UK startup funding in H1 2012
European tech funding raised by UK startups during H1 2012.
In H1 2012, 187 startups in the UK closed 196 funding rounds and raised €569M in equity funding (excluding debt and grants), up 22.7% versus H1 2011. Debt rounds added €5.3M. Marketing was the most active sector, and Index Ventures was the most active investor. Data as of 6 Nov 2026.
Equity funding
€569M
+22.7% vs H1 2011 · excl. debt & grants · +€5.3M debt
Funding rounds
196
+43.1% vs H1 2011
Companies
187
Top sector
Marketing
Rank in Europe
#1
31.7% of European funding
Debt financing
€5.3M
0.9% of total
Top-10 round share
42.2%
of disclosed capital
Funding by month
€ raised vs rounds, by monthUK — funding by month, H1 2012 — interactive chart.
Data table
| Funding | Rounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | €98M | 50 |
| Feb | €47M | 29 |
| Mar | €123M | 33 |
| Apr | €105M | 29 |
| May | €161M | 33 |
| Jun | €40M | 22 |
Top sectors
by € raisedUK — top sectors by capital, H1 2012 — interactive chart.
Data table
| UK — top sectors by capital, H1 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Marketing | €94M |
| Foodtech | €81M |
| E-commerce | €72M |
| Software | €68M |
| Healthtech | €59M |
| Media | €53M |
| Fashion | €46M |
| Cleantech | €44M |
Stage mix
by € raisedUK — stage mix, H1 2012 — interactive chart.
Data table
| UK — stage mix, H1 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Other | €111M |
| Series B | €97M |
| Series A | €96M |
| Growth/Late | €94M |
| Series C | €81M |
| Early VC | €46M |
| Seed | €32M |
| Series D+ | €12M |
| Debt | €5.3M |
| Grant | €220k |
Exits & M&A
5 Acquisition · 2 IPO7 exits · €792M disclosed.
| Gullivers Travel Associates | Acquisition | Jan 2012 | €503M |
| M and M Direct | Acquisition | Feb 2012 | €168M |
| MPayMe | Acquisition | Jun 2012 | €68M |
| Addlive | Acquisition | Apr 2012 | €27M |
| UBC Media Group | Acquisition | May 2012 | €25M |
Top deals
largest disclosed rounds in H1 2012| Company | Stage | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just Eat | Series C | Apr 2012 | €42M |
| Oxford Nanopore Technologies | Growth/Late | May 2012 | €39M |
| Bluewater Bio | Other | Mar 2012 | €31M |
| StuRents.com | Series A | May 2012 | €30M |
| Unruly | Series A | Jan 2012 | €19M |
| Bookatable (Livebookings) | Growth/Late | May 2012 | €18M |
| Huddle | Series C | May 2012 | €18M |
| Zattikka | Other | Apr 2012 | €18M |
| Farfetch | Series B | Jan 2012 | €14M |
| Hailo | Series A | Mar 2012 | €13M |
| Wear Inns | Growth/Late | May 2012 | €12M |
| Medicanimal | Series C | May 2012 | €12M |
| Funding Circle | Series B | Apr 2012 | €12M |
| Notonthehighstreet | Series D+ | May 2012 | €12M |
| myThings | Growth/Late | Mar 2012 | €11M |
Top investors
most active in H1 2012, by deal count- Index Ventures8 deals
- Accel6 deals
- Scottish Equity Partners6 deals
- The North West Fund6 deals
- Balderton Capital5 deals
- Business Growth Fund5 deals
- Crowdcube5 deals
- Northstar Ventures4 deals
- Amadeus Capital Partners3 deals
- Wellington Partners2 deals