THE PLEXAL STARTUP TRACKER

We want to bring the facts to the table about how COVID-19 is affecting startups. So we’ve partnered with Beauhurst to analyse, week by week, metrics that will tell us the true story.

We’ve looked at 30,000 startups and fast-growth businesses (companies that have attracted equity or venture debt funding). Every week, we’ll publish new statistics here, along with our take on what it means.

From 23 March until 12 October 2020

↓18%

decrease in the value of investment compared to the same period in 2019

£5.37bn

how much investment has been raised by startups in the UK since lockdown began

£458m

the value of investment since 23 March going to startups that have never received investment before

↓55%

how much lower funding for tech startups raising investment for the first time is compared to the same period in 2019

1,067

the number of administration, dissolution and liquidation filings since the start of lockdown

273

the number of administration, dissolution and liquidation filings in September 2020 – a 181% month-on-month increase compared with August and the highest monthly figure in 10 years

388

the number of administration, dissolution and liquidation filings by companies based in London since April 2020

97

the number of administration, dissolution and liquidation filings by companies based in Scotland since April 2020

BIGGEST DEALS SINCE MARCH 2020

 

The five biggest deals for British tech startups

  1. Cazoo £365m
  2. Karma Kitchen £252m
  3. Transferwise £248m
  4. Gymshark £200m
  5. Synk £154m

 

The five biggest deals for British tech startups that haven’t previously raised investment

  1. Gymshark £200m
  2. H4 £21.2m
  3. Decora £10m
  4. Next base £10m
  5. Voyager-Systems £10m

The tech sector has been leading investment activity since the lockdown began, with the highest levels of investment going to startups operating in fintech, artificial intelligence, digital security and blockchain.

OUR TAKE ON THE STATS

Investment levels across the board is 18% lower compared to the same period last year. And while over £5bn has been raised since lockdown began, only £458m of that went to startups raising for the first time. This is a particularly challenging time to be an early-stage startup in the UK.

We’ve also seen a record spike in disolutions, liquidations and administrations in September. 1,067 startups have reached the end of their journey since the start of lockdown in March as the true impact of the pandemic begins to be felt.

 

 

READ MORE AND CONTACT US.

We’ve published a more detailed analysis of the state of startups on our news page. We’ve found that September saw a record number of administration, liquidation or dissolution filings – the highest monthly figure in 10 years.

If you’ve got any media enquiries or would like to learn more about our data and insights from our startup community, contact us on connect@plexal.com

OUR DATA IS POWERED BY: