British high growth companies raise £19 billion in the last three years in deals involving foreign investors

• Nearly half of total equity investment in high growth firms funded by deals with at least one foreign investor
• Boom in US investment in UK high-growth firms, with US investors involved in deals worth £4.5 billion in the last year alone
• Total value of deals involving US investors up 620 per cent during the past decade

A new report out today from Barclays and Beauhurst reveals the growth opportunities for high growth firms in the UK and their plans to tap further into international markets as they look to bounce back from the pandemic.

The ‘Trading Places’ report reveals that British high growth companies have raised £19 billion in foreign investment in the past three years alone, with UK businesses proving to be an attractive proposition for international investors.

Nearly half of the total equity investment in high growth firms over the past four years was funded by deals with at least one foreign investor. Since 2011, 36 per cent of deals involving foreign investors were for companies raising their first round of equity.

The report, which includes data from Beauhurst’s network of over 36,000 high growth UK companies, also shows a boom in US investment. Over the past decade, the annual value of deals involving US investors has grown by more than 620 per cent, amounting to £4.5 billion in 2020 alone.

Equity investment into software companies (Software as a service), was the most popular among international investors between 2011 and 2020 with internet platform, mobile app, and analytics companies following close behind.

One company to benefit from this international investment is Streetbees, an AI-driven consumer insights platform, with a mission to deliver the world’s first human intelligence platform. Through capturing real life behaviour in people’s own words, photos and videos, Streetbees enables brands to understand the lives, motivations and behaviour of people in every part of the world.

Tugce Bulut, CEO & Founder of Streetbees, said: “Streetbees has always been internationally minded, with teams in the UK, US, France, Switzerland and China, but our Series B funding last year provided us with the resources we needed to really step up our global expansion as a leader in AI-driven tech.

“We’ve made huge increases to our US-based team, recruiting the best in the industry to join our New York office, which has enabled us to make our mark on the North American market.”

The report also explores investment into the UK from the EU post-Brexit and via Innovate UK grants. In 2019, the value of deals involving EU investors hit a high at £2.4 billion, showing the continued importance of the UK’s relationship with its closest neighbours, whilst Innovate UK gave £1.1 billion in grants to high growth firms in 2020.

Katherine Morgan, Head of High Growth and Entrepreneurs at Barclays, said: “More people are considering starting a business now than ever before, and it’s no surprise given the success of our home-grown entrepreneurs, many of whom have skilfully utilised international markets, generating new jobs and driving economic growth.

“It’s clear from our customers that both the EU and the wider international markets are equally attractive when it comes to raising funds, tapping into talent and introducing their products overseas.

“Their continued innovation and pragmatism will be vital as we recover from the economic damage that the pandemic has inflicted on the world.”

The ‘Trading Places’ report makes a series of recommendations to entrepreneurs and business leaders who are considering scaling their business:

• Explore foreign investment – British entrepreneurs and business leaders should consider the funds and expertise that foreign investors can bring to the table, as these investors look to the UK to diversify their portfolios both geographically and sectorally
• Tap into international talent – Those looking to start a new venture should consider the connections and experience that an international co-founder can bring
• Consider foreign acquirers – US buyers were responsible for 40% of the top 20 acquired companies by valuation over the last 10 years. Business leaders should consider adding some overseas buyers to long lists when weighing potential exits.

Barclays is running a Global Connect programme in September encouraging more high growth firms to learn about international markets. A number of firms will be heading virtually to San Francisco as part of an established four-week programme designed to teach start-ups the fundamentals of raising institutional funding.

To find out more about Barclays support for High Growth businesses visit: https://www.barclays.co.uk/business-banking/sectors/entrepreneurs/

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Notes to Editors

About Barclays
Barclays is a British universal bank. We are diversified by business, by different types of customer and client, and geography. Our businesses include consumer banking and payments operations around the world, as well as a top-tier, full service, global corporate and investment bank, all of which are supported by our service company which provides technology, operations and functional services across the Group.

About Beauhurst
Beauhurst is a searchable database of the UK’s high-growth companies.
Our platform is trusted by thousands of business professionals to help them find, research and monitor the most ambitious businesses in Britain. We collect data on every company that meets our unique criteria of high-growth; from equity-backed start-ups to accelerator attendees, academic spinouts and fast-growing scale-ups.

Our data is also used by journalists and researchers who seek to understand the high-growth economy, and powering studies by major organisations – including the British Business Bank, HM Treasury and Innovate UK – to help them develop effective policy.

For more information and a free demonstration, visit beauhurst.com