Some investors have an eye for future moneymakers. The 100 fastest-growing startups in the UK and Ireland, according to the latest Sifted Leaderboard, have been backed by 953 between them. (That’s 27% more than the 2024 cohort.)
125 of those investors have at least two startups on the leaderboard this year. Of these, a striking 24% are headquartered in the US, while the majority — 54% — call the UK home. Other non-European countries represented include Canada, Singapore, China, Japan and Nigeria.
45% are VCs — led by most active investor LocalGlobe — and 17% are angels, including Tom Blomfield and Charlie Songhurst, who both feature in the top 10 of our investor list — ranked by the number of portfolio companies that feature on the Sifted 100: UK & Ireland Leaderboard in the first instance, followed by the average two-year revenue CAGR of those companies. The full ranking is available here.
Only 25 of last year’s featured startups made the list again, meaning the investor churn is also significant. 31% of this year’s 953 investors have at least one startup in their portfolio that has featured in both 2024 and 2025.
US fintech VC QED Investors made the most dramatic leap on our investor ranking, with three more investments and skyrocketing from 385th to 5th place. True was the biggest faller, having had three companies on the leaderboard in 2024 but none this year. Other notable investors active in the UK such as 20VC, Eurazeo and Partech had two companies last year but didn’t feature this time around.
Top 10 UK & Ireland leaderboard investors
1\ LocalGlobe
HQ: UK
2025 count: 7 (+1 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 142.16%
Companies: Hook (#33), Wagestream (#46), Monzo (#57), Open Cosmos (#80), Multiverse (#81), Cleo (#85), tiney (#86)
London’s LocalGlobe built its reputation as the region’s go-to seed investor, and this year, it topped the leaderboard with seven investments in the fastest-growing companies. The seed-stage stalwart upped its count from last year, continuing its streak of backing giants like fintech unicorn Monzo, apprenticeship scaleup Multiverse and financial wellness startup Wagestream. The firm typically invests in pre-seed and seed rounds, writing cheques between £500k-£2m.
2\ Octopus Ventures
HQ: UK
2025 count: 6 (+1 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 226.83%
Companies: Switchee (#3), Bondaval (#19), Definely (#59), Vitesse (#65), Manual (#70), XYZ Reality (#83)
The venture arm of Octopus has been investing since 2008, building a portfolio that spans B2B SaaS, climate tech, deeptech, fintech, healthtech and consumer sectors across all stages. With 32 exits to date, the firm’s investments in this year’s leaderboard include smart energy platform Switchee, ranked third and fintech risk manager Bondaval, ranked 19th.
3\ Balderton Capital
HQ: UK
2025 count: 6 (+3 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 225.42%
Companies: Lindus Health (#4), ZOE Health (#32), Hook (#33), Wagestream (#46), Cleo (#85), Zopa (#98)
The London-based VC, known for backing fintech giant Revolut and AI startup Wayve, has doubled down on its commitment to European startups last year, raising $1.3bn across two new funds last year to support companies from early stage to IPO. With a total of $5.7bn raised across multiple funds, it invested in six companies featured in this year’s UK & Ireland leaderboard; among them is clinical trials platform Lindus Health.
4\ Plug and Play
HQ: US
2025 count: 5 (-1 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 199.47%
Companies: Sunsave (#14), Holibob (#25), Greyparrot.AI (#40), Penfold (#72), Yoti (#96)
California-based Plug and Play operates both as an accelerator and a VC, investing in early-stage startups across 15 countries. Since expanding to London in 2019, it has become one of the most active backers of the region’s startups, writing $50k-$250k cheques for pre-seed to Series A companies, primarily in B2B. Its bets in the leaderboard include solar energy provider Sunsave (#14) and travel tech platform Holibob (#25).
5\ QED Investors
HQ: US
2025 count: 5 (+4 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 154.15%
Companies: Carmoola (#23), Wagestream (#46), Wayflyer (#76), Zopa (#98), Payhawk (#99)
The VC has carved out a niche in fintech, investing across 24 countries with a portfolio that includes 31 unicorns. Among the firm’s five investments featured in this year’s leaderboard is car financing company Carmoola, ranked 23rd.
6\ Tom Blomfield
HQ: US
2025 count: 4 (new)
Average company CAGR: 375.21%
Companies: Robin AI (#2), Healthtech-1 (#8), Bondaval (#19), Sona (#35)
The Monzo and GoCardless cofounder — and Y Combinator partner — secured four investments in this year’s leaderboard, making him the most prolific angel. Three of those landed in the top 25: AI-driven legal assistant Robin AI (#2), healthtech innovator Healthtech-1 (#8) and fintech risk manager Bondaval, ranked 19th.
7\ Salica
HQ: UK
2025 count: 4 (+2 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 296.18%
Companies: Lindus Health (#4), Abound (#12), Peppy Health (#45), Moneybox (#50)
The London-based VC has carved a niche in the technology, healthcare, financial and life science sectors since 2017. The firm secured four spots in this year’s leaderboard, including clinical trials platform Lindus Health and AI-powered financial wellness company Abound. With three active funds in the market, Salica covers early and later-stage investments, secondary investments and growth debt.
8\ University of Cambridge
HQ: UK
2025 count: 4 (same as 2024)
Average company CAGR: 284.94%
Companies: Robin AI (#2), bit.bio (#21), PolyAI (#73), Congenica (#93)
The university has long been a powerhouse for scientific and technological innovation, and through its dedicated investment arms — Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) and its endowment fund — it continues to back some of the UK’s fastest-growing startups. This year, it backed four companies on the leaderboard, including AI-driven legal assistant Robin AI and synthetic biology company bit.bio.
9\ Charlie Songhurst
HQ: US
2025 count: 4 (+3 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 263.52%
Companies: Zelt (#10), Neurolabs (#16), Bondaval (#19), Open Cosmos (#80)
Best known as the founder of Katana Capital and a former Microsoft executive, Charlie Songhurst is a seasoned angel investor who has backed over 500 startups throughout his career. This year, he backed four of the fastest-growing startups, up from three last year. His portfolio includes workforce management platform Zelt, computer vision startup Neurolabs and fintech risk manager Bondaval, all of which rank in the top 25.
10\ Seedcamp
HQ: UK
2025 count: 4 (-2 vs. 2024)
Average company CAGR: 262.69%
Companies: Lindus Health (#4), Juro (#10), Synthesia (#22), Peppy Health (#45)
With a founder-focused approach from day one, the VC has been active for over 15 years building a portfolio of more than 460 companies, including nine unicorns and two publicly listed companies. Two of its four backings on this year’s leaderboard are in the top 10: Lindus Health (#4) and Juro (#10).
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/investors-backing-uk-ireland-fastest-growing-startups/
