In a market increasingly defined by a “rush to quality,” venture capital firms are finding it harder than ever to win the most competitive deals. With fewer standout startups raising money and those that do often commanding sky-high valuations, VCs are under pressure to evolve.

Assessing the UK’s technology ecosystem – deeptech shines clearly as a bright spot. Owing to a network of historic and world-leading universities, the UK has a longstanding R&D tradition that’s spawned regional startups at the forefront of new tech innovation that ‘deeptech’ consists of.

Imagine the scene. It’s November 2023 and the UK government is hosting the inaugural AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. The broad consensus is that the UK is strongly positioned to stake a claim for global AI leadership. As recently as February, things seemed to be on the same trajectory with the government proclaiming a “pro-innovation” approach to regulating AI.