Country comparison
United Kingdom vs United Arab Emirates: startup funding compared
Since 2 June 2025, startups in the United Kingdom raised $22.4B across 606 rounds, 13.2 times the United Arab Emirates' $1.7B.
Capital raised running total by month
Where the money goes share of capital by sector
United Kingdom
United Arab Emirates
Biggest rounds
United Kingdom
United Arab Emirates
Stage mix share of rounds
Most active investors rounds joined
| Investor | United Kingdom | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Y Combinator | 19 | 2 |
| Entrepreneurs First | 19 | · |
| Fuel Ventures | 18 | · |
| LocalGlobe | 17 | · |
| AlbionVC | 16 | · |
| British Business Bank | 16 | · |
| Balderton Capital | 12 | 1 |
| Seedcamp | 13 | · |
| General Catalyst | 11 | 1 |
| Haatch | 12 | · |
| Notion Capital | 12 | · |
| Octopus Ventures | 12 | · |
Startup hubs rounds and capital by city
United Kingdom
United Arab Emirates
Latest rounds
Questions
Which country raised more startup funding, the United Kingdom or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Kingdom. Since 2 June 2025, startups in the United Kingdom raised $22.4B across 606 rounds, against $1.7B across 52 rounds in the United Arab Emirates, 13.2 times more. That is 3.2% and 0.2% of all the capital FundraiseBase tracked worldwide over the period.
How many startup funding rounds were announced in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates?
606 rounds in the United Kingdom and 52 rounds in the United Arab Emirates since 2 June 2025, about 34 and 3 a month.
Are startup rounds bigger in the United Kingdom or the United Arab Emirates?
The median round is $7M in the United Kingdom and $4.5M in the United Arab Emirates, and the average round $37M and $32.6M. 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 the United Arab Emirates?
The biggest startup rounds in the United Arab Emirates since 2 June 2025 are Cadena ($275M, Series C, 10 Jun 2026), Moove ($250M, Series C, 5 Aug 2026) and Tabby ($233M, 15 Sept 2026).
Which sectors attract the most startup funding in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates?
In the United Kingdom, AI ($14.5B, 65% of the capital), Health ($1.7B, 7%) and Robotics & Hardware ($1.4B, 6%) lead. In the United Arab Emirates, AI ($684M, 40% of the capital), Fintech ($384M, 23%) and Enterprise software ($62.5M, 4%) lead.
Is the United Kingdom or the United Arab Emirates better for early-stage startups?
Early-stage rounds (Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A) make up 60% of rounds in the United Kingdom and 65% in the United Arab Emirates. The United Kingdom recorded 262 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds and the United Arab Emirates 28 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds, with a median of $3.5M and $2M.
How much growth funding (Series B and later) goes to the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates?
Startups in the United Kingdom raised $12B in 82 Series B or later rounds, 53% of the country's capital. In the United Arab Emirates, $696M in 6 rounds, 41% 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 the United Arab Emirates?
Plus VC (5 rounds, 2 led), Oraseya Capital (4 rounds, 1 led) and Salica Oryx Fund (3 rounds, 1 led) are the most active investors in the United Arab Emirates.
Which investors back startups in both the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates?
23 investors joined rounds in both countries. The most active: Y Combinator (19 in the United Kingdom, 2 in the United Arab Emirates), Balderton Capital (12 in the United Kingdom, 1 in the United Arab Emirates), General Catalyst (11 in the United Kingdom, 1 in the United Arab Emirates), Partech (5 in the United Kingdom, 2 in the United Arab Emirates) and Plug and Play (4 in the United Kingdom, 2 in the United Arab Emirates).
Which cities lead startup funding in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates?
London leads the United Kingdom with $15.6B across 396 rounds, ahead of Cambridge ($1.3B). Dubai leads the United Arab Emirates with $1.1B across 35 rounds, ahead of Abu Dhabi ($302M).
Which month brought the most startup funding?
In the United Kingdom, May 2026 ($4.4B). In the United Arab Emirates, January 2026 ($429M).
How much did startups in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates 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 the United Arab Emirates $261M across 6 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.