Country comparison
United Kingdom vs Saudi Arabia: startup funding compared
Since 2 June 2025, startups in the United Kingdom raised $22.4B across 606 rounds, 23.0 times Saudi Arabia's $976M.
Capital raised running total by month
Where the money goes share of capital by sector
United Kingdom
Saudi Arabia
Biggest rounds
United Kingdom
Saudi Arabia
Stage mix share of rounds
Most active investors rounds joined
| Investor | United Kingdom | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Y Combinator | 19 | 1 |
| Entrepreneurs First | 19 | · |
| Fuel Ventures | 18 | · |
| LocalGlobe | 17 | · |
| AlbionVC | 16 | · |
| British Business Bank | 16 | · |
| Seedcamp | 13 | · |
| Balderton Capital | 12 | · |
| Haatch | 12 | · |
| Notion Capital | 12 | · |
| Octopus Ventures | 12 | · |
| Accel | 11 | · |
Startup hubs rounds and capital by city
United Kingdom
Saudi Arabia
Latest rounds
Questions
Which country raised more startup funding, the United Kingdom or Saudi Arabia?
The United Kingdom. Since 2 June 2025, startups in the United Kingdom raised $22.4B across 606 rounds, against $976M across 42 rounds in Saudi Arabia, 23.0 times more. That is 3.2% and 0.1% of all the capital FundraiseBase tracked worldwide over the period.
How many startup funding rounds were announced in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia?
606 rounds in the United Kingdom and 42 rounds in Saudi Arabia since 2 June 2025, about 34 and 2 a month.
Are startup rounds bigger in the United Kingdom or Saudi Arabia?
The median round is $7M in the United Kingdom and $3.5M in Saudi Arabia, and the average round $37M and $23.2M. The median shows the typical round; the average is pulled up by a few very large ones.
What is the biggest startup round in the United Kingdom?
The biggest startup rounds in the United Kingdom since 2 June 2025 are Isomorphic Labs ($2.1B, Series B, 12 May 2026), Nscale ($2B, Series C, 9 Mar 2026) and Wayve ($1.2B, Series D, 24 Feb 2026).
What is the biggest startup round in Saudi Arabia?
The biggest startup rounds in Saudi Arabia since 2 June 2025 are barq ($330M, Series A, 15 Sept 2026), Ninja ($254M, Growth, 8 Jul 2025) and Gathern ($72.1M, Series B, 20 Aug 2025).
Which sectors attract the most startup funding in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia?
In the United Kingdom, AI ($14.5B, 65% of the capital), Health ($1.7B, 7%) and Robotics & Hardware ($1.4B, 6%) lead. In Saudi Arabia, Fintech ($485M, 50% of the capital), Consumer ($257M, 26%) and Enterprise software ($116M, 12%) lead.
Is the United Kingdom or Saudi Arabia better for early-stage startups?
Early-stage rounds (Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A) make up 60% of rounds in the United Kingdom and 79% in Saudi Arabia. The United Kingdom recorded 262 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds and Saudi Arabia 24 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds, with a median of $3.5M and $1.7M.
How much growth funding (Series B and later) goes to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia?
Startups in the United Kingdom raised $12B in 82 Series B or later rounds, 53% of the country's capital. In Saudi Arabia, $132M in 3 rounds, 14% of the capital.
Who are the most active startup investors in the United Kingdom?
Y Combinator (19 rounds, 2 led), Entrepreneurs First (19 rounds) and Fuel Ventures (18 rounds, 13 led) are the most active investors in the United Kingdom.
Who are the most active startup investors in Saudi Arabia?
Impact46 (5 rounds, 3 led), 500 Global (5 rounds) and Merak Capital (4 rounds, 3 led) are the most active investors in Saudi Arabia.
Which investors back startups in both the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia?
9 investors joined rounds in both countries. The most active: Y Combinator (19 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Saudi Arabia), Araya Ventures (5 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Saudi Arabia), 500 Global (1 in the United Kingdom, 5 in Saudi Arabia), Andreessen Horowitz (3 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Saudi Arabia) and Endeavor Catalyst (3 in the United Kingdom, 1 in Saudi Arabia).
Which cities lead startup funding in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia?
London leads the United Kingdom with $15.6B across 396 rounds, ahead of Cambridge ($1.3B). Riyadh leads Saudi Arabia with $920M across 27 rounds, ahead of Jeddah ($1.2M).
Which month brought the most startup funding?
In the United Kingdom, May 2026 ($4.4B). In Saudi Arabia, September 2026 ($364M).
How much did startups in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia raise in the last 90 days?
In the 90 days to 12 Nov 2026, startups in the United Kingdom raised $2.8B across 74 rounds and in Saudi Arabia $381M across 9 rounds.
Where does this data come from?
FundraiseBase lists startup funding rounds from public announcements: press releases, company posts and news coverage, checked and updated every day. Amounts are in US dollars. Some rounds are never announced, so the figures show what was made public, not every round. Corrections are welcome.