UK Defence startup funding
UK Defence startups have raised £443m across 17 rounds since January 2023, 0.8% of the money raised by all UK startups in that time (debt excluded). In 2026 so far, 12 rounds have raised £428m, with a median round of £8.8m.
Total raised
£443m
3 rounds undisclosed
Rounds
17
since 2023
Companies
15
raising at least once
Median round
£5.2m
of rounds with an amount
Overview
Money raised each quarter
Show the data as a table
| Label | Value (£m) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 23 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q2 23 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q3 23 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q4 23 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q1 24 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q2 24 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q3 24 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q4 24 | £0.83m | 1 round |
| Q1 25 | £1.5m | 1 round |
| Q2 25 | £12.7m | 2 rounds |
| Q3 25 | £0m | 1 round |
| Q4 25 | £0m | 0 rounds |
| Q1 26 | £23.7m | 5 rounds |
| Q2 26 | £29m | 2 rounds |
| Q3 26 | £375m | 4 rounds |
| Q4 26 | £0m | 1 round |
Latest rounds
The 50 most recent rounds matching the filters. Select one for the company's full record.
| Date | Company | City | Sector | Stage | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Oct 2026 | London | Cybersecurity +1 | Other / undisclosed | Undisclosed | |
| 17 Aug 2026 | Gloucestershire | Space +1 | Seed | Undisclosed | |
| 10 Aug 2026 | Cambridge | Cybersecurity +1 | Series C | £222m | |
| 29 Jul 2026 | London | AI +1 | Seed | £22.6m | |
| 9 Jul 2026 | London | Transportation +1 | Series B | £131m | |
| 13 May 2026 | Bristol | Cybersecurity +1 | Other / undisclosed | £25m | |
| 30 Apr 2026 | Christchurch | Robotics +1 | Other / undisclosed | £4m | |
| 10 Mar 2026 | London | Cybersecurity +1 | Other / undisclosed | £11.2m | |
| 4 Mar 2026 | Cambridge | Cybersecurity +1 | Pre-Seed | £1.5m | |
| 11 Feb 2026 | London | Cybersecurity +1 | Other / undisclosed | £2.6m | |
| 6 Feb 2026 | Bristol | Cleantech +1 | Seed | £6.4m | |
| 22 Jan 2026 | Lincoln | Space +1 | Other / undisclosed | £2m | |
| 8 Aug 2025 | Oxfordshire | Space +1 | Other / undisclosed | Undisclosed | |
| 27 May 2025 | London | Cybersecurity +1 | Other / undisclosed | £3.7m | |
| 2 May 2025 | London | Software +1 | Seed | £9m | |
| 22 Jan 2025 | London | Cybersecurity +1 | Other / undisclosed | £1.5m | |
| 10 Dec 2024 | Bristol | Cleantech +1 | Pre-Seed | £826k |
Explore by city and sector
Cities
Sectors
| # | Sector | Rounds | Raised since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fintech | 523 | £12bn |
| 2 | Healthtech | 423 | £8.18bn |
| 3 | Software | 658 | £6.02bn |
| 4 | AI | 218 | £5.17bn |
| 5 | Semiconductors | 36 | £5.14bn |
| 6 | Energy | 175 | £4.51bn |
| 7 | Transportation | 102 | £4.38bn |
| 8 | Cloud | 10 | £2.82bn |
| 9 | Cleantech | 183 | £2bn |
| 10 | Deeptech | 103 | £1.37bn |
| 11 | Cybersecurity | 114 | £1.11bn |
| 12 | Telecom | 25 | £957m |
| 13 | Legaltech | 48 | £591m |
| 14 | Consumer | 36 | £558m |
| 15 | E-commerce | 64 | £546m |
| 16 | Hardware | 41 | £483m |
| 17 | Defence | 17 | £443m |
| 18 | Media | 41 | £413m |
| 19 | Travel | 26 | £406m |
| 20 | Proptech | 54 | £366m |
| 21 | HRtech | 64 | £356m |
| 22 | Agritech | 49 | £331m |
| 23 | Edtech | 59 | £310m |
| 24 | Gaming | 45 | £304m |
| 25 | Foodtech | 51 | £301m |
| 26 | Robotics | 20 | £294m |
| 27 | Marketing | 45 | £246m |
| 28 | Space | 22 | £193m |
| 29 | Fashion | 19 | £167m |
| 30 | Wellness & Beauty | 36 | £151m |
| 31 | Sports | 22 | £126m |
| 32 | Blockchain | 1 | £0 |
Median round size by stage
Show the data as a table
| Label | Value (£m) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | £9.03m | median of 3 rounds |
The 10 biggest rounds hold 99% of the money
Show the data as a table
| Label | Value (£m) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Top 10 rounds | £437m | 99% |
| Next 4 rounds | £5.82m | 1.3% |
Year on year
2026 is up 2911% on the same period of 2025 (1 Jan to 7 Nov).
Show the data as a table
| Label | 1 Jan to 7 Nov (£m) | Full year (£m) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | £0m | £0.83m |
| 2025 | £14.2m | £14.2m |
| 2026 | £428m | £428m |
Data as of , updated daily at midnight UK timeData: Tech.eu Funding Explorer