The last decade has seen a huge boom in the global startup ecosystem, with digital and tech startups driving innovation across every industry imaginable. Last year, VC investment in startups hit an all-time high, almost doubling to reach $621 billion globally and shatter historic funding records. In recent years, the UK has created more tech unicorns than any other country except the US and China. Following a turbulent couple of years, post-pandemic investor confidence in startups seemed to have skyrocketed, and it seemed the startup sector was on the path to an unprecedented recovery.