer3 deals
- Midven3 deals
- Frog Capital2 deals
- Jaina Capital2 deals
- Amadeus Capital Partners2 deals
- Ventech2 deals