Typical UK startups raise £250,000, analysis of 673,404 Companies House filings finds

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The UK Pre-Seed Funding Index 2023-25 shows that half of UK start-ups that raised outside equity did so outside London, and that the public register misses many of their investors

FULHAM, U.K. - s4story -- The typical UK startups formed since 2023 have raised an estimated £250,000 in total, and half of those that raised outside equity are registered outside London, according to the UK Pre-Seed Funding Index 2023-25, published today by SGI Consultants.

The Index analyses the Companies House filings of 673,404 active UK companies formed in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Of these, 10,307 (1.5%) had raised £10,000 or more of outside equity, and 5,899 had raised it in the way start-ups do.

The Index finds that:
  • The typical startups has raised an estimated £250,000 in total across all its rounds, and half raised £250,000 or less, the most a company can raise under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS).
  • Of 5,378 start-ups with a readable amount, 878 had raised £2 million or more. The rounds that make the news sit in the market's top tail.
  • 51% of start-ups that raised outside equity are registered outside London.
  • SFC Capital, Haatch and Antler UK appear on more new-company share registers than any other investor.
  • 28% of 2025 start-ups that have raised still show no outside shareholder on the register, so investor lists built from Companies House alone miss a large part of the market.
  • Companies with AI in their name made up one in 19 of the 2025 start-ups that raised, up from one in 24 in 2023 and 2024.

Kurt Graver, founder of SGI Consultants, said: "Founders ask us the same three questions: how much should we raise, who invests first, and do we need to be in London? Most of the answers they hear come from deals that make the news, and those deals aren't typical. The public record shows a market of smaller rounds, regional investors and first cheques from SEIS funds and accelerators. Founders who plan against that market raise on firmer ground."

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The full Index, with breakdowns by sector and region, the 20 most active investors on the registers and the method, is free to read at the link below.

https://startgrowimprove.com/uk-pre-seed-funding-index/

Contact
Kurt Graver, SGI Consultants Ltd
***@startgrowimprove.com


Source: SGI Consultants

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