Britain bets on state equity to stop its best startups from decamping to America

Britain bets on state equity to stop its best startups from decamping to America

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has vowed the British state will take more risks alongside private investors, with the British Business Bank already anchoring £100 million of Oxford Quantum Circuits' record £260 million Series C and backing Wayve's $1.2 billion Series D. The £500 million Sovereign AI Fund adds equity of up to £20 million per startup, one million GPU-hours, and same-day visa processing for key hires. UK AI startups raised £6 billion in 2025 and are on pace to double that in 2026,